I humbly introduce and nominate Educator RN Lauren Kooken. At the Northern Arizona VA Healthcare System: Prescott VA (NAVAHCS), RN Kooken is the Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior (PMDB) Program Director. She oversees patient and staff safety, and additionally supports and co-chairs Disruptive Behavior Committee. She also assists with the RN Transition-to-Practice (RNTTP) Residency Program. As part of the Education Department, she participates in the daily operations such as new employee orientation, simulation, just-in-time training, and professional development. Over the course of time, I have learned how RN Kooken shows her dedication and commitment to the learners that she encounters and how she connects on their levels to envelop them into the education that is occurring. She teaches a course that can be difficult and has many crucial conversations in it. I have seen resistant staff come to this PMDB course upset and angry because they do not wish to be taking this mandatory class and I have witnessed the most negative of staff leave her classes with a smile, change of attitude, and a new appreciation for the content they learned and looking forward to her next course. I have sat in her courses and personally witnessed how she uses humor, human connectiveness, collaborations, and communication to connect with the learners. RN Kooken demonstrates a collaborative practice which helps the learner to develop their clinical judgement. She provides a psychological safe environment where the staff feel safe to explore this vital content to protect them and the patients from harm. She has elevated this course and truly brought a positive light to this subject and has made a difference at NAVAHCS. It is impressive to watch her teach seasoned staff to RNTTP residents. Our RNTTP Residents attend monthly classes where RN Kooken assist in their educational journey. She has previously been Nurse Faculty, and her experience in academia has provided her a level of understanding that promotes connection with residents. She connects her wisdom as a prior new graduate nurse herself, to their current experiences. She relates with humor, kindness, while bridging the gap between the resident’s academic world to real-life nursing practice. She encourages critical thinking through asking questions and providing moments for processing and authentic responses that create learning the residents take into their practice. RN Kooken creates interprofessional relationships with the residents and staff that create a collaborative bond where they come back and seek her guidance, mentorship, and wisdom. She is on the Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) council in which she offers her insight and collaboration with staff. She encourages the spirit of inquiry. She masterfully guides staff through the EBP process. I witnessed RN Kooken co-lead one nurse who was implementing her project and observed her guiding the nurse through to fruition of her project. She is an influencer and a subject matter expert that is respected and is part of creating exceptional frontline nurses. RN Kooken is an outstanding nurse who demonstrates superior educator characteristics that make her a remarkable award nominee/recipient.