AACN Announces 2023 Election Results for Board of Directors and Nominating Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 9, 2023 – The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is pleased to announce the results of its 2023 election to fill seats on the AACN Board of Directors and Nominating Committee. With votes cast by member deans from the nation’s nursing schools with baccalaureate and higher degree programs, those selected to serve as AACN’s top leaders include Judith Karshmer (Treasurer) from Arizona State University; Deborah Jones from the University of Texas Medical Branch; Robin Newhouse from Indiana University; Demetrius Porche from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans; Julie Swann from Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital; and Lin Zhan from the University of California, Los Angeles. New members of AACN’s Nominating Committee include Mary Anne Krogh from South Dakota State University, Mayola Rowser from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, and Tanya Sudia from Augusta University. 

“As the national voice for baccalaureate and graduate nursing education, AACN is committed to transforming health care and helping to lead the drive toward health equity,” said AACN Board Chair Cynthia McCurren, PhD, RN. “I look forward to collaborating with the new and returning members of the AACN Board and Nominating Committee to magnify the impact AACN has on ensuring quality in nursing education, research, and practice.”

AACN is governed by a 14-member Board of Directors, which includes 4 elected officers (Chair, Chair-Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary), 7 at-large members representing schools of nursing, and 2 members representing practice. AACN’s President and Chief Executive Officer serves on the Board as an ex-officio member. 

With online ballots cast from January 6-27, those elected to the AACN Board and Nominating Committee will begin their terms of service following the membership meeting at AACN’s Deans Annual Meeting on March 27, 2023. New and re-elected Board members include:

• Judith Karshmer, PhD, PMHCNS-BC, RN, FAAN, dean and professor at the Arizona State University (ASU) Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, was elected to serve a two-year term as Treasurer. Prior to her appointment at ASU in 2018, where she also serves as Chief Wellness Officer, Dr. Karshmer held the roles of professor, dean, and dean emerita at the University of San Francisco as well as academic appointments at the University of South Florida, New Mexico State University, and the University of Massachusetts. Her leadership in the community and on behalf of the profession includes serving as commissioner on the San Francisco Department of Public Health, board chair for the Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Center, board member of the California Association of Colleges of Nursing, and president of the Jesuit Conference of Nursing Programs. For AACN, she has served as Board member at-large, member of the AACN-AONL Academic-Practice Partnerships Task Force, and member of the Competency-Based Education for Doctoral Prepared APRNs National Task Force. Her extensive service to the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education includes board chair, treasurer, and board member. 
   
• Deborah J. Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN, provost ad interim, senior vice president, and dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Medical Branch, was re-elected to serve a two-year term as Board member at-large. She previously served as associate dean, assistant dean, and department chair at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. In academic nursing, she has taught across all nursing program levels (baccalaureate to doctoral), led substantial curricula development and revision, and conducted extensive research in the areas of oral health and moral distress. In addition to her many leadership roles with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses over the last 20 years, she has served on the boards of the Southern Nursing Research Society and the Texas Oral Health Coalition and on a work group appointed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to address the nursing shortage in Texas. A Fellow in the Leadership for Academic Nursing Program, Dr. Jones has served on AACN’s Governance Committee; Government Affairs Committee; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee; and Membership Committee.
   
• Robin P. Newhouse, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, dean and distinguished professor at the Indiana University School of Nursing, was elected to serve a two-year term as Board member at-large. Dr. Newhouse possesses teaching expertise in health system improvements, evidence-based practice, and health services research with experience creating and teaching undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral courses. Her research focuses on comparative effectiveness of health system interventions and implementation science to foster adoption of evidence-based care processes to improve care and patient outcomes. As a noted nurse leader, Dr. Newhouse is a member of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Methodology Committee (where she served as chair and vice chair), was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, and served on the board of AcademyHealth. For AACN, she was appointed as a member on an Essentials Domain Tool Kit Working Group and the Faculty Development Conference Planning Committee.
  
   
• Demetrius J. Porche, PhD, DNS, APRN, PCC, ANEF, FACHE, FAANP, FAAN, dean and professor at the School of Nursing at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, was re-elected to serve a two-year term as Board member at-large. Dr. Porche has served in a number of prominent leadership roles in nursing education, research, policy, and regulation, including president of the Southern Nursing Research Society, the Southern Regional Education Board Council on Collegiate Education in Nursing, and the American Association of Men in Nursing; chair of the Louisiana HealthWorks Commission; member and president of the Louisiana State Board of Nursing; and university representative for the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs. His areas of scholarship include executive leadership, emergent leadership, and men’s health. In addition to his service on the board of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Dr. Porche is Board liaison to AACN’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, was a member of the Doctoral Conference Planning Subcommittee, and currently serves as a mentor through AACN LEADS and as a State Grassroots Liaison.
   
