A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT – DR. JANE MCCURLEY

As I prepare to draft my message to our remarkable members for this new year, I am torn between a reflective and a visionary approach, so decided I would do a little of both. I will begin with our mission statement-to advocate and influence exceptional care delivery in Texas through Nurse Leaders! I believe that is what we did each and every day of this past year as we were all challenged to go above and beyond the oath we took to continue to care for others.

A very heartfelt thank you to our TONL Executive Committee, TONL Board, Committee Chairs, Task Force Chairs, Volunteers, and our CMP management partners. Without these individuals, TONL would not of not have experienced the successes that it had this previous year. There are so many things for us to be proud of, and I am sure I will miss a few, as it was an event-filled year despite the pandemic.

Rising Above Adversity: Innovations in Nursing Leadership was our virtual annual conference held in April 2021. Thank you to Gretchen Hunt, who is our Education Committee Chair, and her team of member volunteers for a great event. We had wonderful sponsors, diverse sessions, sponsor bingo and raffles, and presented our Nurse Leader definition and word cloud. Thank you to Dr. Cindy Plonien, who served as our Chair of this task force, and her team for the work they did to define nurse leader as it was necessary for clarity, structure, and development for our board. A clear definition fosters the alignment of our organization’s mission, goals, education, and member benefits. The task force completed the definition, white paper, and a word cloud and are now preparing for future publications.

Our annual conference once again recognized exceptional leadership by presenting the 2020 recipient of the TONL Excellence in Leadership Award to Dr. Valerie Kiper, Associate Professor Texas Tech Health Sciences Center School of Nursing. Dr. Kiper was recognized for her contributions to TONL and the nursing profession. The conference ended with an uplifting video to our TONL Heroes – a compilation of stories recognizing the selfless dedication and commitment to the nursing profession of individuals in the most difficult of circumstances!

As we look toward our next year together, I hope that we continue the great work of our membership committee, who were instrumental in growing our membership (during a pandemic year) from 958 last July to 1132 this July. Thank you to Dr. Kit Bredimus and his team for the work they did to expand our numbers and allow us the opportunity to reach more leaders in the state of Texas. Our board worked diligently during this past year’s strategic planning sessions to incorporate your feedback from our membership survey in our 2021-2022 strategic plan. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force, led by Dr. Nelson Tuazon, completed their research and submitted recommendations for consideration and now has been elevated to a standing committee as we continue to expand on their foundational work. Other goals include continued enhancement of support for our Chapter Leadership, establishing a TONL Mentorship Program, supporting the collaborative Texas Summit recommendations, and enhancing TONL educational offerings for emerging leaders.

I am looking forward to our first annual report, which will be out later this year and will include key information, awards and recognitions, annual reports from our committees, and more. 2022 will bring our AONL Inspiring Leaders Annual Conference on April 11-14 to our home state of Texas in San Antonio!

The TONL Board wants to encourage you to stay strong, take care of yourself, and your teams. Not every day always goes as planned, and our profession certainly has its challenges, but I hope you are proud of the work you do as a nurse and leader and that is fills your soul daily. The gift of a nurse is to make others feel cared for. Nurses make others feel important. Nurses make others feel they are not alone. That is what a nurse leader does and that…is EVERYTHING. Please continue your commitment to our professional organization, be active in local chapters, and find opportunities to serve.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jane McCurley, DNP, MBA, RN, CENP, NEA-BC, CPXP, FAONL, FACHE