I am deeply honored to nominate Sharon Gourzong for the DAISY Nurse Leader Award. I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Sharon for the past 14 years, and throughout that time, she has been a constant source of compassion, strength, devotion, and support to everyone around her.

Sharon began her nursing career in 1983 as a school nurse, and from the very beginning, her practice was rooted in advocacy, empathy, and service. She was one of the pioneering nurses caring for HIV patients in New York, and her commitment to patients during that era speaks volumes about her character and values as a nurse and a leader today.

Sharon began her career at Memorial Regional Hospital in 1991, where she steadily advanced through roles of increasing responsibility, from charge nurse to nurse manager, and ultimately to Director of Surgical Services at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in 2012 She lead multiple departments within this unit such as, Operating room (OR), Sterile processing department (SPD), Anesthesia, Endoscopy suite, Pre-op/PACU, Pre-admission testing (PAT), and the Vascular access team (VAT).

At every step of her journey, she has remained deeply connected to bedside care and to the people who provide it. As a leader, Sharon creates a culture of trust, respect, and safety. She empowers nurses and clinicians to speak up, grow professionally, and provide the highest quality care. Because of her leadership, the staff feels supported, valued, and inspired to bring compassion to every patient and family interaction. Her impact is seen not only in outcomes, but in morale, teamwork, and retention. She listens. She shows up. She makes time.

Under her leadership, our department grew from 74 employees in 2012 to 171 today, and that growth is a direct reflection of the environment she has created. To us, Sharon is far more than a director; she is a mentor, a protector, and a source of strength. She believes in her people, celebrates their successes, supports them through challenges, and never forgets the human side of healthcare. She has helped develop and support professional growth within our department, including RN III, RN IV’s, and clinical ladder surgical techs. Ensuring the staff feel valued and encouraged to advance.

Families in our care feel supported, heard, and embraced from the moment they walk through our doors, because Sharon ensures they are never just “cases,” but people. She treats every patient and family as if they were her own, and when a child requires yearly surgery, she makes certain the operating room is open and fully staffed so care is never delayed. In emergencies, she personally ensures everything possible is done to expedite surgery and remove barriers, always putting the child and family first.

She frequently rounds in Pre-op and PACU to make sure operations are running smoothly, and when her team needs help, she does not hesitate to put on scrubs and step in as a nurse, working side by side with her staff. Lastly, beyond the hospital walls, Sharon gives back generously to the community by participating in sponsorship events, fundraising efforts that support schools and local organizations, and volunteering her time whenever needed.

As seen by the H.E.R.O. Awards that she has received, Sharon’s influence extends far beyond operations and metrics. She has an extraordinary impact on patients, parents, families, employees, and whoever she meets. She leads with kindness, patience, and authenticity, proving that compassion and excellence are not separate goals, but inseparable ones. Wherever Sharon has worked, she has touched lives with her passion for nursing and her genuine desire to help others succeed. She leads not by title alone, but by example, heart, and integrity. Sharon is the kind of nurse leader who makes people proud to be nurses. For these reasons, I cannot think of a more deserving candidate for the DAISY Nurse Leader