• Julie Swann, MBA, MHA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer (CNO) for Emory Saint Joseph Hospital, was elected to serve a two-year term on the Board as a practice representative. Ms. Swann began her career at Saint Joseph's Hospital in 2000 as a staff nurse in the intensive care unit. During her tenure, she led the medical-surgical ICU for several years before being promoted to Specialty Director of Cardiac Services. She also has had oversight of perioperative services as well as the emergency department. Ms. Swann not only supported nursing practice but developed a strategic plan increasing services and volumes to advance the overall goals of the organization. Following her transition to CNO more than six years ago, she oversees ongoing clinical best practice and research, professional governance in a six-time ANCC Magnet® designated organization, strategic and capital planning, risk assessment, and compliance as key aspects of her role. A strong supporter of strengthening ties between academia and practice, Ms. Swann promotes lifelong learning and higher education, creative approaches to workforce development, and volunteer service. 
   
• Lin Zhan, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean and professor of the University of California, Los Angeles School of Nursing, was elected to serve a two-year term as Board member at-large. With nearly 30 years in academic nursing, including more than 15 years in the dean’s role, Dr. Zhan is an award-winning nurse educator who has taught students from the BSN to the PhD level. With over 100 publications including six edited books, her scholarly work extends to serving as a reviewer for the refereed journals Nursing Education, Nursing Research, Advanced Nursing Sciences, and on the editorial boards for the Journal of Gerontological Nursing and the Journal of Aging and Geriatric Medicine. A recipient of many top honors, Dr. Zhan is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a Wharton Executive Fellow. For AACN, she has served as Treasurer for two terms and Board Member at-large; chair of the Finance Committee; on the Program Committee as the chair of the Faculty Development Conference and the Executive Development Series; member of the Nominating Committee; and as a reviewer for the AACN-Johnson & Johnson Minority Faculty Scholarship. 

Continuing members of the AACN Board of Directors include Chair Cynthia McCurren from University of Michigan-Flint; Chair-Elect Jean Giddens from Virginia Commonwealth University; Secretary Julie Sanford from University of Mississippi Medical Center; Stephen Cavanagh from University of California Davis; Jerry Mansfield, Mount Carmel Health System/Trinity Health; Victoria Niederhauser from the University of Tennessee Knoxville; Ora Strickland from Florida International University; and Deborah Trautman, AACN President and Chief Executive Officer.

The newly elected members to AACN’s Nominating Committee include:

• Mary Anne Krogh, PhD, APRN, CRNA, FAAN, dean of the South Dakota State University College of Nursing, was elected to serve a two-year term on the Nominating Committee. Dr. Krogh’s research and scholarship has focused on credentialing, test development, and psychometric assessment. This expertise has led to multiple publications and the development of certification programs for nurse anesthetists. Through her leadership and collaborative partnership with the National Board for Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists, she validated new testing methods for the national certification examination for CRNAs, developed new certification program for non-surgical pain management, and modernized the recertification program for nurse anesthetists. She is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in nursing and a strong supporter for forming academic-practice partnerships to transform health and well-being.
   

• Mayola Rowser, PhD, DNP, FNP, PMHNP, dean and chief academic officer of the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, was elected to serve a two-year term on the Nominating Committee. Dr. Rowser has served as a distinguished nurse educator, leader, and advocate for more than 20 years. Prior to her appointment as Director of Graduate Studies, she served as Assistant Dean in the College of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of Southern Indiana. Her contributions to the nursing profession include service on the board of Provident Behavioral Health of St. Louis; the Steering Committee for the Washington University St. Louis, Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Perioperative Mental Health; and as committee chair for the Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education at Washington University Medical Campus. For AACN, Dr. Rowser has served on the Executive Development Series Subcommittee, as a committee chair for the Organizational Leadership Network, and as a site evaluator for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. 

• Tanya Sudia, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN, dean and professor at the Augusta University College of Nursing, was elected to serve a two-year term on the Nominating Committee. Dr. Sudia’s remarkable career encompasses a variety of leadership roles, including dean, research dean, professor, IRB director, Clinical Nurse Specialist, and staff nurse. Prior to joining Augusta University in 2019, she served as associate dean for Research and Scholarship at Baylor University School of Nursing and as a tenured professor at Mercer University’s Georgia Baptist College of Nursing. In 2022, Dr. Sudia was appointed by Georgia’s governor to serve on the state’s Health Workforce Commission. In addition, she serves on the Program Committee for the National Academies of Practice and has served on the Program Committee for the Southern Nursing Research Society. For AACN, she served on the CNL Summit Program Committee and as chair of the Research Leadership Network.  Her research and scholarship are focused on Neonatal and Pediatric Palliative Care as well as Ethics.
   

Continuing Nominating Committee members include Susan Bakewell-Sachs from Oregon Health & Science University, Wendy Likes from University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and Sally Maliski from University of Kansas.