For Nurses

As a nurse, you can make a unique contribution to achieving the goals of improved health and efficient and effective health care systems at the local, state and national levels. Our goal is to build healthier communities in America by increasing nurses’ presence on corporate, health-related, and other boards, panels, and commissions. The following are resources to help you on your journey to becoming board ready!

Helpful Documents

Board Core Competencies
NOBC Cover Letter Guide
NOBC Board Competencies Model, NOBC Board Readiness, Model, NOBC Support Roles for Board Success
Preparation and Education Resources
Getting on board – created in collaboration with the American Nurses Foundation, funded in part through the generous support of the Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation
Boardroom Basics – What Every Healthcare Trustee Needs to Know – Healthcare Trustees of New York State
Board Readiness Assessment – Nurses on Boards 2020 Council and North Carolina Nurses Association: This is an assessment tool for nurses to use in identifying areas of strength in leadership skills and potential areas for growth.
Using Generative Governance Principles For Better Boardroom Conversations
Working with Legislators An Advocacy Briefing Guide for Board Members
The Boards Role in Reviewing Form 990 a Checklist
NOBC Diligent and Equilar Launch Kit – A guide to registering in the Diligent Diversity Network and Equilar Diversity Network databases for consideration for corporate board opportunities
NOBC Diligent and Equilar Flyer – Quick links to register in the Diligent Diversity Network and Equilar Diversity Network Databases
Emergency Leadership Transition Plan – Guide on how to handle abrupt resignations, firings, or inabilities to lead an organization

NOBC Educational Presentations: Webinars and Podcasts

Nurses Perspectives on the Importance and Impact of Board Service
Launching Your Board Journey: Tips, Tricks For Finding the Right Board Position to Launch Your Board Journey – Session 1 of the Supporting Underrepresented Nurses for Successful Board Service grant educational curriculum, funded by American Nurses Foundation, authored and presented by Deborah C. Stamps, EdD, MBA, MS, RN, GNP, NE, BC, CDE®, FAAN, Advisor, and Vivienne Pierce McDaniel, DNP, MSN, RN, National Black Nurses Association Representative
Boardroom Basics: An Orientation to Service In Healthcare – Session 2 of the Supporting Underrepresented Nurses for Successful Board Service grant educational curriculum, funded by American Nurses Foundation, presented and authored by Curry Bordelon, DNP, MBA, NNP-BC, CPNP-AC, CNE, American Association for Men In Nursing Representative
The Impact of Equity and Health Equity in Board Service – Session 3 of the Supporting Underrepresented Nurses for Successful Board Service grant educational curriculum, funded by American Nurses Foundation, authored and presented by Deborah C. Stamps, EdD, MBA, MS, RN, GNP, NE, BC, CDE®, FAAN, Advisor, and Vivienne Pierce McDaniel, DNP, MSN, RN, National Black Nurses Association Representative
The Value of Nurses on Boards: An Inaugural Survey – Discussion into the findings and implications of the research from the NOBC inaugural Value of Nurses on Boards Survey, as presented by Kimberly Cleveland, PhD, JD, MSN, RN, C-MBC, C-MPC, Board Chair Emeritus, Nurses on Boards Coalition, Associate Professor Kent State University, and Pam Rudisill, DNP, MSN, RN, NEC-BC, FAONL, FAAN, Board Chair Emeritus, Nurses on Boards Coalition, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Community Health System

