September 15 - Introducing Four New Members of the NLN Staff

Greetings from the Valley of the Sun. I'm here in Phoenix, excited to be opening the 2014 NLN Education Summit. Some members of our staff are here and others are on their way, ready for the final preparations for what will be an extraordinary Summit in the best NLN tradition.

I'd like to pause here for a moment to remind you of something you may already know. If you are receiving this Member Update, you are a full-fledged member of the NLN. You may ask, "How can this be? I never paid membership dues." Well, the answer is simple: If your school is an institutional member, all of its faculty" - both full-time and part-time - “are NLN members as well, with all attendant benefits.

Which leads me back to the NLN Education Summit. One of its unheralded benefits is how it brings together NLN members with members of our staff. There is always that "aha" moment when individuals who have known each other via email and the telephone finally greet each other in person. Staff have told me over the years that meeting NLN members in person is a high point of their Summit experience.

This year's Summit completes a year of transition for the League. Last September, when we convened in Washington DC, several longtime New York City staff were with us, along with a few from DC for whom the Summit was a brand new experience. This year the proportions are reversed. You will see several very familiar faces and greet staff who have been with us for a year or slightly more or slightly less. I've used the NLN Member Update to introduce some of them during the past months.

Today I'd like to introduce two members of the staff who joined us in August, and two who joined just this month.

September 25 Picking an Electronic Health Record for Academia Webinar September 30 Leadership Institute Applications Due October 15 Centers of Excellence Initial Applications Due October 24-26 9th Annual NLN/Elsevier Technology Conference Nurse Training Act Turns 50: 1.1 Million New Nurses Needed "Immortal" Cells from Henrietta Lacks Lead to Updated Rules on Genomic Data Sharing The loss of Dr. Eileen Zungolo is overwhelming. Brilliance mixed with a sense of humor is rare. A beloved past #NLN president, we'll miss you. Living With Schizophrenia: The Importance of Routine

Maureen A. Concannon, our new development officer who begins at the end of September, will, unfortunately, not be at the Summit. Maureen has years of experience in fund raising and relationship development in health care and disability, civic projects, social services, and the arts. Most recently she worked with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a civil rights organization focused on access to capital and credit for low-to middle-income people. We're eager for her to bring her expertise to the NLN.

Let me also introduce Chrissy Ward, who brings years of experience as a nonprofit management executive to her new role as NLN director, membership and recognition programs. She will be at the Summit to listen and learn. Chrissy is moving to Washington from Chicago, where she worked most recently for the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and before that, for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. If you're at the Summit, please stop by the NLN booth to meet her.

And look for Maggie Taylor at the CNEA booth, where she will help executive director Dr. Judy Halstead fill you in on the standards and procedures now being developed for the NLN Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation. Maggie, administrative coordinator for the CNEA, is working toward her master's in philosophy and social policy at George Washington University and has previous experience with the Drug Policy Alliance and the Baltimore City Health Department.

Another new member of the NLN staff (though not the NLN family, as she has contributed her time to the League for many years) is Dr. Betty Pierce Dennis. As the inaugural director of the NLN | Chamberlain College of Nursing Center for the Advancement of the Science of Nursing Education, Betty is responsible for much of our signature programming in the areas of nursing education scholarship and education research. She comes to the NLN most recently from North Carolina Central University in Durham, where she was a professor and department chair. The recipient of multiple research scholarship and program grants, Betty has amazing experience as a senior leader in several nursing education programs as well as military and international experience. I have no doubt that this newest chapter in Betty's career will coincide with phenomenal programming at the NLN.

A bit of business before I close and some sad news.

First, take a sneak peek at our fall webinar series focused on faculty development, testing and test construction, simulation and technology, and leadership. We have webinars for faculty at all experiences levels, as well as upcoming regional workshops and national conferences.

Second, going forward, look for the NLN Member Update on alternate Wednesdays, starting Wednesday, October 1. Research has shown that emails received on Wednesdays, hump day, are most often opened and read. And we do not want you to miss any news about the NLN and our programs and services. I'm already amazed that so many of you kindly read the Update.

I also want to mention that I've been tweeting and truly appreciate those who follow and tweet back. This is definitely in the category of teaching an old dog new tricks. NLN staff – including me – meets and overcomes all challenges.

And finally, our very sad news. Dr. Eileen Zungolo, NLN president in 2002-2003, died earlier this month after a lengthy illness. Although more than a decade has passed since she served as president, Eileen was ever-present at our Summits through her involvement with the Awards Committee and as chair of the NLN Certification Commission, which oversees the Academic Nurse Educator Certification Program (our red bag colleagues). Eileen served with distinction as dean and professor at Dusquesne University in Pittsburgh. At the Summit in 2011, the NLN recognized Eileen for Outstanding Service. Her funeral was this past Friday in Philadelphia. She will always be an inspiration to those who knew her as students and colleagues, and she is truly missed.

Looking forward to greeting you in Phoenix or at another NLN event in the near future.

All best wishes,


Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN
Chief Executive Officer

Next Issue of the NLN Member Update: Wednesday, October 1. View previous issues of NLN Member Update »