SON Awards Program by UTMB Health

2023 School of Nursing Alumni Association Awards Program October 20, 2023

School of Nursing Alumni Association 2023 Awards Program Welcome School of Nursing Alumni Association Business Meeting Jacqueline Meyer, PhD, MSN-Ed, RN-BC, CNE Classes of 2011 & 2015 President School of Nursing Alumni Association and Board of Directors

School of Nursing Update Deborah J. Jones, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN Sr. Vice President and Dean School of Nursing

Recognition of School of Nursing Alumni Jacqueline Meyer, PhD, MSN-Ed, RN-BC, CNE

School of Nursing Alumni Association Awards Presentation Jacqueline Meyer, PhD, MSN-Ed, RN-BC, CNE School of Nursing Alumni Association Student Leadership Award Hall of Fame School of Nursing Alumni Association President’s Award School of Nursing Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus Award

Closing Remarks Jacqueline Meyer, PhD, MSN-Ed, RN-BC, CNE

Award Descriptions School of Nursing Alumni Association Student Leadership Award This award was established in 2018 to recognize students who have demonstrated leadership and contributed significantly to the School of Nursing through his/her efforts during the academic year. The award was created to recognize extraordinary students and encourage them to join and become active in the Alumni Association.

Hall of Fame The UTMB School of Nursing Alumni Association Hall of Fame honors alumni who have made significant contributions to nursing through commitment to excellence in patient care community service and nursing leadership.

School of Nursing Alumni Association President’s Award The School of Nursing Alumni Association President’s Award is to honor an alum who has continually demonstrated outstanding service to the nursing profession, the school, and the alumni association and is widely recognized by their peers.

School of Nursing Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus Award The School of Nursing Distinguished Alumnus has made outstanding and widely recognized contributions to nursing in a leadership role. The recipient has made a significant impact on health care in addition to making significant contributions to the nursing profession in clinical practice, education, administration, or organizational work involving health care or innovation in health care delivery systems.

2023 Award Recipients School of Nursing Alumni Association Student Leadership Award Jill Bryant-Bova, DNP, BS, RN, LNCC, CPHQ, NE-BC Classes of 2016 & 2023 Judson LaGrone, MSN, RN, CVRN-BC Class 2025 Alysa Meza, BSN, RN Class 2023

Hall of Fame Natalie Bachynsky, PhD, FNP-C, APRN Classes of 1998 & 2008 Cynthia Weston, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CHSE, FAANP Class of 1989

School of Nursing Alumni Association President’s Award Cheryl C. Day, RN, MSN, NEA-BC Classes of 1987, 1990 & 1995

School of Nursing Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus Award Susan D. Ruppert, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, ANP-BC, FCCM, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN Class of 1995 5

Student Leadership Award Jill Bryant-Bova, DNP, BS, RN, LNCC, CPHQ, NE-BC Classes of 2016 & 2023 Dr. Jill Bryant-Bova holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She is a two-time graduate of the UTMB School of Nursing having received her Master of Science in Nursing-Executive Nurse Leader in 2016 and her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program degree in April 2023. In 2016, she was awarded the Leadership Award and the Mary Beth Lott Upchurch Award for Outstanding Master’s Nursing Student. In 2017, Dr. Bryant-Bova was named winner of The Betty Lee Evans Nursing Excellence Award and received the UTMB School of Nursing (SON) Hall of Fame Award in 2018. Upon graduation from the DNP program in 2023, Dr. Bryant-Bova was nominated by fellow students and faculty to receive Leadership and Community Service awards. Her professional certifications include Legal Nurse Consultant Certified (LNCC), Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), and Nurse Executive – Board Certified (NE-BC). Dr. Bryant-Bova is active in many professional organizations including the UTMB SON Alumni Association (President-elect, President, and Past-President), Sigma Theta Tau International, Honor Society of Nursing – Alpha Delta Galveston Chapter (President-elect, Delegate), American Nurses Association/Texas Nurses Association, Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses (Treasurer), National Association of Healthcare Quality, and American Association for Legal Nurse Consultants.

