I am extremely fortunate to have Simone as the nursing leader in my division. I first encountered Simone when I was a new graduate APRN beginning a fellowship program. Her unfailing support during that first post-graduate year was pivotal for me; she was kind, supportive, and inspired confidence in me when I needed it most.

In the years since, Simone has become a mentor to me as a leader and senior member of our team. Simone's leadership stands out to me for several reasons: At the heart of all she does is a deep devotion to providing high-quality patient care; no change is ever made without considering the impact it may have on our ability to provide the best possible care to patients and families. She is approachable and deeply respected by our team, and able to set respectful boundaries and lead with authority when necessary. She works hard to ensure equal opportunities for all nurses in our division regardless of practice setting or role, is committed to the advancement of nursing scholarship in a way that is rare and is a tireless advocate for our nursing team. She is - above all else - unfailingly kind, compassionate, and makes all members of her team feel cared for and valued. I would love for Simone to be formally honored for her enormous contributions to our team and institution.

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Simone Rinaldi is a shining example of extraordinary nursing leadership! She has been the nursing director in our division for many years and is a strong steady presence for all of us. She is passionate about nursing and always makes sure that nursing is represented adequately, whether that be updating the division on specific RN/NP accomplishments to making sure that NPs are considered in staffing needs, policy development, and in upper leadership meetings.

We always know when and how to find her and are confident that she will make time to meet with us if issues or concerns ever arise. She makes it a point to not only connect with the larger division regularly but has also created a quarterly NP-specific meeting for our division. Not only is this a nice way for NPs to connect, but Simone has helped to foster leadership amongst the NP leads, by having each of us take turns presenting info, creating ideas for future presentations, and having each arm of the division lead the meeting last year so that we all could get a better sense as to the work our colleagues do.

Simone seems to have a never-ending source of support, warmth, and empathy that she offers to all those who work with her. She truly wants each of us to work to the best of our potential and fosters growth in all of us. Personally, I am so grateful to have Simone as a mentor for my own leadership journey. She seems to have just the right balance of knowing when to offer advice and when to just sit and listen to allow me to come up with the solution.

Last year she encouraged me to assess the broad needs of our outpatient clinic and supported me in advocating hiring an RN for our clinic which was quite an undertaking. Her knowledge about program development, budgets, and leadership helped to guide me in this pursuit which was ultimately successful and has led to a more well-rounded clinic! While I could go on and on about all the things I love, admire, and respect about Simone... I will spare you all the details... but assure you that our division would not be the efficient, well-respected, broad workforce that we are today without Simone Rinaldi's presence.