We would like to recognize Toby Marsh, Chief Nursing and Patient Care Services Officer at UC Davis Medical Center as a DAISY Nurse Leader. This moment reminds us of the quote by Martin Luther King Jr. who said:

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

This past year has been one of the most challenging years in our lives. In the face of a global pandemic, economic fallout, and social unrest, Toby Marsh has had the courage to lead UC Davis Health nursing with love, integrity, compassion, and courage. He has been present, engaged, and personable to staff. He rounds early, and in all areas, to be visible to staff. He listens to staff to learn what is important - not only professionally but also personally. Toby makes all staff feel valued - nursing and beyond. Aware of the tremendous impact that a moment of gratitude and acknowledgment can have on someone, Toby has worked to develop and support processes that recognize the accomplishments of individual staff members, teams, and units. Throughout this pandemic, Toby continued to maintain visibility in every unit, checking to see that every nurse was safe, lifting up every achievement - big or small, and all the while keeping everyone focused on our True North. Yet, when the light has been shone on him for his achievements, Toby has always been quick to deflect and speak about his team, the work of others, and the inspiring efforts of all nurses.

Toby Marsh is authentically vulnerable and tender. After the devastating fires here in California, he was rounding in the units during safety huddle and asked that everyone check in with each other. He reminded us to be kind...be kind to ourselves and to our colleagues, since we were all going through hard times. Earlier this year, he expressed to a colleague that his worst fear was that he could not protect the nurses under his leadership during this crisis.

Toby has amplified our Relationship Based Culture (RBC) at UC Davis Medical Center, integrated it into our Nursing Strategic Plan for improving safety, quality, the patient experience, employee engagement, and financial performance. RBC advances the culture of health care organizations by focusing on three key relationships: relationship with self, with colleagues, and with patients/families. Structures, processes, and relationships are designed to support every team member's ability to provide attuned, compassionate, high-quality care. Toby has elevated RBC not only with all levels of nursing services across the organization but also including other departments and disciplines. While he is our leader, Toby reaches out and includes our peers and partners across the organization, welcoming individuals across the organization to be seen, heard, and valued members of the team.

Toby has modeled relational and therapeutic practices in every aspect of his job. He has implemented the practices that all meetings start with the reading of a patient letter of gratitude and that we open all gatherings with moments of staff gratitude. These actions demonstrate the import of being present in the moment, the value of our interest and engagement with one another, and establishing an environment in which it is safe to speak openly.

Toby has invested in the professional development and leadership skills of staff by partnering with Creative Health Care Management. He has continued the offering of Reigniting the Spirit of Caring, a program that focuses on caring for self, caring for others, and caring for patients and families. He has also brought in a program called Leading an Empowered Organization (LEO). LEO fosters staff members who are expected to function in empowered environments. The staff that participate in the program hold themselves and each other accountable. LEO serves as a solid foundation for a professional practice environment and a relationally proficient culture. Toby has also brought in another series called See Me As A Person (SMAAP). Patient experience and safety outcomes are directly related to care providers' ability to connect with their patients, this is called relational competence. SMAAP explores the science behind human connection, what gets in the way of that process, and how participants to apply practices that can transform relationships with patients, their families, and each other.

Toby has promoted professional development of leaders across the organization by hosting one day retreats last December and coming up next month. Many AN IIs commented after the retreat that they better understood nursing alignment with the organization. Participants also noted that they feel under the direction of Toby, much is being done to promote their professional development and focus on moving the organization forward to improve patient outcomes.

In addition to these many efforts to advance our work and culture internally, Toby has also reached out to nurse leaders in the region, starting the Sacramento Sierra Nurse Leader chapter of ACNL. He has encouraged all nurses to attend these gatherings that occurred regularly before the pandemic. Toby believes nurses at all levels are leaders. The monthly forum was conducive to networking within the organization and proved beneficial to networking with colleagues in the community. These engaging events promoted professionalism and have proven to be enjoyable evenings of social gathering. We look forward to resuming these events once feasible.

In conclusion, Toby has boldly stepped forward to embed love, integrity, compassion, and courage by developing our RBC culture with the tenets of caring for self, caring for colleagues, and caring for patients and family as essential components of a thriving environment. These tenets would be essential to our survival this past year. As we all struggle to make sense of the world - Toby has continued to support self-care, loving care for colleagues, and compassion for patients and families through his leadership every day in every way. We are all so grateful to have him as our Nursing Leader.