Articles

Edmonson, C., Harper, K.J. (2025, March/April) Nurses on Boards Coalition: Celebrating the Magic of Collaboration. Nursing Economic$, 43(2), 94-97.
Llopis, Glenn. (2025, April) “Shared Governance Is Transforming Nursing Leadership.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine.
Baviskar, Nikhil (2025, April). “What Nurses Bring to Hospital and Health System Boards Board Chair, Member and Nursing Leader Discuss Value of Adding Nursing Experience, Perspective.” American Hospital Association Trustee Services
Harper, K.J, Drenkard, K. (2024, September/October), Nurse Impact on Hospital and Health System Boards: An Interview with a Nurse Leader. Nursing Economic$, 42(5), 243-246. https://doi.org/10.62116/NEC.2024.42.5.243.
Cleveland, K., Edmonson, C., Harper, K., Walton, L. A., Hankins, A., Vander Horst, A. (2024, October). Purpose, Power, Passion, and People. Nurse Leader, 22(5), 515-510. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2024.05.012.
Cleveland, K., Rudisill, P., Vander Horst, A., Benson, L. (2024, April), Getting Nurses on Boards: Why Health Care Organizations Should Consider Adding Nurses to Their Boards. American Hospital Association
Sundean, L., Christopher, R., Reede, L., Mott, J., Mylott, L. (2023, December) Board Leaders Perspectives of the Impact of Nurses on Boards. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 53(12), 627-633.
Cleveland, K., Harper, K.J, Rudisill, P., Vander Horst, A. (2023, November/December), Building Evidence that Demonstrates a Need for Increasing the Number of Nurses on Boards. Nursing Economic$, 40(6), 297-300.
Harper, K.J, Benson, L. (2023, May/June), Supporting Underrespresented Nurses for Successful Board Service. Nursing Economic$, 40(3), 152-155.
Harper, K.J., Sanderson, Carla. (2022, September/October) One Journey of Board Service: An Interview with a Seasoned Professional. Nursing Economic$, 40(5), 254-258.
Andrews, RJ (2022, August), How Florence Nightingale Changed Data Visualization Forever. Scientific American
Harper, K.J, Benson, L. (2022, May/June), Identifying and Engaging Key Support Roles for Successful Board Service. Nursing Economic$, 40(3), 136-138.
Pilla, L. (2022, May), Nurses, Get on (a) Board: How You Can Make A Difference in Your Community and Beyond. Daily Nurse
Sundean, L.J., O’lynn, C.E. (2022, February), Nurses Perspectives of Their Impact While Serving on Boards. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 52(2), 106-111.
Harper, K.J., Brewington, J.G. (2022, January/February), Diverse Leadership Needed for a Changing World. Nursing Economic$, 40(1), 46-48.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2021). The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Harper, K. J. (2021, January-March). The Future of Nursing Report Set the Stage for Healthier Hoosiers. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 45 (1), 46-51.
Eichelberger, L. (January 2021). The Impact of Including Nursing’s Perspective on Hospital Boards. Subsidiary Focus: A Quarterly Governance Institute Newsletter.
Carmody, J., Black, K., Bonner, A., Wolfe, M., & Fulmer, T. (2021). Advancing Gerontological Nursing at the Intersection of Age Friendly Communities Health Systems and Public Health. Journal of Gerontological Nursing,47(3),13-7.
Harper, K. J., & Benson, L. S. (2020, November/December). Are You Ready For Board Service? Identifying Key Competencies and Discovering Your Path to the Boardroom. Nursing Economics, 38(6), 316-323.
Cleveland, K., Harper, K.J. (2020, March/April) Prepare and Pursue Board Opportunities: A Practical Guide for Nurse Leaders to Serve on a Board. Nursing Economic$, 38(2), 94-97.
Harper, K.J, Wray, R. (2019, November/December) Attaining a Seat at the Table: Process, Preparation, and Potential. Nursing Economic$, 37(6), 324-327.
McMahon, E. (2019, October 2). ISU’s Mennonite College of Nursing paves the way with nurses on local boards initiative. Illinois State University.
Harper, K. J., & Benson, L. S. (2019, July/August). The Importance and Impact of Nurses Serving on Boards. Nursing Economics, 37(4), 209-212.
Sundean, L. J., White, K. R., Thompson, L. S., & Prybil, L. D. (2019, April 5). Governance education for nurses: Preparing nurses for the future. Journal of Professional Nursing. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2019.04.001
The Governance Institute. (2019, March). Nurse Leadership at Mayo Clinic: Integrating Nursing, Clinical Practice, and Interdisciplinary Education. In The Governance Institute’s Academic Health Focus .
Sundean, L. J. (2018). Everyday advocacy: Nurses serving on boards. In American Nurses Association.
Sundean, L. J., Polifroni, E. C., Libal, K., & McGrath, J. M. (2018). The rationale for nurses on boards in the voices of nurses who serve. Nursing Outlook, 66(3), 222-232. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2017.11.005
Fauteux, N. (2018, December 21). Mayor Jean Stothert: A first for Omaha. In Campaign for Action.
Swensen, S., & Robel, S. M. (2018, December 6). Leadership survey: Nurses as leaders: Broad acceptance, room to grow. In New England Journal of Medicine Insights.
Nurses on boards: Bringing holistic perspective to academic health systems. (2018, September). The Governance Institute’s Academic Health Focus, 1-3.
Benson, L., & Harper, K. J. (2018, September). Leading Change: Holistic Nurses in the Board room. In Nurses on Boards.
Benson, L. (2018, September). Nurses: Consider raising your leadership voice [Electronic version]. Today’s Wound Clinic, 12(9).
Benson, L. (2018, August 23). Diversity in the boardroom: Consider a nurse. Directors & Boards.
Werrlein, D. (2018, August 24). Nurse brings big picture mindset to school board. In Campaign for Action.
Campana, D. (2018, February). ENA-NOBC partnership encourages nurses to get involved [Electronic version]. ENA Connection.
Sundean, L. J., Polifroni, E. C., Libal, K. & McGrath, J. M. (2017). Nurses on health care governing boards: An integrative review. Nursing Outlook, 65(4), 361-371. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2017.01.009
The nurses on boards coalition: The goal is to have 10,000 nurses on boards by 2020 [Electronic version]. (2017, September). The Research Journal of the National League for Nursing, 38(5), 293-294. doi:10.1097/01
Mulliniz, C., Lee Walton, A., & Ruiz, D. (2017, July). From the bedside to the boardroom: Are you ready to serve? American Nurse Today, 12(7).
Capella University. (2017, June). Nurses on board: The time for change is now. In Nurses on Boards Coalition.
Nevidjon, B., & Benson, L. (2017, April 11). Serving on boards allows nurses to improve the nation’s health. In ONS Voice.
Hachten, R., & Mershon, K. (2017, January 11). Hospital impact: In uncertain times, healthcare boards have even more reason to embrace nurse leaders [Electronic version]. Fierce Healthcare.
Mayer, D. K. (2016, September). Nurses on boards: My experience with the moonshot [Electronic version]. Oncology Nursing Forum, 43(5), 539-540. doi:10.1188/16
Zimmerman, B. (2016, September 28). From the bedside to the board room: 2 nurse leaders on getting 10k nurses on boards by 2020 [Electronic version]. Becker’s Hospital Review.
Board Source. (2016, June 7). Joining a nonprofit board. In Board Source
Thew, J. (2016, June 6). 4 strategies for nurses who want to enter the boardroom. In Health Leaders.
Burnes Bolton, L. (2014, January 3). My leadership journey. In Campaign for Action.
Hassmiller, S. B. (2012, March). Nurses on boards: Competencies required for leadership. American Journal of Nursing, 112(3), 61-66.
Hassmiller, S. Taking the first steps to serving on a board. American Nurse Today, 7(11), 18-20.

