Featured speakers
Vicki Hess, MS, RN, CTP, CVPC
Keynote, Thursday, April 8, 2021
Becoming a Champion of Change: Your Checklist for Success
Vicki Hess teaches healthcare leaders and staff how to improve and sustain employee engagement, reduce stress and burnout, and retain valued employees. A highly-regarded speaker, author, consultant, and virtual coach, Vicki shares her expertise in employee engagement with healthcare organizations across the country. She has more than 30 years of hands-on business and healthcare experience that she draws upon to provide inspirational and evidence-based strategies for workplace engagement.
Keith Carlson, BSN, RN, NC-BC
General Session, Thursday, April 8, 2021
Catching Our Collective Breath
Nurse Keith has over two decades of experience in nursing and health care as a clinician, administrator, and entrepreneur. As an accomplished speaker, writer, blogger, podcaster, consultant, and holistic career coach for nurses, Keith has his finger on the pulse of 21st century nursing and keenly understands the challenges faced by nursing professionals and healthcare organizations.
Joan Stanley, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP
General Session, Tuesday, April 13, 2021
AACN Essentials
Joan Stanley has spent more than 25 years helping shape nursing education at American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). She currently serves as Chief Academic Officer. Her advice to nursing students and new nurses is to keep an open mind about education because the possibilities are limitless!
Rachel Start, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
General Session, Tuesday, April 13, 2021
AACN Essentials
Rachel Start is the director of ambulatory care nursing, nursing practice and magnet performance at Rush Oak Park Hospital, where she was hired to create and spearhead an innovative program leveraging the role of the CNL to advance patient care. She is now a member of the AAACN/CALNOC Collaborative Steering Group to develop indicators for ambulatory care nurses. She has represented AAACN as an advocate for advancing nursing practice in ambulatory care at the ANCC Magnet Commission and the National Alliance for Quality Care.
Nita Mosby Tyler, PhD
General Session, Thursday, April 15, 2021
Dr. Nita Mosby Tyler is the chief catalyst and founder of The Equity Project, LLC, an organization designed to support organizations and communities in building diversity, equity and inclusion strategies. In her work, Dr. Mosby-Tyler specializes in the development and delivery of leadership, equity, diversity, cultural responsiveness, and inclusiveness training programs and strategies. Dr. Mosby Tyler has a vast, 32-year background in human resources, diversity and inclusion, training, and operations management.
Tim Cunningham, DrPH, RN, FAAN
Closing Keynote, Thursday April 15, 2021
To Pivot, Pivot and Then Pivot Some More:
How We’re Growing, Shifting, Suffering, and Surfing through the Pandemic
An actor, clown, emergency nurse, assistant professor and VP in a large health system, Tim has worked in 23 countries outside of the US. His global experiences have exposed him to both extreme suffering and extreme resilience. Tim has witnessed profound loss and impossible hope. His presentations and workshops pull from an array of variegated experiences that hone in on the core human tenets of resilience and creativity. From keynotes to commencement remarks, from workshops to lectures and coaching, Tim’s work is interactive and unique. It sticks. It inspires.