A Moment of Gratitude: Reflecting on the AACN/NTI 2025 Visionary Leadership/Pioneering Spirit Awards Ceremony

May 24

2025 Visionary Leadership Awardees - AACN/NTI

I’ve long believed that the most meaningful recognition doesn’t simply affirm what you’ve done—it reminds you why you started.

Receiving the AACN Pioneering Spirit Award was one of those moments. As I stood in a room filled with nurse leaders, visionaries, and tireless advocates, I was overwhelmed—not just with pride, but with gratitude. Gratitude for the journey, the mentors, the missteps, the persistence, and the people who saw value in the kind of work that doesn’t always fit the mold.

This honor from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses is more than a personal milestone; it’s a collective recognition of what happens when you center service, equity, and innovation in everything you do, especially when advocating for our nation’s veterans.

Gratitude, for me, isn’t passive. It’s not just a warm feeling. It’s a call to action.

It reminds me of every veteran I’ve served who needed someone to listen. Every nurse who reached out, not for a title, but for mentorship. Every student who questioned the system and wanted to help change it. Gratitude reminds me that none of this work is done alone, and it reinforces the responsibility I carry to use this platform in ways that serve others.

So today, I want to say thank you:

To AACN, for seeing value in unconventional paths and pioneering efforts in veteran-inclusive healthcare.
To my mentors and colleagues, who spoke my name in rooms I hadn’t yet entered.
To my family, who anchor me in what really matters.
To every nurse, veteran, and changemaker who has ever felt unseen—you are the reason I continue this work.

Awards like this don’t signal an endpoint; they affirm the path ahead. And if this moment has taught me anything, it’s that gratitude is most powerful when it fuels forward momentum.

Let’s keep pushing the boundaries. Let’s keep pioneering. And let’s never forget the people and purpose that made it all possible.

My brief remarks at the AACN/ NTI 2025 Conference

Thank you AACN for this incredible honor. Isaac Newton said, “If I can see further, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants.” I am humbly accepting this recognition on behalf of everyone who is actively working on creating safe and supportive spaces for our military, veterans, and their families to receive the care and resources they need. With AACN’s indulgence, I would like to take a second to recognize some of you in the audience. If you are currently serving or if you have ever served in the military, please stand and thank you for your service. Also, if you are a spouse, child or family member of somebody who is currently serving or has served, please stand and I thank you for your support. I thank all of you for continuing to care for the millions of service members, veterans, and their families in our care and wish everyone a fantastic conference.