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She has participated in various conferences and symposiums with poster and podium presentations at the local, state/region, and national levels. She is also credited with authoring a variety of peer-reviewed publications. A nurse for more than 33-years, Dr. Bryant-Bova’s career includes experiences in quality, legal, and critical care/emergency medicine. Dr. Bryant-Bova has served as a registered nurse supervisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Disaster Medical Assistance Team for more than 21 years. In this role, she has been deployed to multiple disasters and events. Most recently are two different deployments for COVID-19, Japan’s Princess Cruise debarkation in San Antonio, TX, and the vaccination mission in Buffalo, NY. Other examples of deployments include service at the New Orleans Airport during Hurricane Katrina in 2013, the Presidential Inauguration, and the 2018 funeral of President George Bush. Her community involvement includes service as a lifetime member and lifetime committeeman with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) — the largest indoor rodeo in the nation. As a HLSR member, she has been involved for more than 26 years as a volunteer for the HLSR Safety Committee, Rodeo Choir, Wine Committee, and Lifetime Committeeman Committee. Today, Dr. Bryant-Bova serves as an Assistant Professor in the UTMB SON in the nursing undergraduate program.

Student Leadership Award Judson LaGrone, MSN, RN, CVRN-BC Class of 2025 Mr. Judson LaGrone is a native Southeast Texan, growing up in Fannett. After graduating from East Texas Baptist University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN degree), he began his nursing career as an Emergency Room (ER) nurse at St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital in Bryan, Texas. He then completed the Nurse Educator track program at Texas A&M University in 2017. In 2014, Mr. LaGrone became a travel ER nurse in Southern California while his wife attended podiatry school and later transitioned to becoming a Cardiac Catheterization and Electrophysiology (EP) nurse at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center in Pomona, California. In 2019, he returned to Texas and began working as a staff nurse at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center - Temple. Shortly after transitioning to Nurse Manager of the Cardiac Cath and EP Procedural Area, Mr. LaGrone was nominated by the staff of the department for the Daisy Nurse Leader Award. Over the years, Mr. LaGrone has served as an adjunct and full-time faculty for several nursing programs including Texas A&M, Chaffey College, and Lamar State College-Orange. In 2022, he returned to Southeast Texas and currently is a nursing instructor at Lamar University in Beaumont.

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Mr. LaGrone continues to seek out educational opportunities and professional development that will benefit both his students and him. He has been enrolled as a full-time student in the UTMB School of Nursing PhD program since August 2020. He continues to have many valuable opportunities, including representing the Nursing PhD program students as a Graduate Studies Student Representative in both the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Nursing, serving on the Program Evaluation Committee, and participating in the Interprofessional Scholars Program as a UTMB Disaster Day Incident Commander. He also was selected as a Jonas Philanthropy Scholar Nominee by the School of Nursing Faculty related to his research. Mr. LaGrone is an Eagle Scout and a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. He is also a Certified Cardiovascular Registered Nurse (CVRN-BC). Drs. J. Michael Leger, D. Cheyenne Martin, Carolyn Phillips, and Mary O’Keefe have been invaluable mentors to him throughout his time at UTMB. He is immensely grateful and credits many of his successes to his wife Frankie LaGrone, son Jude, and their family. Mr. LaGrone also credits his nursing career to his mother, Toni LaGrone, who is a nurse.

Student Leadership Award Alysa Meza, BSN, RN Class of 2023 Mrs. Alysa Meza was born and raised in Angleton, Texas, where she currently resides with her husband and two young daughters. At age 19, she moved to Oceanside, California where she earned an Associate’s Degree in Applied Health Science from MiraCosta College and became a certified Yoga Instructor. Soon after getting married and having their children, she and her family decided to move back to her hometown so she could pursue her dreams of becoming a registered nurse. After returning to Texas, Mrs. Meza enrolled at Brazosport College to finalize the prerequisite requirements needed for the traditional Bachelor of Science (BSN) Program at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. During her time at UTMB School of Nursing, she was elected as co-leader of the BAMBI Advocacy Student Scholars (BASS) Program, and course representative for The Child and Family. Mrs. Meza was also an active member of Student Ambassadors and the National Society of Leadership and Success. Having access to these extracurricular opportunities gave her confidence as a new nurse, along with a unique insight into the nursing profession. Upon graduation, Mrs. Meza was inducted as a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

School of Nursing Alumni Association

Mrs. Meza has had outstanding mentorship throughout her time as a student at UTMB and would like to thank Dr. Jacquelyn Svoboda, Dr. Latia Hickerson, Dr. Tina Mathers, Professor Meredith Ford, Professor Christen Saddler, and Lauren Homan. Additionally, Mrs. Meza is grateful to have been chosen as the recipient of multiple scholarships, such as the Hallie Ann Hill Scholarship in the School of Nursing, the Edgar and Grace Gnitzinger Scholarship Fund for Geriatric Nursing, and the Auxiliary of Angleton Danbury Endowed Scholarship. Mrs. Meza is currently working as a labor and delivery nurse at UTMB’s John Sealy Hospital, and her future plans include returning to UTMB School of Nursing to pursue a Master’s Degree to become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

