The National Black Nurses Association Announces the Recipients of the 2015 Nurse of the Year Awards

The National Black Nurses Association is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2015 Nurse of the Year Awards. The awardees will be honored at the NBNA Business Meeting on Thursday, July 30, 2015, 8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m., Atlanta Hilton Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia, during the 43rd NBNA Annual Institute and Conference, July 29 - August 2, 2015.

“NBNA is thrilled to recognize our nurse colleagues for their outstanding work within the profession of nursing and throughout the communities where they work and live. They are the exemplary professionals who demonstrate commitment, excellence and innovation…role models for all of us to follow. NBNA salutes each of the 2015 Nurse of the Year honorees”, stated Reverend Dr. Deidre Walton, NBNA President.


2015 Nurse of the Year Awards

Administrative Nurse of the Year
Nadene Dukes, MSN, RN, NE-BC
Clinical Director, Community-Based Hospital Initiatives
Texas Children’s Hospital
Houston, Texas
Fort Bend County Black Nurses Association

Advanced Practice Nurse of the Year
Lindsey Michelle Harris, MSN, FNP-BC
Inpatient Glycemic Control Nurse Practitioner
University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham Black Nurses Association

Military Nurse of the Year
Samantha Agee, MSN, CRNA, CCRN
Clinical Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA/66F)
Triple Army Medical Center
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu Black Nurses Association

Nurse Educator of the Year
Carol Jefferson Ratcliffe, DNP, RN, FACHE
Associate Professor/Coordinator Health Systems Management and Leadership Program
Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing
Samford University
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham Black Nurses Association

Nurse Entrepreneur of the Year
Joan Perry-Austin, RN, BS, CPHQ
Vice President
RJ Austin Consulting and Training
Houston, Texas
Fort Bend County Black Nurses Association

Nurse of the Year for Community Service
Johnnie Mae Lovelace, RN, BS
CEO, Program Manager
Lovelace Multi-Care Health Service
Marietta, Georgia
Atlanta Black Nurses Association

Student Nurse of the Year
Stephanie Patterson, MPA, MSN(c)
Master of Science in Nursing-to-Post Master’s Certificate Program Student
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
Los Angeles, California
Council of Black Nurses, Los Angeles

Source: NBNA