Emergency Nurses Association Announces Patricia Kunz Howard As 48th President

 Howard to advocate for inclusivity and diversity in second term leading ENA

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (Jan. 2, 2019) – Patricia Kunz Howard, PhD, RN, CEN, CPEN, TCRN, NE-BC, FAEN, FAAN, added to her list of significant accomplishments on Tuesday when she took office as president of the Emergency Nurses Association for the second time in her distinguished career.

Since 1990, Howard, of Lexington, Kentucky, has been actively involved in ENA – the premier emergency nursing organization with 43,000 members worldwide. She served as ENA’s president in 2005 as part of a six-year stretch on the association’s board of directors from 2000 to 2006. Howard is the first person in ENA’s history to be elected president twice.

“It is truly an honor to represent ENA as president in 2019. I am grateful for the trust members have placed in me,” Howard said. “I promise to work diligently with the board, state and chapter leaders, ENA staff and our members to continue ENA’s future growth and momentum as the leading voice for emergency nurses.”

Howard’s platform for the year centers on inclusivity and diversity to enhance ENA’s relevance to all emergency nurses; continued educational innovation; and an ongoing focus on injury prevention efforts that promote safe environments for patients and nurses.

Howard currently works at University of Kentucky Healthcare as its enterprise director for emergency services responsible for clinical and business operations. In her 18 years at UKHC, Howard has held several positions in emergency services, including operations manager and staff development specialist. Howard’s career accomplishments earned her ENA’s Judith C. Kelleher Award in 2011. The University of Kentucky named her as one of its 50 most distinguished alumni in 2010 and she was inducted as a Fellow of the Academy of Emergency Nursing in 2008.

Howard will oversee the 2019 ENA Board of Directors, which is the association’s governing body. The board manages ENA’s strategic planning initiatives to align with the association’s mission, vision and goals. Board members also serve as liaisons to states by working with local leaders and members.

The 2019 ENA Board of Directors:

President: Patricia Kunz Howard, PhD, RN, CEN, CPEN, TCRN, NE-BC, FAEN, FAAN, of Kentucky

President-elect: Mike Hastings, MSN, RN, CEN, of Washington

Secretary/Treasurer: Ron Kraus, MSN, RN, CEN, ACNS-BC, of Indiana

Directors:

Joop Breuer, RN, CEN, CCRN, FAEN, The Netherlands

Kristen Cline, BSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, CFRN, CTRN, TCRN, of South Dakota

Terry M. Foster, MSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, CCRN, TCRN, FAEN, of Kentucky

Gordon Gillespie, PhD, DNP, RN, CEN, CNE, CPEN, PHCNS-BC, FAEN, FAAN, of Ohio

Karla Nygren, MSN, MBA, RN, CEN, CFRN, CPEN, TCRN, CCRN, CPN, of South Dakota

Ryan Oglesby, PhD, MHA, RN, CEN, CFRN, NEA-BC, of Florida

Jennifer Schmitz, MSN, EMT-P, CEN, CPEN, CNML, FNP-C, of Maine

Immediate Past President: Jeff Solheim, MSN, RN, CEN, TCRN, CFRN, FAEN, FAAN, of Oregon

Chief Executive Officer: Nancy MacRae, MS, of Illinois

Emerging Professional Liaison: Shannen Kane, BSN, RN, of North Carolina