Hall of Fame Natalie Bachynsky, PhD, FNP-C, APRN Classes of 1998 & 2008 Dr. Natalie Bachynsky has been a registered nurse since 1998 and a Family Nurse Practitioner since 2014 and has dedicated her professional career to patient advocacy and improving care for underserved populations. She earned her bachelor’s (1998) and master’s (2008) degree in nursing from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and a PhD in nursing science and a post-masters Family Nurse Practitioner certificate from Texas Woman’s University. Dr. Bachynsky spent ten years working with women, infants, and children at the Texas Medical Center prior to becoming an Assistant Professor at the UTMB School of Nursing. In this role, she developed numerous “service-learning” projects where nursing, medical, and health professions students and faculty provided free medical services to vulnerable populations. She is proud to have procured over $900,000 in grant funding to support programs designed to help at-risk children, incarcerated pregnant women, and their babies. One such program, the “Interprofessional Pediatric Advocacy Program” enabled students to provide home health care to medically fragile children being monitored by Child Protective Services from 2012-2015. In addition to providing care and education to at-risk families, this opportunity also resulted in an increased number of nursing, medical, physical, and occupational therapy students competent in interprofessional collaborative practice. Because of the success of this initiative, the program was disseminated to additional nursing schools and implemented in Galveston County and seven other counties in Texas. Dr. Bachynsky also served as the co-principal investigator for “The BAMBI/School of Nursing Collaborative Project” with UTMB School of Nursing, Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ),

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and the Baby and Mother Bonding Initiative (BAMBI) to offer perinatal education and labor support to pregnant incarcerated women. This innovative program continues to be implemented today. In 2015, Dr. Bachynsky transitioned back to full-time practice realizing the vast health disparities and lack of health care for rural Texans. In 2020, she established Houston County Family Medical Clinic, a certified rural health clinic, offering health services for infants, children, and adults. Through the Covid pandemic, she expanded muchneeded testing and treatment by coordinating mass testing and vaccination events facilitated by staff and volunteer nurses from the community. She also offered home visits and telemedicine consults to continue care for immunocompromised patients. In an effort to increase early detection of cancer, Dr. Bachynsky has partnered with Texas A&M University School of Nursing to offer free breast, colon, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening for rural residents through a grant provided by The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. This program utilizes teams of nurse practitioner students, nursing students, and faculty to provide physical exams and cancer screening for uninsured, rural patients. She is pleased to continue providing health care while exposing students to the diverse needs of rural Texans and the fulfillment of a career centered on service and collaborative relationships. Dr. Bachynsky is grateful for the unfailing support of her husband, Ashton, and children, Greyson and Sophia, all of whom serve in roles at Houston County Family Medical Clinic. 13

Hall of Fame Cynthia Weston, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CHSE, FAANP Class of 1989 Dr. Cynthia Weston earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 1989 from the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing in Galveston. She also holds a Master of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, a post-masters Family Nurse Practitioner certificate from Texas Tech Health Science Center, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Dr. Weston began her nursing career at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital/Texas Heart Institute caring for infants, children, and adults after cardiac surgery and transplantation. She was appointed the Betty Baker Distinguished Professor in Cardiovascular Nursing at Stephen F. Austin State University in 1996. She has extensive career experience in the care of infants, children, and adults with heart disease and focuses her research on improvement science and building effective interprofessional teams. Additionally, she developed innovative clinical simulation and teaching methods to prepare the next generation of family nurse practitioners to meet the gaps in access to health care. Other research interests include cardiovascular disease, health and wellness, innovative pedagogy in family nurse practitioner curriculum, improving access to health care in vulnerable populations, patient safety, and interprofessional education. In 2007, Dr. Weston established nurse practitioner services for the cardiovascular service line at Kingwood Medical Center achieving 100 percent compliance in CMS Core Measures throughout her tenure.

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In 2011, she received an academic appointment in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio School of Medicine as the nurse practitioner for the congenital heart program and single ventricle clinic. Dr. Weston has been a co-recipient of more than $20 million in funding to implement nurse-managed care delivery models, innovative simulation, integrated behavioral health care models, and improving health outcomes in vulnerable populations. A longtime registered nurse and nurse practitioner in Texas, Weston is the immediate past-president of Texas Nurse Practitioners, the largest state NP organization in the US, an organization she has been a member of since 2000. Other professional memberships include the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, the International Association for Clinical Simulation in Nursing, and more. In April 2023, she was selected as a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and has been inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. In May 2023, Dr. Weston was named the founding dean of the new College of Nursing at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. She assumed her new role on July 1 and is leading the strategic planning, recruitment of personnel, and development of partnerships for the new college.

