Deborah Zimmermann, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, is chair of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Foundation. Deborah Zimmermann, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, is chair of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Foundation. ST: Can you tell us a little about yourself? DZ: Nursing is my passion. I am the eldest of 4 children and the daughter of a registered nurse. I knew from a young age that nursing was my calling. I regularly talked to my mother about her patients, the many specialties within the profession, and the impact of advances in bedside technology on her critical care practice. With 4 children, my family could provide moral, but no financial, support for college. In 1976, when women were first admitted into the military academies, ROTC [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps] scholarships were offered to women. I accepted a scholarship, and upon graduation, began my nursing career as an army nurse. The military was foundational to both my nursing practice and leadership. As a young officer, I was given opportunities to lead and advance my practice. After 4 years of active duty, my husband, daughter, and I moved to Rochester, New York, where I attended graduate school and for 25 years practiced as a nurse practitioner and leader. For many years, I balanced practice and leadership. It was not easy, but I found great joy in caring for patients and interfacing with clinical nurses as a practitioner. I served as a chief nursing officer in Rochester, New York, and Richmond, Virginia. In both cities, I worked with incredible clinicians who used their knowledge and expertise to improve the health of their communities. They made a difference in their patients’ lives, and it was my honor to work with these teams. Fairly early in my career, I became involved in the regional and state chapters of AONL. I had the opportunity to work with New York legislators and nursing leaders on prescriptive authority for nurse practitioners. I facilitated the introduction of bills on nursing education, commonly known as the BSN in Ten legislation. As president of the New York Organization of Nurse Executives and Leaders and chair the ANCC Commission on Magnet®, I had the opportunity to see how professional organizations and nursing leaders impacted nursing standards and practice. Currently, I serve on the boards of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and chair of the AONL Foundation. AONL is dedicated to strengthening the development and influence of nurses, creation of collaborative interprofessional care models, and quantifying the contribution of nurses in improving health outcomes. A privilege beyond compare best describes my years on the AONL board of directors and the AONL Foundation. It is an honor to serve with colleagues from around the nation who, without ego, volunteer their time and generously share their expertise for the purpose of setting standards, driving excellence, and transforming health care. Their passion is nursing and improving the health of our citizens. ST: Can you tell us about the mission of AONL’s Foundation? DZ: The AONL Foundation for Nursing Leadership Research and Education (AONL Foundation) was established in 2010 to support the research and educational priorities of AONL. The AONL Foundation’s activities and programs include grants to fund nursing research, financial aid awards for nurse leader continuing education, and the annual Nurse Researcher Award. The AONL Foundation accomplishes its mission by supporting its members, individuals, foundations, and corporations. A healthier future is possible by bridging science and practice. The Foundation supports research, which is essential for nurse leaders and the challenges they face. Evidence-based practice is as critical to nurse leaders as it is for any specialty within the profession. Over its history, the Foundation has funded 54 studies and awarded more than $450,000 for nursing leadership research. The studies have focused on patient experience, population health, staffing, and clinicians’ well-being. The Foundation set a goal to raise 10 million dollars and disseminate the findings of 15 studies by December 2025. Since 2010, the Foundation has awarded 3 scholarships to nursing leaders for the nurse manager and director fellowships, and has set a goal to award 4 scholarships annually by 2025. If we can attain a sustainable fund, the Foundation plans to award $100,000 annually for research and $100,000 for scholarships, and grow from there. ST: Can you tell us why did you choose to serve as the chair of AONL’s Foundation? DZ: Researchers have repeatedly reported findings supporting the relationship between clinical outcomes and nursing education. When the Institute of Medicines’ pivotal report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health called for 80% of the nursing workforce to be baccalaureate-prepared by 2020; it was a call to action beyond the degree. It was a call for nurses to step up and to lead. Educated leaders have the confidence, knowledge, and the expertise to lead complex health systems. I am delighted to be part of an organization that supports science and innovation. It is a privilege to serve as chair of the Foundation and support the mission of nursing leadership research and the development of nursing leaders. ST: Can you share with us what are the current and future nursing research needs? DZ: The Foundation is focused on funding research that demonstrates nursing leadership’s impact on maximizing leadership effectiveness, improving the health care experience, and achieving equity in health care. There is a need for more evidence on team-based interprofessional care, innovative roles across the care continuum, and the measurement of outcomes from nursing care. The research funded by AONL can reshape care delivery. Nora Warshawsky, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, assesses the impact of nurse managers in achieving the quadruple aim. Jennifer Rainer, PhD, MBA, RN, recently published the results of her study on the influences of nurses speaking up when patients are at risk. The impact of leadership on remote visual monitoring of patients was published in the Journal of Nursing Management in December 2020, and phase 2 of research by Eva Keeling, MSN, RN, NE-BC, is underway. Of course, the research by Diana Meyer, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, on cultivating joy and resilience through a practice playbook is timely. The team was finalizing their report and manuscript in early 2021. Other studies that are receiving Foundation funding include an analysis on nurse residencies by Nancy Hoffart, PhD, RN; testing of a professional governance scale by Joanne Clavelle, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN; and the relationship between staff nurses’ perceptions of nurse manager caring behaviors and patient satisfaction by Kelley Kostich, PhD(c), RN, NE-BC. In addition, Cheryl Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Donna Havens, PhD, RN, FAAN, are updating the AONL Foundation’s work to understand CNO turnover. An exciting study by the Association of Leadership Science in Nursing (ALSN) in conjunction with the AONL Foundation was led by Esther