Laura has served the organization in varied leadership roles over the past decade. In each of these roles, Laura has held herself to the highest standard of excellence, representing exemplary practice and embodying Nursing’s and the organization’s Core Values in her daily interactions. Every task or project she accepts is given her full attention, and she takes pride in the work she produces, never missing a detail or deadline. Perhaps her most notable work was shepherding the organization to our first Magnet Program designation in 2021, in her role as Magnet Program Director. She masterfully compiled all the evidence and exemplars into a flawless 700+ page document that led to a successful site visit in the midst of Wave 1 of the pandemic.

More recently Laura has led in the role of AVP Nursing Operations and Associate Chief Nursing Officer. In this capacity, she has taken on many initiatives to advance nursing excellence, advocate for and manage resources, support nurse leaders, improve patient care, and promote our shared leadership culture and innovation. Laura has taken on additional responsibilities over the last year with the Care One Project and its related committees and workgroups. She serves as one of the organization’s selected Site Leads, which encompasses shared responsibility for organizing and keeping the Sr. Leader Team apprised of our “go-live” readiness efforts. Laura brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to these roles and is a strong voice for professional nursing, never hesitating to raise questions when there may be a better path forward. These responsibilities she carries out, in addition to her many other duties, and always seeking to better the care environment for patients and our valued staff members.

For those of us who have the privilege of working beside Laura each day, she is often a listening ear, the voice of reason, an honest perspective, or the person who will make you laugh when you are on the verge of tears. Laura undoubtedly exemplifies the qualities of a DAISY Nurse Leader, and she motivates us to keep working to be our best. It is my honor to recognize her with a DAISY Nurse Leader Award.