Thursday, August 18, 2016  

The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses Expands
Professional Development Opportunities for Members

Washington, D.C., August 11, 2016 — The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) today announced its 2016 class of emerging leaders. Launched in 2007, the AWHONN Emerging Leaders Program engages outstanding nurses in a formal, year-long leadership training program. Activities include guidance from mentors, networking events, meetings with Congressional staff, multiple continuing education opportunities, and other experiential training to build confidence and leadership skills among participants.

The Emerging Leaders Program is made possible through a one-year educational grant from the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future. “We are thrilled to continue to recognize AWHONN’s Emerging Leaders Program,” said Andrea Higham, Senior Director, Global Corporate Affairs at the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future. “We believe it is vital to contribute to the development of strong leaders in the nursing profession and to support these individuals in the growth of their career.”

“On behalf of AWHONN, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the 2016 class of emerging leaders. I’m amazed at their outstanding achievements thus far in their varied careers,” said AWHONN’s CEO, Lynn Erdman, MN, RN, FAAN. “Additionally, we would like to thank Johnson & Johnson for their support of our nursing leadership.”

The AWHONN Emerging Leaders Program places special emphasis on fostering diversity — in age, race and gender — among its prospects. Participant selection is based on each applicant’s skills, experience and enthusiasm for women’s health and perinatal nursing. The 2016 emerging leaders are

  • Amy Bell, MSN, RNC-OB, NEA-BC, CPHQ, lives in Landis, NC and is an outcomes specialist in obstetrical services at Carolinas HealthCare System.  She has previously worked as a staff nurse, patient care coordinator, charge nurse, and nurse manager in the labor and delivery, high-risk OB, mother/baby, and nursery areas. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Duke University School of Nursing.
  • Chandra Burnside, MSN, RN, recently moved to Arlington, VA and will be starting a new position as a labor and delivery nurse at INOVA Alexandria Hospital. She is also a childbirth educator at Virginia Hospital Center and an instructor at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing and Health Studies. She is currently pursing certification as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.
  • Rosemarie Cervantes, MSN/Ed, RN, lives in the Los Angeles area and is currently the assistant manager for the mother-baby unit at Millers Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Long Beach. On the national stage, she assists hospitals and health systems in creating optimal clinical workflows and family-centered experiences as a Senior Advisor for Una Vita, Inc. Rosemarie is the co-chair of the Los Angeles chapter of AWHONN and an executive board member for Breastfeed LA. In 2012, Rosemarie was honored by the Southern Nevada’s March of Dimes Nurse of the Year for Women’s Health.
  • Sarah Copple, BSN, RNC-MNN, of Norwalk, IA, works as a Clinical Education Specialist for Maternity Services at UnityPoint Health- Des Moines.  She serves on a number of hospital-based committees, has helped with the implementation of many new initiatives in her organization, has authored a blog post for AWHONN Connections and is an invited presenter on a range of obstetrical topics.  She is currently pursuing her Masters Degree in Nursing.
  • Bree Fallon, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, lives in Kansas City, MO and serves as a clinical educator for perinatal services at Shawnee Mission Medical Center.  She is an Advanced Fetal Heart Monitoring Instructor for AWHONN and an author of numerous blog posts for AWHONN Connections.
  • Aviva Kleinman, BSc, BSN, RNC-MNN, IBCLC, lives in New York, NY and currently works as the perinatal outreach coordinator at New York University’s Langone Medical Center. She previously served as the perinatal nurse informaticist, and worked on the labor and delivery and mother-baby units. She has presented and published articles in the areas of breastfeeding and the Baby Friendly designation and is currently an AWHONN Intermediate Fetal Heart Monitoring Instructor.
  • Michele Kulhanek, BSN, RC-OB, of Poulsbo, WA, is an assistant manager at CHI Franciscan Health, Harrison Medical Center’s Family Birth Center. She is also the Clinical Educator for the Family Birth Center. She has previously worked as a staff nurse and charge nurse in labor and delivery. An invited speaker on the topic of perinatal loss and self-care for nurses, she is currently pursing a Master’s of Science in Nursing from Western Governors University.
  • Tiffany Nordmeyer, RN-C OB, BSN, C-EFM, CPST, from Bennington, NE, works at CHI Health Lakeside Hospital’s Family Birth Center as an educator and quality improvement nurse. With more than 15 years of nursing experience, she is an instructor for AWHONN’s intermediate fetal heart monitoring program and is certified as a child passenger safety technician.
  • Sally Robertson, MS, RNC-OB, C-EFM, lives in Kailua Kona, HI and is the director and manager of Women’s Health Services at Kona Community Hospital. A nurse for 10 years, she previously worked in Oklahoma as a nurse in the labor and delivery, operating room, postpartum, and triage areas. She earned both her bachelor of science in nursing and master of science from the University of Oklahoma, College of Nursing. Sally is a designated instructor for AWHONN’s intermediate fetal heart monitoring program.
  • Rainy Tieman, MSN, RNC-MNN, lives in Montrose, CO, and works at Montrose Memorial Hospital as a labor and delivery/postpartum and nursery nurse caring for women from pregnancy to birth and for neonates, including well and sick babies. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Chamberlain College of Nursing.

For more information on AWHONN’s Emerging Leaders program, please visit:
www.awhonn.org.

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About AWHONN
Since 1969, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) has been the foremost authority promoting the health of women and newborns and strengthening the nursing profession through the delivery of superior advocacy, research, education, and other professional and clinical resources. AWHONN represents the interests of 350,000 registered nurses working in women’s health, obstetrics, and neonatal nursing across the United States. Learn more about AWHONN at www.awhonn.org.

About the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future
The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future is a multi-year, $50 million national initiative designed to enhance the image of the nursing profession, recruit new nurses and nurse faculty, and help retain nurses currently in the profession. Launched in February 2002, the Campaign works in cooperation with professional nursing organizations, schools, hospitals and other healthcare groups to promote opportunities in nursing and increase awareness of the value of the nursing profession to our society and America’s healthcare community. Learn more at discovernursing.com.