Chipps, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, and M. Lindell Joseph, PhD, RN, FAAN. In their study, nursing leaders identified a need for research on healthy practice environments and the impact on patient outcomes, workforce, and staffing, research on innovative care models, and a need for research on effective nurse leader development. These findings will be utilized in establishing Foundation priorities. The AONL Foundation has been able to fund these studies thanks to the generous support of AONL members, friends, and several organizations. I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize them here: AMN Healthcare, Atrium Health, AvaSure, Careismatic, and the Versant Center for the Advancement of Nursing. There are too many individual members and friends who have given generously to name each person here, but we publish the annual Honor Roll of Donors online. Thank you for helping make this work possible. ST: In what ways can our readers support the foundation? DZ: In 2020, the Foundation celebrated 10 years of supporting nursing leader research and leadership development. This was only possible because of the philanthropy of AONL members and our corporate partners. As I mentioned earlier, we have some big goals that will have significant impacts on nurse leaders in research and education. There are several ways that people can help support the Foundation, including opportunities to leave a legacy to nursing leadership and recognize people with special naming opportunities. You can explore those opportunities on our website. One easy way AONL members and friends can get involved is to join the AONL Foundation’s 10 for 10 campaign, which we are continuing through June 2021. We invite members to give a special gift of $10 a month for 10 months to help ensure sustainability and fund research and financial aid for leadership development. We need leaders to support their teams in conducting research and, when possible, donate to the research fund. Together, we can transform health care. ST: 2020 was a year you, me, and all our leaders will never forget. What lessons have you learned personally and professionally? DZ: The challenges we faced in 2020 and continue to face in 2021 have been unprecedented. The pandemic of 2020 has given excellent visibility to the frontline health care workforce, with nurses’ front and center. Nursing practice has changed because of this pandemic, and the contributions of nurses will leave a permanent imprint on health care. Nurses leaned into and did not run from the complex, challenging health care issues of COVID-19. As both part of and leaders of the largest group in the health care professions, nursing leaders have led the health care response as full participants of team-based approaches to care. Nurses adopted innovative and nontraditional methods when the evidence was unknown, and leaders supported research efforts to discover the best care approaches. Nurses were behind the rapid adoption of technology for communication, remote monitoring, and televisits. Realizing a community is only as healthy as its most vulnerable citizens, nursing leaders supported education, acquired PPE [personal protective equipment], and treatment standards in prisons and skilled nursing facilities. Nurses have redefined patient-centered care by becoming surrogate family members, so no patient dies alone. As is typical throughout history, nurses demonstrated extraordinary courage, tenacity, and dedication. ST: Thank you for being actively involved with AONL’s foundation. In my experience, many are not aware of the work the Foundation does; will you share the importance of this for nurse leaders in particular? DZ: Nurse leaders must model the way and support practice based on evidence and science. Leadership matters and influential nurse leaders save lives. We must support research and our responsibility to support the development of future and new leaders.Hometown:Merrick, New York.Education:BSN, Niagara University; MSN, University of Rochester; DNP, St. John Fisher College.Family:I married the man of my dreams for 40 years, 1 daughter, a fabulous son-in-law, and 2 grandchildren who light up my life.First job ever:Scooping ice cream at Baskin-Robbins. I was paid 95 cents an hour, which was a significant increase over babysitting a family with 5 children who paid 25 cents an hour.Being a leader allows me to:See clinicians achieve goals they believed were beyond reach.My best advice for aspiring leaders:If not you, then who? As nurses, we underestimate our ability to lead change on a grand scale. This most recent pandemic may be our tipping point. We have moved from the most trusted of the professions and now see how we can lead with courage, gratitude, and compassion.My favorite leadership book recommendation:Good to Great by James Collins, The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, and I am currently reading: Jon Meachum’s His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope.Most people don’t know that I:I am afraid of heights but climbed Mount Kilimanjaro anyway.One thing I want to do:I cannot name just one, so here are a few from my list: run another marathon, begin to travel internationally again, read more, and spend more time with friends and family.One word to summarize me:Passionate. Hometown: Merrick, New York. Education: BSN, Niagara University; MSN, University of Rochester; DNP, St. John Fisher College. Family: I married the man of my dreams for 40 years, 1 daughter, a fabulous son-in-law, and 2 grandchildren who light up my life. First job ever: Scooping ice cream at Baskin-Robbins. I was paid 95 cents an hour, which was a significant increase over babysitting a family with 5 children who paid 25 cents an hour. Being a leader allows me to: See clinicians achieve goals they believed were beyond reach. My best advice for aspiring leaders: If not you, then who? As nurses, we underestimate our ability to lead change on a grand scale. This most recent pandemic may be our tipping point. We have moved from the most trusted of the professions and now see how we can lead with courage, gratitude, and compassion. My favorite leadership book recommendation: Good to Great by James Collins, The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, and I am currently reading: Jon Meachum’s His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope. Most people don’t know that I: I am afraid of heights but climbed Mount Kilimanjaro anyway. One thing I want to do: I cannot name just one, so here are a few from my list: run another marathon, begin to travel internationally again, read more, and spend more time with friends and family. One word to summarize me: Passionate. Sylvain Trepanier, DNP, RN, CENP, FAONL, FAAN, is senior-vice-president, system chief nursing officer, at Providence St. Joseph Health in Renton, Washington. He can be reached at [email protected] . Erratum to “Deborah Zimmermann, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN” [Nurse Leader 19 (2021) 229-231]Nurse LeaderVol. 19Issue 4PreviewThis article was originally published in the June 2021 issue of Nurse Leader without photos. It is being reprinted with all photos included and the photographer credited. The publisher apologizes for the error and any inconvenience it may have caused. Full-Text PDF