Leadership Letter August 2025: Cultural Humility and Intersectionality in Board Service

Dear Colleagues,

Nurses serving on boards hold a unique position of influence, shaping policies that directly affect diverse communities. To lead effectively, they must embrace cultural humility, a lifelong practice of self-reflection, recognizing biases, and remaining open to others’ experiences. Unlike cultural competence, which focuses on knowledge acquisition, cultural humility prioritizes self-awareness, active listening, and mutual respect.

This commitment aligns with Intersectionality Awareness Month, which highlights how overlapping identities shape unique experiences of privilege and disadvantage. For board members, understanding intersectionality enables better anticipation of barriers, equitable resource allocation, and policies tailored to complex realities rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.

Through my partnership and leadership, I work to ensure nurses are equipped with the skills to lead with cultural humility, aligning with the values of Deborah Stamps Consulting LLC. These values advancing workforce development, promoting health equity, and fostering leadership excellence reinforce the importance of embedding cultural humility and intersectionality into governance at every level.

Board leaders who embrace this approach foster environments where all voices are valued. This transforms board service from simply “being at the table” to reshaping it dismantling systemic barriers and ensuring governance is a force for inclusion, responsiveness, and equity for all.

Deborah Stamps, EdD, MBA, MS, RN, GNP, NE-BC, CDE®, FADLN, FAAN

Founder and CEO, Deborah Stamps Consulting, LLC

NOBC Sponsor