President’s Award Cheryl C. Day, RN, MSN, NEA-BC Classes of 1987, 1990 & 1995 A native Galvestonian, Mrs. Cheryl C. Day has spent the majority of her personal and professional life at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) since graduating from Galveston College in 1972 as a registered nurse (RN). She began her nursing career as an RN at St. Mary’s Hospital in Galveston and worked in the women’s unit, specifically focused on Labor & Delivery for five years. In 1977, Mrs. Day joined the UTMB family and quickly realized she found her permanent professional home. After 44 years at UTMB, she has served in multiple nursing positions and assumed a number of leadership roles in the Women’s, Infants’ & Children’s Nursing Department. In addition to her primary nursing positions, Mrs. Day would assume positions, such as Adjunct Faculty and Clinical Instructor, at the UTMB School of Nursing (SON) that spanned over the course of her nursing career. Patient care, staff advocacy, and teaching nursing students were equally important to her, and she worked diligently to maintain a focus on those aspects in her nursing practice. Mrs. Day earned her Bachelor of Science Degree (BSN) in Nursing in 1987 and her Master of Science Degree in Executive Nursing in 1990. She also holds a Post-Master of Science Degree in High-Risk Obstetrics. These degrees earned at UTMB enhanced her ability to continue her pursuit of excellence in the Nursing Services Department and the SON.

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She joined the UTMB SON as a full-time faculty as an Assistant Professor in 1998 teaching the Obstetrical course in the BSN program. In 1999, she was selected to assume the role of Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Currently, Mrs. Day is an Assistant Professor in the BSN program and teaches three courses that allow her to have a direct impact on the education of nursing students on a full-time basis. For several years in a row, the BSN students have awarded Mrs. Day the “Outstanding Faculty Award” at the school’s annual commencement ceremony. Her awards include induction into the SON Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 1998, recipient of The Betty Lee Evans Nursing Excellence Award at the SON in 2017, and a Living Legend award honoree from Dr. Ben Raimer, President of UTMB Healthcare Systems in 2022. In closing, Mrs. Day reminds her students of a famous quote by Maya Angelou, which reads, “People/ Patients will forget what you said, people/patients will forget what you did, but people/patients will never forget how you made them feel!”

Distinguished Alumnus Award Susan D. Ruppert, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, ANP-BC, FCCM, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN Class of 1995 Dr. Susan D. Ruppert completed the UTMB School of Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner postgraduate certificate program in 1995. She currently holds the PARTNERS Endowed Professorship in Nursing and is a professor and the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston. Dr. Ruppert is certified as both a Family Nurse Practitioner and an Adult Nurse Practitioner and maintains a faculty practice in addition to her distinguished academic role. She is a well-known expert on nursing education, advanced practice nursing, accreditation, and certification. Her awards and accolades include being named a Minnie Stevens Piper Professor in 2021, a recipient of the 2018 University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, and induction into The University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine, MD Academy of Health Science Education as a Distinguished Teaching Professor. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American College of Critical-Care Medicine, and National Academies of Practice. Dr. Ruppert has been a textbook editor/contributor and serves as an editorial board member for the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Critical Care Nursing Quarterly, and the Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice. She is an author/editor and a reviewer for numerous journals and books.

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Additionally, she has served as a national/international practice and education consultant for colleges of nursing across the United States, Oman, and Hong Kong. Dr. Ruppert has held national leadership positions within many professional organizations including her role as chair of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) Board of Commissioners. She also served on the CCNE Accreditation Review Committee as Co-Chair and the CCNE 2017-2018 Standards Committee. She was Co-Chair of the CCNE Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Standards Committee, Vice-Chair of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) Board of Commissioners, and a member of the AACN Essentials Revision Task Force. Dr. Ruppert currently serves on the AACN Essentials Implementation Steering Committee, CCNE 20222023 Standards Committee, CCNE Report Review Committee, International Council of Nurses (ICN) Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nurse Network Education Subgroup Committee, and as Co-Chair of the Texas Center of Nursing Workforce Studies Advisory Committee.

