FNU Faculty Selected to Participate in the National League for Nursing’s 2023 Leadership Institute

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) Assistant Professor

Dr. Joanne Keefe, DNP, MPH, FNP-C, CNE, and Associate Professor Dr. Vicky StoneGale, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FNAP are among the 41 nurse educators and nurses in practice selected to participate in the National League for Nursing’s 2023 Leadership Institute.

Dr. Keefe joined FNU’s faculty in 2015 after obtaining both her MSN and DNP from FNU. She is a Family Nurse Practitioner in a frontier area of Southwest New Mexico, with more than 20 years of experience in nursing. Her current work focuses on rural health disparities and capacity building, with a focus on bringing home health and hospice to the area. She is a member of the National Organization for Nurse Practitioner Faculty, the New Mexico Nurse Practitioner Council, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Dr. Stone-Gale, who has been at FNU since 2014, has practiced in primary care for 30 years as a Family Nurse Practitioner and maintains a practice in Plantation, Florida. She is a Fellow of both the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the National Academies of Practice. Dr. StoneGale received a gubernatorial appointment to serve on the Florida Board of Nursing (BON), which she did for four years, serving as Chair of the BON for two years. She is currently the Chair of the North Florida probable cause panel and President of the South Florida Council of Advanced Practice Nurses, a local nurse practitioner organization, and first VP of Legislation for the Florida Nurse Practitioner Network.

“We are thrilled that Dr. Keefe and Dr. Stone-Gale have been selected for this prestigious opportunity,” said FNU Dean of Nursing Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN. “They are both outstanding nurses and educators who set a great example for fellow faculty and students alike.”

The NLN Leadership Institute, under the NLN Center for Transformational Leadership, offers a dual-track curriculum. LEAD is appropriate for nurses in education and practice who have recently been challenged with the rapid transition into leadership positions, those already in positions of leadership who want formal leadership development, and others who identify as emerging leaders or have leadership aspirations. The Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators is designed for the experienced simulation nurse educator who aspires to a leadership role in simulation. Sim Leadership track participants focus on maximizing their leadership potential to advance simulation initiatives in nursing education and practice.

These year-long programs represent a significant investment in professional leadership development. Participants on both tracks spend a calendar year engaged in activities to identify personal and professional goals; learn about what makes an effective leader; and strategize how to retool skill sets and experiences to achieve individual and institutional benchmarks. To that end, everyone receives intensive one-on-one executive coaching. In addition, they attend online group coaching sessions, a retreat, and webinars, where they study leadership theory and practices that include case study.

The 2023 Leadership Institute has already had its first meeting, an in-person orientation. The Intensive Leadership Retreat is scheduled for July 25-28 in Washington, D.C. The groups will later reconvene at the 2023 NLN Education Summit: Extraordinary Nurse Educators: Leading Extraordinary Times, September 28-30 in Washington, DC.

“The National League for Nursing Leadership Institute is among the most highly respected leadership development initiatives in the field,” said NLN President and CEO Beverly Malone, Ph.D., RN, FAAN. “We look forward to another year of rewarding and productive achievement, helping to boost the personal and professional standing of this exclusive cohort chosen for the Institute’s 2023 Lead and Sim Leadership programs.”