Contributions to ACNL
Awarded to an ACNL nurse leader who has made significant contributions to the organization.

Energetic, committed and focused, Barbara provided the leadership and vision to develop ACNL's
Guiding Principles for Health Care Reform. This important document set the tone and direction
ACNL would take regarding health care reform and other politically sensitive issues.

An active member of ACNL for several years, Barbara has devoted her time and talent to benefit
our organization. She is also very active in ACNL's East Bay Chapter having served as president,
vice president and treasurer.

Always willing to step in where needed, Barbara is a highly effective leader who gets the job done.

Contributions as a Humanitarian
Awarded to an ACNL nurse leader who has made significant contributions to the promotion of human
welfare; improvement of health services for those in need and advancement of humanitarian efforts
through research, service and/or education.

Compassionate, selfless and determined. Michele risked her own life to save the lives of her hospice
patients during the 2008 fires in Southern California.

Michele came to the attention of ACNL as the result of this extraordinary act of heroism. During the fire,
she put her own life in danger by racing to a nearby mobile home park to check on her elderly hospice
patients. Although emergency personnel assured Michele that the park was empty, she insisted that
they allow her to check her patient's homes, where several non ambulatory residents were found.
Michele then assisted in the rescue and evacuation of these patients.

Michele's bravery and dedication to her patients is an inspiration to all of us.

Excellence in Leadership - North
Awarded to an ACNL nurse leader from each geographic region who has made a significant
contribution to nursing leadership.

An innovative role model with strong leadership skills, JoAnn changed the face of nursing within
her organization.

JoAnn's major accomplishments include implementation of Nurse Knowledge Exchange and
Med Rite, initiatives that put the patient at the center of the bedside handoff and the medication
administration process.

JoAnn also spearheaded the Integrated Nurse Leadership Program, a project with the dual
focus of medication safety and leadership development for all levels of nursing - from bedside
RN to chief nursing officer. As a result of these efforts, Kaiser was awarded grants from the
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to advance this work.

Excellence in Leadership - Central
Awarded to an ACNL nurse leader from each geographic region who has made a significant
contribution to nursing leadership.

Robert has served his community, country and profession by taking an extraordinarily active
leadership role in emergency nursing.

During his career, Robert transitioned from Navy Corpsman to RN to nurse leader. As past
president of the Emergency Nurses Association, Robert represents Central Valley emergency
nurses at state and national levels while fostering professional advocacy and innovation.

Robert's many accomplishments include implementing workforce pilot projects, planning
recognition events for ER practitioners and working across constituency groups to identify
solutions to mental health challenges.

Excellence in Leadership - South
Awarded to an ACNL nurse leader from each geographic region who has made a significant
contribution to nursing leadership.

Suzette exemplifies the perfect blend of leaderhsip from her outstanding work in service, acadamia and ACNL.

As a nurse manager she was confident, strong, organized, and set very high standards for clinical care
and research in her units. In the academic setting, Suzette was instrumental in making UCLA's graduate
program in nursing leadership one of the best in the region. Now as assistant dean of Student Affairs,
Suzette continues to demonstrate her leadership and abilities.

In ACNL she has served on a variety of committees, including this year's chair of the Annual Program
Committee. Suzette views involvement in ACNL as part of her professional responsibility to promote
nursing. She is a take charge and get it done leader.

Excellence in Leadership - San Diego
Awarded to an ACNL nurse leader from each geographic region who has made a significant
contribution to nursing leadership.

A visionary professional, Lily continuously strives for clinical excellence.

Lily is a skilled collaborator who brings diverse groups together to achieve needed outcomes.
One of many accomplishments was partnering with Rady Children's Hospital staff to plan
and implement the transition of Sharp Grossmont's 11 bed pediatric unit. This challenging
project brought together staff from different hospital cultures to improve access and care
for pediatric patients in the community. This pediatric unit achieved licensure in May 2008.

Lily's dedication, communication skills, attention to detail and tenacity are just a few of the
qualities contained in her leadership toolbox.

Friend of Nursing
Awarded to an individual or organization making significant contributions to, or demonstrating significant
support of the nursing profession.

A tireless advocate, Stephanie is a vital link between professional nursing and the Governor.

As a member of the Governor's Nursing Education Task Force, Stephanie carries forward issues
related to the nursing shortage as well as solutions needed to build and maintain program
sustainability. She works in collaboration with nurse leaders to develop and promote nurses,
and keeps nursing issues on the Governor's radar.

In 2008, Stephanie led a team of nurse leaders to a national Nursing Education Summit, sponsored
by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to share ideas and best practices with several other
states. Under Stephanie's guidance, the team continues to build upon the work begun at the Summit.

Through her dedication and innovation, Stephanie has gained the respect and gratitude of health care
leaders throughout California.

Friend of Nursing
Recogninzing the contributions of nursing and the imperative to support nursing leaderhsip and education.