School of Nursing Alumni Association Award Recipients School of Nursing Alumni Association Student Leadership Award Honoree

Class Year

Award Year

Class Year

Award Year

Jill Bryant-Bova, DNP, BS, RN, LNCC, CPHQ, NE-BC 2016, 2023 Clayton E. Collins, MSN, RN, CPN 2013, 2022, 2023 Sophia Hashemi, RN, BSN 2017 Kayla M. Hirsch, RN, BSN 2021 Lauryn Kainer, RN, BSN 2018 Kerry M. Kennedy, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, ACHPN, VA-BC 2015, 2020 Judson LaGrone, MSN, RN, CVRN-BC 2025 Madison Lankford, RN, BSN 2017 Alysa Meza, BSN, RN 2023 Casey Schneider, RN, BSN 2017

2023 2022 2018 2021 2019 2020 2023 2018 2023 2018

Hall of Fame Honoree

Safa’a A. Al-Arabi, PhD, MPH, MSN, CNL, RN Helen M. Amundson, RN* Peggy J. Armstrong, RN* Natalie Bachynsky, PhD, FNP-C, APRN Deven S. Barriault, MSN, RN, CMSRN Betty J. Bell, BSN, MN Joyce A. Bennion, RN Lydia Biegert, RN* Dana Bjarnason, PhD, RN, NE-BC

2003 1953 1955 1998, 2008 1989, 2009 1964 1965 1947 2008

2020 2000 1994 2023 2014 2017 2004 1997 2012

* deceased

Hall of Fame, continued Honoree

Patricia A. Blair, PhD, LLM, JD, MSN Jerry N. Blaylock, RN, EdD* Ruth F. Board, RN, PhD Steven W. Branham, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, ENP-C, FAANP, CCRN Christell O. Bray, PhD Brandon G. Bredimus, DNP, RN, CNML, NE-BC, CENP, NEA-BC, FACHE, FAONL, FNAP Billye J. Brown, RN, EdD Jill N. Bryant-Bova, DNP, BS, RN, LNCC, CPHQ, NE-BC Janet G. Campbell, DNP, ANP-BC, ACNS Susan E. Campbell, RN, BSN Barbara D. Camune, RN, MSN, DrPH Kleanthe C. Caruso, RN, MSN Sheyanne Chan, DNP, APRN, CPNP, PMHS Dorothy A. Chesley, PhD Ruth E. Cole, RN, EdD* Mary Alice Collerain* Elaine C. Cominsky, RN* Ruth L. Constant, EdD, RN, BSN, MSN, CHCE, FHHC* Andrea J. Conti, RN, MSN Emily F. Cornett, RN, PhD* Elizabeth G. Cryder, RN, MSN Ernestine H. Cuellar, PhD, APRN, PMHCNS-BC Tammy L. Cupit, PhD, RN-BC

Class Year

Award Year

2005 2006

2006 2022

1953 2016, 2023 1992 1983 1988 1975, 1985 2008 1957 1949 1938 1945 1966 1982, 1987 1954 1975, 1990 2006 2013

1992 2018 2007 2010 2004 2001 2017 2001 1994 1992 1993 2012 1994 1993 1992 2006 2017

1984, 2004 1957 1961 1997

2006 1994 1998 2020

* deceased

School of Nursing Alumni Association Award Recipients Hall of Fame, continued Honoree

Cheryl C. Day, RN, MSN, NEA-BC Betty J. Douzar, RN, MSN Mitzi I. Dreher, RN Ellarene R. Duis-Sanders, RN, MSN, PhD Helen L. Dulock, RN, PhD* Allison P. Edwards, DrPH, MS, RN, CNE Karethy A. Edwards, DrPH, ARNP, FNP-BC Karen E. Elmore, DNP, RN, NE-BC Mary V. Fenton, DrPH, RN, ANP, AHN-C, FAAN Zora K. Fiedler, RN* Lynne E. Fineout-Overholt, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN Chloe S. Floyd, RN* Christina R. Frias, RN R. Laverne Gallman, PhD* Adele Garcia, RN, BSN* Wilina I. Gatson, RN, BSN* Janet C. Gilmore, MSN, RN, NE-BC Dorothy F. Greene Jackson, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC Margaret R. Grue, RN, MSN Karen E. Hand, MSN, RN, CNS Marcia G. Hanks, RN, MSN* Mary Anne Hanley, PhD Linda F. Herndon, RN Lynn R. Herr, PhD, MSN, RN, PMHCNS-BC Catherine S. Ivash, DNP, APRN, CNS, RN, BC-NPD

Class Year

1987, 1990, 1995 1994, 2010 1954 1984, 2002 1963 1987 1995 1968 1966 1924 1983 1943 1959, 1962 1949 1956 1960 1970 1980 2004, 2011 1977, 1988 1995, 1997 2004 1963 1969 1994

Award Year 1998 2014 1993 2003 1992 2020 2016 2018 1995 1993 2008 1992 2002 1992 1999 1992 2019 2021 2016 2013 2002 2006 2002 2019 2012

