College of Nursing dean elected to AACN nominating committee

Nancy Fahrenwald, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC, FAAN, dean and professor at Texas A&M University College of Nursing, has been elected to serve a two-year term on the the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Nominating Committee.

“As the national voice for academic nursing, the AACN establishes the standards for nursing education, assists and influences member schools in meeting those standards and advocates on behalf of the nursing profession to advance research and outreach initiatives across the nation,” said Fahrenwald. “Serving in this role allows us to leverage academic resources and network with fellow health care leaders and providers to provide quality nursing education, equipping future and professional nurses with the skills needed to improve patient outcomes, address health disparities and increase access to quality care.”

Prior to assuming her current deanship at the College of Nursing in 2018, Fahrenwald served as dean and professor at the South Dakota State University College of Nursing. She has been active with the Council for Advancement of Nursing Science where she served as chair of the Membership Committee and the Operations and Finance Committee, and also held leadership roles with the American Cancer Society (Midwest Division), the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Coalition for the State of South Dakota, the Texas and South Dakota Nurses Associations, Brooking Health System and the Midwest Nursing Research Society.

A leader in the policy arena, Fahrenwald also serves as chair of the AACN Government Affairs Committee and as a State Grassroots Liaison, and provided testimony on behalf of AACN before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Upscaling the Healthcare Workforce for Innovation in November 2019.

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 Lin Zhan (Treasurer) from the University of Memphis; Pier Broadnax from the University of the District of Columbia; Jean Giddens from Virginia Commonwealth University; Deborah Jones from the University of Texas Medical Branch; Susan Mullaney from UnitedHealth Group (practice representative); and Demetrius Porche from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans. Fahrenwald joins Shirleatha Lee from the University of South Carolina Upstate and Linda Thompson from the University of Massachusetts Boston as the newly elected members of the AACN’s Nominating Committee:.

“On behalf of AACN’s diverse membership, I applaud this distinguished group of leaders for their strong commitment to advancing excellence and innovation in nursing education, research, and practice,” said AACN Board Chair Susan Bakewell-Sachs, PhD, RN, FAAN. “I look forward to collaborating with the new and returning members to magnify AACN’s impact on improving health, health care, and higher education.”

With online ballots cast from January 5-29, those elected to the AACN Board and Nominating Committee will begin their terms of service following the business meeting at AACN’s Deans Annual Meeting on March 23, 2021.