Dr. Patricia E. Benner, RN, PhD, FAAN is Professor Emerita at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing, and former Senior Scholar at The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Dr. Benner is an internationally renowned educator, author, researcher and lecturer on health, stress and coping, skill acquisition and ethics. Among her myriad accomplishments, Dr. Benner is the author of several books including From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Nursing Practice, named an American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year, and most recently published Educating Nurses: A Call for Radical Transformation, the results of the multi-year Carnegie Foundation National Nursing Education study. She has been a recipient of numerous awards and is honored as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and Royal College of Nursing, and received the President’s award for Creativity and Innovation in Nursing Education from the National League for Nursing.

Dr. Audrey J. Berman, RN, PhD is the is Dean and Professor at Samuel Merritt University, School of Nursing. Dr. Berman has been teaching in the Samuel Merritt nursing program since 1977 and has been the Dean since 2004. Dr. Berman has published several books including Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, Process and Practice, and Skills in Clinical Nursing. Specializing in oncology nursing, Dr. Berman has also published numerous papers and presentations focusing on cancer care, and volunteers with a variety of cancer-related organizations including serving on the Board of Directors for the Bay Area Tumor Institute. Among her many honors, Dr. Berman has received the Excellence in Leadership Award from Sigma Theta Tau and the Leadership for Academic Nursing Fellowship from American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Dr. Mary Naylor, RN, PhD, FAAN is the Marian S. Ware Professor in Gerontology and Director of the NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing. Since 1990, Dr. Naylor has led a multidisciplinary program of research designed to improve the quality of care, decrease unnecessary hospitalizations and reduce health care costs for vulnerable, community-based elders. Dr. Naylor is the National Program Director for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsored Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM). She also is a member of the RAND Health Board, the National Quality Forum Board of Directors and Chair of the recently established Long Term Quality Alliance.

Dr. Kathleen Dracup, RN, DNSc, FNP, FAAN is the Dean and a Professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing. Dean Dracup is well-known for her leadership in cardiovascular clinical nursing, heart disease research, and nursing academics. She served as editor of Heart & Lung and the American Journal of Critical Care for almost 30 years. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and was a Fulbright Senior Scholar to Australia. Dr. Dracup has received numerous awards, including two of the American Heart Association Council of Cardiovascular Nursing's highest awards, the Katherine Lembright Award for excellence in cardiovascular research and the Eugene Braunwald Award for academic mentorship.

Dr. Peter Buerhaus, PhD, RN, FAAN is a nationally recognized nurse leader and healthcare economist. Dr. Buerhaus is widely known for his research on health workforce forecasting and quality of care measures, among other areas of expertise. Currently, he is the Valere Potter Distinguished Professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Health Workforce Studies of the Institute for Medicine and Public Health, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Among his many exceptional career accomplishments, Dr. Buerhaus developed the Harvard Nursing Research Institute and its post-doctoral program in nursing health services research and served as assistant to the Vice Provost for Medical Affairs for The University of Michigan Medical Center's seven teaching hospitals. In 2003, he was elected into the National Academies Institute of Medicine.

Dr. Edward O'Neil, MPA, PhD, FAAN Dr. Edward O'Neil is a Professor in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine, Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences and Social and Behavioral Sciences (School of Nursing) at the University of California, San Francisco. He also serves as the Director of the Center for the Health Professions, a research, advocacy and training institute which he created to assist health care professionals, health professions schools, care delivery organizations and public policy makers understand the challenges and opportunities of educating and managing a health care workforce capable of improving the health of people and their communities.

Marla E. Salmon, ScD, RN, FAAN, Dean of the School of Nursing at University of Washington, is world-renowned for her leadership in nursing education, practice, and research. While focusing on national and international workforce development, health care policy, and public health, Dr. Salmon has held academic leadership positions at Emory University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of North Carolina, and the University of Minnesota. Dr. Salmon has served as the ‘Nation’s Head Nurse’ as the Director of the Division of Nursing for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, chaired the National Advisory Committee on Nursing Education and Practice, and the World Health Organization and Global Advisory Group on Nursing and Midwifery. Dr. Salmon is a member of the Institute of Medicine and is on the Board of the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research, among several other honors and memberships.

Marilyn P. Chow, DNSc, RN, FAAN is the Vice President, Patient Care Services, Program Office, at Kaiser Permanente and Program Director for the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program. Dr. Chow has made significant contributions to nursing through her leadership, scholarship, and political involvement and is nationally recognized for her expertise in leadership development, innovation and regulation of nursing practice, and primary care. Among her many honors and memberships, Dr. Chow served on the IOM Committee that produced the report, Keeping Patients Safe: Transforming the Nurse’s Work Environment.

Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN is a world-renowned nursing leader whose influence has extended from public policy to nursing education, and from administration to clinical practice. Dr. Malone is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the National League for Nursing, one of the premier U.S. organizations supporting leaders in nursing education. Dr. Malone has been the Dean of the School of Nursing at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, was twice elected to President of the American Nurses Association, and served as General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, the U.K.'s largest professional union of nurses. Furthermore, Dr. Malone has contributed to policy development through her role as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as a U.S. delegate of the World Health Assembly, and as a Board Member of the National Patient Safety Partnership.

Judith Karshmer, PhD, APRN, BC is the Dean and a Professor at the University of San Francisco, School of Nursing. Specializing as a psychiatric nurse, Dr. Karshmer is an innovative leader of nursing education who has brought forth new, contemporary programming in nursing schools throughout the country by developing partnerships with fellow universities and local hospitals. Dean Karshmer's current work is focused on taking nursing education at USF to a new level of "evidence-based education", designed to positively impact patient safety and improve the quality of care.

Angela Barron McBride, RN, PhD, FAAN is Distinguished Professor-University Dean Emerita at Indiana University School of Nursing. During her tenure as dean, she served as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs-Nursing within Clarian Health Partners, one of the largest hospital networks in the U.S., and is currently a board member and chair of the board's Committee on Quality and Patient Safety. Dr. McBride is known for her contributions to women's health, particularly the psychology of parenthood, and to psychiatric-mental health nursing. Among her many achievements, she served as president of Sigma Theta Tau International, was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine, and was named a "Living Legend" by the American Academy of Nursing.

Joan P. Smith, RN, MPA, CNAA BC has been a chief nursing officer in the Bay Area for 28 years. She is currently the Director of the Center for Nursing Excellence and interim CNO at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC). During her 22 year tenure at SCVMC, Ms. Smith has brought forth transformational changes in the culture of the nursing staff and is currently in the process of leading her organization to achieve Magnet ™ designation.

Martha Norton Hill, RN, PhD, FAAN, Dean at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Baltimore, Maryland, is a world-renowned researcher, educator, and nursing leader. Internationally known for developing and testing strategies to improve hypertension care and control among urban, underserved African-Americans, Dr. Hill has served as the only non-physician president of the American Heart Association in its 80+ year history - placing her in one of the highest regarded positions in the field of cardiology. Among her honors, Dr. Hill was presented the Nell J. Watts Lifetime Achievement in Nursing Award from Sigma Theta Tau International in 2003.

Diana Russell, RN, MS, Vice President of Patient Care Services at El Camino Hospital, has over 30 years of nursing and nursing administration experience. With her leadership, El Camino Hospital became the first Bay Area hospital to be awarded Magnet™ designation, the nation's highest honor for excellence in nursing care. El Camino Hospital is ranked among the top 5% in the nation in overall clinical performance.

Shirley Chater, RN, PhD, FAAN has risen to every occasion throughout her career of high-profile positions with a commitment to fairness, cooperative leadership and challenging the rules. Dr. Chater served as U.S. Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, one of the largest and most complex federal programs, was President of Texas Woman’s University, and served as UC San Francisco’s Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs. Honored in 2000 as a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing, Dr. Chater currently chairs the national advisory committee for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow Program.

Deloras Jones, RN, MS is the President and Executive Director of the California Institute for Nursing & Health Care where she is working with nurse leaders across the state to craft a master plan for nursing. Formerly Chief Nursing Executive of Kaiser Permanente, Ms. Jones has also been instrumental in developing the California Nursing Outcomes Coalition (CalNOC) and the California Strategic Planning Committee for Nursing.

Linda Aiken, RN, PhD, FAAN, FRCN has conducted innovative health services research that has greatly influenced nursing policies and practices.  Dr. Aiken is currently the director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, and is The Claire M. Fagin Leadership Professor of Nursing, Professor of Sociology, and Senior Fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.  She leads the International Hospital Outcomes Consortium, studying the impact of nursing on patient outcomes in eight countries.  Among the many honors and awards for her leadership utilizing performance measures to demonstrate relationships between nursing care and patient outcomes, Dr. Aiken was selected as the 2006 recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research, considered the highest distinction that researchers in the health service field can achieve.

Mary Foley, RN, MS is the Associate Director of the Center for Research and Nursing Innovation at the University of California, San Francisco and is actively involved with the California Nursing Outcomes Coalition, the largest ongoing nursing quality measurement repository in the nation.  Ms. Foley is immediate Past President of the American Nurses Association and was previously employed at the Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco.

Claire Fagin, RN, PhD, FAAN is a nationally recognized leader in the field of nursing for her efforts with consumers and health professionals to create new paradigms for access and quality.  A recipient of the American Nurses Association Honorary Recognition Award, the most prestigious honor awarded in nursing, and named a “Living Legend” by the American Academy of Nursing for her extraordinary contributions to nursing and health care, Dr. Fagin continues to lead and inspire the nursing profession.

Patricia McFarland, MS, RN is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, representing over seventy percent of the state’s nurse executives, and an executive officer with the California Nursing Students Association.