* deceased

Hall of Fame, continued Honoree

Lucille F. Jacobson, RN* Virginia R. Jarratt, RN, PhD, FAAN* Ruby L. Jensen, RN, MSN Beth B. Jewett, RN Janith Jones, RN* Claire B. Jordan, RN, MSN* Esperanza V. Joyce, EdD, CNS, RN Elizabeth A. Knebel, RN, PhD Sue S. Kosaka, RN* Martha L. LaFoy, RN, BSN Cheryl A. Lehman, RN, MSN, PhD Jane A. Leonard, RN, MSN Aletta Z. Linares, EdD Lora L. Lockhart, PhD, RN Lois Malasanos, RN, PhD* E. Ruth Marcott, RN, PhD* David R. Marshall, JD, DNP, RN, CENP, NEA-BC Darlene A. Martin, RN, PhD, FAAN Susan W. McConnell, RN, MSN* Charlotte A. McGuire, RN* Bronislawa Michejenko, RN, MSN, GNP-BC Jeanne M. Millhollin, RN* Katherine J. Moore, RN, EdD Mary L. Moore, PhD, MSN* Rosalinda Morales, RN, MSN, PhD

Class Year

1938 1943 1993, 2008 1975 1957 1968 1975 1957 1937 1986 1994, 2006 1988 1975 1961 1948, 1986 1974 2003 1966 1996, 1998 1967 1983, 1991 1942 1961 1959 1994, 1997, 2007

Award Year 1993 1992 2001 1992 1993 1992 2004 1992 1997 2002 2000 1999 1997 1995 1992 2000 2005 2006 2004 1993 2015 1997 2002 1998 2006

* deceased

School of Nursing Alumni Association Award Recipients Hall of Fame, continued Honoree

Patricia V. Morgan, RN, MSN Donna L. Morris, RN, DrPH, NBCR Deborah J. Murphy, MSN, RN-BC John S. Murray, PhD, RN, CPNP, CS, FAAN Lila L. Muzik, RN, MSN, FNP Kathleen A. Nash, RN, MSN, PhD Carolyn S. Nelson-Becker, EdD, MSN, CNM (ret.) Jennifer L. Nitschmann, RN, MSN, NE-BC Elizabeth A. Nutt, RN, MSN Sandra K. Oliver, RN, PhD Corinne M. Oppermann, RN, MSN Jessica L. Peck, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, CNE, CNL, FAANP, FAAN Erin Y. Perez, DNP, APRN, ANP-C, AGNP-C, ACHPN Virginia A. Rahr, RN, EdD Anna P. Rains, RN, MSN* Elda Ramirez, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FAANP Nancy Jo Reedy, RN, CNM, MPH, FACNM Jane E. Reinhart Gonzalez, MSN, RN, BC (ret.) Bonnie L. Rickelman, EdD, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, LMFT Marian E. Rowe, RN, PhD Susan D. Ruppert, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, ANP-BC, FCCM, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN Anita P. Satterly, RN* Mary K. Smith, MScEd, RN-BC, FHIMSS

Class Year

Award Year

2010, 2013, 2019 1999 1958 1993 1970 1969, 1984 1963 1956 1995

2016 2001 1994 2013 2004 2002 1992 1995 2018

1965 1963

1996 2014

1990, 1993 1968 1985, 1989 1996 1995, 1999 1991, 2003 1990 1982, 1987 1982, 1989 1967 1982, 1987 2001, 2002, 2011

2008 2021 2015 2009 2001 2007 2019 2009 1997 2002 1995 2021

* deceased

Hall of Fame, continued Honoree

Briana B. Sowell, RN, MSN, CEN, TCRN Caroline E. Stamps, RN, MPH Paula A. Stangeland, PhD, BSN, RN, CRRN, NE-BC Deborah B. Stephens, RN, BSN Susanne H. Sullivan, RN, BSN Jacquelyn D. Svoboda, DNP, APRN, WHNP-C Anita M. Taylor, BSN, MEd Tangula L. Taylor, RN, BSN Julia A. Thompson, PhD, RN Margaret Rehm Traber, RN* Poldi Tschirch, PhD, RN, CNE, HN-BC Patricia M. Turpin, RN, PhD Mary R. Uher, RN* Linda J. Venzke, RN, MSN Isabel F. Walsh, RN, MSN Phyllis J. Waters, PhD, RN Rebeka B. Watson Campbell, PhD, RN, CNE Karen L. Weis, RN, MSN, PhD Andrea M. West, PhD, MSN, BSN, MEd Cynthia Weston, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CHSE, FAANP Sara S. Wilson, RN, PhD Lynda F. Woolbert, RN, MSN, CPNP

