2023 Annual Conference

Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC
American Nurses Association

Katie Boston-Leary is the Director of Nursing Programs at the American Nurses Association overseeing the Nursing Practice and Work Environment Division and Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation. She is also the Co-Lead for Project Firstline, a multi-million-dollar grant collaborative with the CDC for training on Infection Prevention and Control. Katie is also the co-chair for the DEI committee for the Healthcare Leaders Network Delaware Valley, an ACHE affiliate. Katie also leads a non-profit, The Reach Initiative, LLC, that provides executive coaching to healthcare leaders with a focus on providing pro bono services to BIPOC nurses. She redesigned the Nurse Leadership Institute at the University of Maryland with an embedded coaching program Katie is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and the School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. She is a board member on St. Johns University Health Programs, George Washington University Women in Business Program and an editorial advisory board member with Web/MD Medscape. She was identified in 2019 Health Leaders
Media Journal as “One of Five Chief Nursing Officers Changing Healthcare”. She is also a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience sponsored by the U.S. Surgeon General.

Her most recent research was a qualitative study on nurses’ perceptions of power dynamics in the hospital setting. She is a well-known speaker nationally and internationally with many publications and podcast guest invitations. She completed her PhD at Walden University in Health Services, obtained a dual degree MBA and MHA from the University of Maryland Global Campus and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Bowie State University in Maryland. She is a board-certified Nurse Executive and obtained a nurse executive leadership certificate from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been interviewed for stories in numerous print, online and televised media outlets and has authored numerous articles on racism, DEI, well-being and other challenges in nursing and healthcare overall.

Gail A. Bagwell, DNP, APRN-CNS
Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Gail A. Bagwell, DNP, APRN, CNS is a member of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Division of Neonatology team. She completed her undergraduate degree in nursing at West Virginia Wesleyan College, her master’s in nursing at the University of Cincinnati and her doctor of nursing practice at Chatham University. Gail joined Nationwide Children’s in 1993 as the Clinical Nurse Specialist in the NICU and in 2000, she became the Clinical Nurse Specialist for Perinatal Outreach. Gail is also a clinical instructor of practice at the Ohio State University College of Nursing Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program. Prior to becoming President of NANN, she served on the Board of Directors, on committees, and as well as a past-president of the Central Ohio NANN chapter. She is a published author of book chapters in all six editions of the Kenner’s “Comprehensive Neonatal Care” textbook, the Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Development, Neonatal Nursing Care Handbook, was the editor for the NANN Guideline for Newborn Safe Sleep and multiple journal articles. Gail’s interests are neonatal abstinence syndrome, neonatal pain, breastfeeding, safe sleep to decrease infant mortality, newborn resuscitation/stabilization, and parent transition.

Cherrie L. Pullium, DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC, FCNS
Texas A & M University School of Nursing

Dr. Cherrie Pullium is a board-certified Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist and a Clinical Associate Professor at Texas A & M University School of Nursing in Bryan TX where she teaches across programs. A second career RN, she earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from Midland College in 1999, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Angelo State University in 2003, a Master of Science in Nursing from Texas Christian University in 2006, and a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from The University of Alabama in 2018. Dr. Pullium is a Fellow of the CNS Institute and currently serves on the board of directors for the National Organization of Clinical Nurse Specialists. She has an extensive background in the management of adults with chronic illness in primary care, long-term care, and hospice/palliative care settings. She is a tireless advocate for the uninsured adult population and is actively involved in health equity initiatives at local, state, and national levels.

Kimberly Elgin, DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC, PCCN, CMSRN
UVA School of Nursing

Kim is the Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist at UVA Health and an Assistant Clinical Professor at the UVA School of Nursing. Kim holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Old Dominion University, Master of Science in Nursing from University of Virginia, and Bachelors in Nursing from University of Delaware. She also holds specialty certifications as an adult Progressive Care Certified Nurse and a Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse. In her 25+ years in nursing, Kim has practiced in adult acute and progressive care medical-surgical settings. As an Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist, she has extensive experience presenting at national and regional conferences, on varied patient safety, nursing, and advanced practice topics. Kim is a staunch advocate for CNS practice and recently led efforts to recognize UVA Health CNSs as advanced practice providers, establishing processes for credentialing, privileging, and prescriptive practice. Kim participated in developing national evidence based guidelines, including the AAACN/AMSN Care Transition Hand-Off Toolkit. She held elected positions in numerous organizations, including NACNS, and is the recipient of multiple awards, including the 2022 Brenda Lyon Leadership Award.

Marianne Hiles, MSN, RN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, RNC-LRN, C-EFM, FCNS
Frederick Health Hospital

Marianne Hiles is a Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in the Birthplace at Frederick Health Hospital, Frederick, Maryland. Marianne has been a CNS since 2011, and has worked with women and newborns for the majority of her 30-year nursing career. She holds two certifications in perinatal nursing, board certification as a CNS, and was inducted as a CNSI Fellow in 2022. Marianne has impacted outcomes for women, pregnant patients and newborns not only through her work at the hospital, but in her community and the state of Maryland. Marianne has advocated for perinatal patients on several occasions in the Maryland General Assembly, and in 2018, she received the Maryland Nurses Association’s Rosalie Silver Abrams Legislative Award for her advocacy efforts. Marianne represented NACNS as a collaborating author for the current revisions to the 2014 Women’s Health CNS competencies, and has advocated for the creation of a national certification exam for the Women’s Health and Perinatal CNS. She has authored position statements for the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrical and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), and has presented her work at both local and national conferences. Marianne is dedicated to the continuous work of improving the lives of women, pregnant patients, and newborns.