Newswise — WASHINGTON, DC, October 20, 2016 — Today, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Joan Stanley as Chief Academic Officer and Dr. Suzanne Miyamoto as Chief Policy Officer. These nurse leaders are filling newly created roles on AACN's executive leadership team, which includes Dr. Deborah Trautman as President and Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Ahearn as Chief Operating Officer, and Robert Rosseter as Chief Communications Officer. In addition, three veteran AACN staff also were recognized for their unique expertise and contribution to advancing the association's mission: Pamela Malloy, Director of the End-of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC), was named Special Advisor for Global Initiatives; Kathleen McGuinn, AACN's Director of Interprofessional Education and Practice Partnerships, was named Special Advisor for Quality Initiatives, and Dr. Vernell DeWitty, Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program, was named Special Advisor for Diversity and Inclusion. "Given the new strategic direction set by the Board of Directors and the association's growing portfolio of programs and services, the time is right for AACN to expand its leadership team to magnify AACN's impact and reach," said Dr. Trautman. "These five well-respected professionals recognized with new titles and expanded role responsibilities share a strong commitment to serving AACN's members and advancing the goals of academic nursing." With more than 25 years of service to AACN, Joan Stanley, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, has earned national recognition for her work in shaping nursing education programs at the baccalaureate through doctoral levels. She lead the development and revision of AACN's landmark Essentials series, which are used by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and other accrediting bodies to ensure quality in academic nursing programs. Dr. Stanley has led AACN's work on a number of signature initiatives, including the development of the Clinical Nurse Leader role, the advancement of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, and the creation and implementation of the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification and Education. A graduate of Duke University (BSN) and the University of Maryland (MS, PhD), she continues to practice as an Adult Nurse Practitioner at the University of Maryland Medical System and has authored the book Advanced Practice Nursing: Emphasizing Common Roles. Dr. Stanley is a Fellow in both the American Academy of Nursing and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She has received numerous awards and honors over the years, including the University of Maryland School of Nursing Inaugural Visionary Pioneer Award. Formerly AACN's Senior Director for Government Affairs and Health Policy, Suzanne Miyamoto, PhD, RN, FAAN, has served as the association resident expert on public policy issues for the last 10 years. She is responsible for launching AACN's highly successful Student Policy Summit, the Faculty Policy Intensive, and the Lois Capps Policy Luminary Award. Dr. Miyamoto recently formed the Health Policy Advisory Council (HPAC), which provides guidance to AACN on current and emerging areas in health, health care, and higher education. She also serves as the Convener for the Nursing Community, a coalition of 64 national nursing organizations that collaborate on a spectrum of health policy issues. In 2014, Dr. Miyamoto was selected to participate in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's prestigious and highly competitive Executive Nurse Fellows program. In addition to teaching public policy at the undergraduate and graduate levels, her areas of research, publications, and presentations focus on health policy, coalition building, and political advocacy. Dr. Miyamoto received her BSN, MSN, and PhD from the University of Michigan. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and an Honorary Friend of the National Institute of Nursing Research. Pam Malloy, MN, RN, FPCN, is an oncology clinical nurse specialist with over 35 years of experience in clinical medical/surgical and oncology nursing, staff development, education, program development, and administration. Since 2003, she has served as the national Director and Co-Investigator of the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Project. She serves as faculty for all the national ELNEC courses and has presented ELNEC in 11 countries. Ms. Malloy directed the California Endowment project for AACN on developing cultural competencies for undergraduate and graduate nursing students. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors of Living Room International—which provides hospice/palliative care services in Kipkaren, Kenya. She also has served on the boards of the Leukemia, Lymphoma Society/Washington, DC Chapter and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation. Ms. Malloy is a Florence Wald Fellow, a Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing, and will soon be inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. She has published numerous articles and textbooks chapters, and currently consults on two palliative care grants. She was recently presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Ms. Malloy is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and the University of California, Los Angeles. With 11 years of service to AACN, Kathleen McGuinn, MSN, RN, CPHQ, is the association's Director of Interprofessional Education and Practice Partnerships. She has been engaged in a variety of high-profile initiatives at AACN, including the creation and updating of three foundational standards documents: The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice, The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice, and The Essentials of Master's Education in Nursing. She is the liaison to the Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program and a leader on the faculty institute planning committee for the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC). In addition, Ms. McGuinn has served as a national quality expert for AACN, overseeing the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) faculty development grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation from 2009-2012. Currently, Ms. McGuinn serves as the lead staff for operationalizing AACN's groundbreaking report on Advancing Healthcare Transformation: A New Era for Academic Nursing. She received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and her graduate degree from The Catholic University of America. She is credentialed as a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ). Vernell DeWitty, PhD, RN, currently serves as Program Director for the Robert Wood Johnson New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program (NCIN), a model collaboration between the Foundation and AACN that provided financial support to accelerated-degree nursing students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. Over the last nine years Dr. DeWitty has led the development of strategies that contributed significantly to student success for the NCIN program and has published on academic success and progression for underrepresented students. She earned her doctorate in nursing from George Mason University, her MBA from Howard University, and master's degree in nursing from The Catholic University of America. She is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and received a certificate as Healthcare Executive in Diversity and Inclusion from the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). Dr. DeWitty was the recipient of the American Nurses Association 2014 Mary Mahoney Award for her significant contributions to advancing equal opportunities in nursing for members of minority groups. She also received the prestigious President's Award from State University of New York, Downstate earlier this year.

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The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the national voice for academic nursing representing more than 790 schools of nursing with baccalaureate and/or graduate degrees nationwide. AACN's educational, research, governmental advocacy, data collection, publications, and other programs work to establish quality standards for bachelor's- and graduate-degree nursing education, assist deans and directors to implement those standards, influence the nursing profession to improve health care, and promote public support of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education, research, and practice. www.aacn.nche.edu