Class Year

2004, 2010 1954 2011 1976 1967 1999 1978 2001 1987, 1991 1928 1984, 1992 1968 1959 1978, 1991 1985, 1989 2008 2005, 2011 1997 1961 1989 1967 1988

Award Year 2015 1999 2014 2003 1991 2022 1996 2008 2005 1998 1997 2008 1992 2003 2002 2013 2016 2009 2011 2023 2003 2003

* deceased

School of Nursing Alumni Association Award Recipients School of Nursing Alumni Association President’s Award Ruth Constant, RN, EdD, MSN, CHCE, FHHC* Cheryl C. Day, RN, MSN, NEA-BC Nancy Gilman, RN, MSW, MSNA Susanne H. Sullivan, RN, BSN

1966 1987, 1990, 1995 1974 1967

2012 2023 2007 2005

School of Nursing Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus Award Honoree

Billye J. Brown, RN, EdD Kleanthe C. Caruso, RN, MSN Dorothy A. Chesley, PhD Mary Alice Collerain* Ruth L. Constant, EdD, RN, BSN, MSN, CHCE, FHHC* Elizabeth G. Cryder, RN, MSN Ernestine H. Cuellar, PhD, APRN, PMHCNS-BC Mitzi I. Dreher, RN Ellarene R. Duis-Sanders, RN, MSN, PhD Helen L. Dulock, RN, PhD* Mary V. Fenton, DrPH, RN, ANP, AHN-C, FAAN Lynne E. Fineout-Overholt, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN Chloe S. Floyd, RN* R. Laverne Gallman, PhD* Wilina I. Gatson, RN, BSN* Karyn E. Holt, PhD, CNM, NCC Virginia R. Jarratt, RN, PhD, FAAN*

Class Year

1953 1975, 1985 1957 1938 1966 1975, 1990 2006 1954 1984, 2002 1963 1966 1983 1943 1949 1960 1980 1943

Award Year 1982 2000 2003 1990 2014 1987 2019 2005 2018 1992 1999 2009 1986 1984 1989 2013 1976

* deceased

Distinguished Alumnus Award, continued Honoree

Beth B. Jewett, RN Claire B. Jordan, RN, MSN* (Jordan Bell) Esperanza V. Joyce, EdD, CNS, RN Elizabeth A. Knebel, RN, PhD Sue S. Kosaka, RN* Lora L. Lockhart, PhD, RN Lois Malasanos, RN, PhD* David R. Marshall, JD, DNP, RN, CENP, NEA-BC Darlene A. Martin, RN, PhD, FAAN Mary L. Moore, PhD, MSN* John S. Murray, PhD, RN, CPNP, CS, FAAN Sandra K. Oliver, RN, PhD Corinne M. Oppermann, RN, MSN Jessica Peck, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, CNE, CNL, FAANP, FAAN Anna P. Rains, RN, MSN* Nancy Jo Reedy, RN, CNM, MPH, FACNM Bonnie L. Rickelman, EdD, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, LMFT Marian E. Rowe, RN, PhD Susan D. Ruppert, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, ANP-BC, FCCM, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN Anita P. Satterly, RN* Caroline E. Stamps, RN, MPH Paula A. Stangeland, PhD, BSN, RN, CRRN, NE-BC Poldi Tschirch, PhD, RN, CNE, HN-BC

Class Year

Award Year

1958 1970 1963 1956 1995

1993 2021 1991 1994 2023

1965 1954 2011 1984, 1992

1995 1998 2016 2017

1975 1968 1975 1957 1937 1961 1948, 1986 2003 1966 1959 1996 1967 1982, 1987 2001, 2002, 2011

1983 1988 2006 1978 1996 2011 1985 2015 2008 1997 2010 2001 2002 2022

* deceased

School of Nursing Alumni Association Award Recipients Distinguished Alumnus Award, continued Honoree Mary R. Uher, RN* Phyllis J. Waters, PhD, RN Karen L. Weis, RN, MSN, PhD