The California Masonic Foundation is a charitable trust with the mission to support young people through
education and intellectual growth. Acknowledging the importance of ACNL's work and the need to foster
leadership and educational advancement for nurses, CMF has established the Clare V. Cunningham
Masonic Scholarships Supporting Leadership in Nursing fund. This fund, administered through ACNL,
will provide scholarships to nurse leaders and aspiring nurse leaders.

John Lowe, CMF Chairman, Board of Directors and Doug Ismail, Chief Philanthropy Officer, are accepting
this award on behalf of the Foundation.

Friend of Nursing
Recognizing the contributions of nursing and the imperative to support nursing leadership and education.

The California Masonic Foundation is a charitable trust with the mission to support young people through
education and intellectual growth. Acknowledging the importance of ACNL's work and the need to foster
leadership and educational advancement  for nurses, CMF has established the Clare V. Cunningham Masonic
Scholarships Supporting Leadership in Nursing fund. This fund, administered through ACNL, will provide
scholarships to nurse leaders and aspiring nurse leaders.

Doug has been innovative in creating a process to diversify the endowment and maximize contributions
across California's nursing leadership, service and educational sectors.

John Lowe, Chairman, Board of Directors and Doug Ismail, Chief Philanthropy Officer, are accepting this
award on behalf of the Foundation.

 

Best Practice Award
This award is given to recognize, document and communicate best practices in specific areas
of nursing practice.

Innovative, creative, compassionate and well-respected by peers, Sandi strives for excellence
in all that she does.

Sandi is the nurse champion leading Little Company of Mary Hospital's multidisciplinary
Skinsational Team. Among their many accomplishments, the Skinsational Team significantly
reduced hospital acquired pressure ulcers (HAPU) by 50% in one year.

Sandi has also been instrumental in greatly improving her hospital's compliance with core
measures, which has significantly enhanced patient outcomes. She is an active ACNL member
participating in organizational events throughout the year.

 

Best Practice - Administration
This award is given to recognize, document and communicate best practices in specific areas of nursing practice.

Donna is a determined and persistent advocate for quality patient care and professional nursing practice.

Her commitment to excellence in patient care is focused on patient, family and community. She champions
A Culture of Caring, a patient centered service excellence program. Donna collaborates and partners
successfully with all disciplines, and is a positive force at all levels of the organization from bedside to board room.

A long time member of ACNL, Donna's influence on direct bedside care continues to  advance the professional
image of nursing.

Best Practice - Education
This award is given to recognize, document and communicate best practices in specific
areas of nursing practice.

Dedicated, insightful, visionary, Mary is extremely passionate about nursing education.

As the Program Director for Pre-licensure programs at California State University, Fullerton,
Mary has developed innovative strategies to meet the needs of the students, faculty, as well
as the nursing department and University. She is steadfast in ensuring students have the
necessary tools to become successful Registered Nurses.

Mary is also a captain in the Navy Reserves and in charge of a unit supporting the Naval Medical
Center in San Diego. She is a strong and devoted advocate for nursing and patient care at all levels.

Best Practice - Innovation
This award is given to recognize, document and communicate best practices in specific
areas of nursing practice.

Jan is a natural mentor, who enjoys coaching leaders and aspiring nurse leaders.

She collaborates with others throughout the organization to pioneer processes that promote
staff's fiscal understanding, responsibility and accountability. Jan empowers young leaders
at the bedside and supports the frontline in all forums. She is also an active member of ACNL.

Jan gives credence to nursing's voice through innovative systems and processes that advance
profession and optimize the work environment.

Best Practice - Nursing Research
This award is given to recognize, document and communicate best practices in specific
areas of nursing practice.

Researcher, mentor, leader and collaborator, Chris has made significant contributions
to nursing education and research.

Most recently she expanded the body of nursing knowledge in the area of mentoring through
a grant titled Nurses Supporting Nurses. The purpose of the program was to improve the RN
workforce environment while looking at three nurse sensitive outcomes: falls, pressure ulcers
and restraints. This comprehensive approach to incorporating mentor-mentee teams changed
the way nurses interacted with each other and resulted in improved patient outcomes.

Chris has made significant contributions to evidence-based practice related to improving the
work environment through support of nurse to nurse mentoring research. Her work greatly
influences nurses at all levels.

Best Practice - Recruitment, Retention, Outreach
This award is given to recognize, document and communicate best practices in specific
areas of nursing practice.

Passionate about the journey of excellence, Julie is dedicated to advancing the practice of pediatric
critical care nursing. Through her exemplary leadership, Julie as built an exceptional team focused
on advancing nursing practice.

Julie has reduced the vacancy rate from 33% to zero and reduced utilization of travelers by 80%.
One of Julie's key recruitment strategies was the implementation of a pediatric critical care
fellowship program. This and many other significant achievements were recognized when her
unit was the first pediatric ICU in the country to receive the Beacon Award in 2008.

Julie's passion and dedication to the care of critically ill children and their families, as well as
her commitment to the professional development of her team, make her a highly respected leader.