TONL Annual Conference Recap: Advocacy, Innovation and Retention

	TONL President Dr. AJ Stephens thanks Dr. Cindy Weston of Diamond Sponsor HSC College of Nursing at the Networking Reception

By C. Plonien, Communications Committee Chair 

The TONL Annual Conference on Feb. 22-23 was an inspirational success, attended by a sell-out crowd of nurse leaders from across the State of Texas. The Conference theme—AIR: Advocacy, Innovation, Retention—came with a message to just “breathe.” Keynote speaker Libby Spears brought the Conference to life, sharing with humor her philosophy of leading from the front. Her approach to leading from the front is designed to build and sustain confidence and success during the ups and downs of daily operations as well as strategic initiatives that involve long term commitment.   

Throughout the program, experienced presenters shared insight on a variety of topics, including the Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses, workplace violence, residency programs, peer support programs, retention, advocacy, and current data and statistics on nurse satisfaction and turnover. A TONL Business Meeting was held, and members received an update from AONL. Planned breaks allowed viewing time for Poster presentations, vendor visitation, and networking. The conference closed with a panel discussion on AI and machine learning. The final action item: great door prizes.

A special THANK YOU goes to THR Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas for the venue, and to financial sponsors who generously supported the nursing leadership education event. HSC College of Nursing was the Diamond Sponsor of the 2024 TONL Conference.  A full listing of sponsors can be found here.

Click here for the full conference agenda and poster presentations. Photos are available on TONL social media, and conference attendees are encouraged to tag TONL and share photos.