Class Year 1959 2008 1997

Award Year 1977 2020 2012

The Betty Lee Evans Nursing Excellence Award# Honoree

Natalie E. Bachynsky, PhD, FNP-C, APRN Mary J. Baer, RN, BSN, CPHQ Deven S. Barriault, MSN, RN, CMSRN Sarah A. Breland, RN, BSN Jill N. Bryant-Bova, DNP, BS, RN, LNCC, CPHQ, NE-BC Stewart E. Campbell, RN, MSN Kleanthe C. Caruso, RN, MSN Paula R. Castonguay, RN, BSN Sheyanne Chan, DNP, APRN, CPNP, PMHS Suzanne Couture, RN, MSN Pamela M. Cruz, RN, MSN Cheryl C. Day, RN, MSN, NEA-BC Kathleen J. Denke, BSN, RN-BC, CNN Brandy N. Fields, RN, BSN Meredith A. Ford, MSN, RN, CNE Debra A. Garcia, RN, BSN Jennifer A. Higgs, RN, MSN, CEN Catherine S. Ivash, DNP, APRN, CNS, RN, BC-NPD

Class Year

1998, 2009 1990 1989, 2009 2006 2016, 2023 2014, 2018 1975, 1985 1981 2008 1980, 1987 2013, 2015 1987, 1990, 1995 1992 2004 2015 1993 2004, 2010 1994

# Please note, no Betty Lee Evans Awards were given out in 2023.

Award Year 2013 2010 2006 2003 2017 2018 2002 2003 2015 2010 2016 2011 2017 2002 2022 2004 2019 2021

* deceased

The Betty Lee Evans Nursing Excellence Award, continued Honoree Class Year Nancy A. Johnson, RN, BSN Elizabeth S. Kinney, RN, MSN Gail E. Kwarciany, RN, BSN Kenia E. Latin, MSN, RN-BC, CPN, OCN, CNL Kathy A. Lawrence, RN, MSN, BC* J. Michael Leger, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, CNE, CNL Diana L. Luna, BSN, RN Charles A. Machner, RN, BSN, CCRN Susan W. McConnell, RN, MSN*§ Lila L. Muzik, RN, MSN, FNP Carolyn S. Nelson-Becker, EdD, MSN, CNM (ret.) Judy L. Norris, RN, MSN Barbara L. Parish, NP Melissa T. Phillips, RN, BSN Julian E. Quiceno Lopez, MSN, APRN, FNP-C Jane E. Reinhart Gonzalez, MSN, RN, BC (ret.) Dell E. Roach, MSN, RN, CNML Jennifer C. Seelig, RN, BSN Edwin H. Smith, Jr., RN, MSN Paula A. Stangeland, PhD, BSN, RN, CRRN, NE-BC Jacquelyn D. Svoboda, DNP, APRN, WHNP-C Scott A. Woodby, RN, BSN, CCRN

1991 2004, 2012 2002 2001, 2015 1993, 1996 1996, 2016 1980 1994 1996, 1998 1995, 1999 1990 1980, 2009 2011, 2013 2004 2016, 2020 1969, 1984 1986, 1992 2004 2013, 2016 2011 1999 1997

Award Year 2004 2003 2002 2018 2008 2020 2017 2012 2009 2005 2007 2006 2014 2003 2022 2003 2020 2003 2015 2020 2019 2012

§ posthumous * deceased

School of Nursing Alumni Association Board of Directors Officers

Jacqueline Meyer, PhD, MSN-Ed, RN-BC, CNE President Tamu Abreu, MSN, RN-BC, CPPS, CPHQ President-Elect Jill Bryant-Bova, DNP, BS, RN, LNCC, CPHQ, NE-BC Immediate Past President

Board of Directors

Brandon “Kit” Bredimus, DNP, RN, CNML, NE-BC, CENP, NEA-BC, FACHE, FAONL, FNAP Carol A. Bruno, DNP, MSN, BSN, RN Pamela M. Cruz, RN, MSN Allison P. Edwards, DrPH, MS, RN, CNE J. Michael Leger, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, CNE, CNL Heather E. MacBeth–Estrada, MSN, ARPN-C Carolyn S. Nelson-Becker, EdD, MSN, CNM (ret.) Erin Y. Perez, DNP, APRN, ANP-C, AGNP-C, ACHPN Briana B. Sowell, RN, MSN, CEN, TCRN Denise A. Voyles, MS, RN

Ex-Officio Member

Deborah J. Jones, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN Sr. Vice President, & Dean of the School of Nursing

School of Nursing Alumni Association Awards Committee

The School of Nursing Alumni Association would like to thank the Awards Committee members for their efforts in choosing this year’s award recipients.

School of Nursing Alumni Association Awards Committee Jill Bryant-Bova, DNP, BS, RN, LNCC, CPHQ, NE-BC – Chair Erin Y. Perez, DNP, APRN, ANP-C, AGNP-C, ACHPN Denise A. Voyles, MS, RN

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Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this program. If you notice an error, please contact (409) 772-5151 or email alumni@utmb.edu so that we can update our records. Thank you.