Blogs

Joseph, M. Lindell, and Benson, Laurie (2023, Dec. 11) “How Our Professional Identities Should Drive Board Effectiveness.” In NursingCenter
Joseph, M. Lindell, and Benson, Laurie. (2022, Apr. 7) “Leveraging Conflict in the Boardroom.” In NursingCenter
Joseph, M. Lindell, and Benson, Laurie. (2021, Sept. 6) “Projecting Confidence in the Boardroom: 5 Steps to Build Confidence.” In NursingCenter
Joseph, M. Lindell, and Benson, Laurie. (2021, Apr. 20) “Building a Healthier America: Innovating in the Boardroom.” In NursingCenter.
Bonsall, L. (2020, Nov. 3). Making Change or Changing Minds? A Conversation with Karen Cox, PhD, RN, FACHE, FAAN.
Bonsall, L. (2020, Oct. 15). Nursing, Tech, and Hackathons: A Conversation with Molly McCarthy, MBA, RN-BC.
Wojciechowski, M. (2019, March 21). NOBC wants more nurses serving on boards: Here’s why. In Minority Nurse.
Williamson, E. (2018, November 28). Our nation needs more nurses on boards. In Nurse.com.
Lipincott Solutions. (2018, October 25). Have you considered an academic voice? Nurses on boards: Building a healthier america. In Lippincott Solutions.
Lippincott Solutions. (2018, June 12). The art of being gracious. In Lippincott Solutions.
Hilton, L. (2018, May 14). Woodhull study finds nurses still missing from media healthcare coverage. In Nurse.com.
Jones-Schenk, J. (2018, April 26). Resources for current and aspiring nurse leaders. In Western Governors University.
Bonsall, L. (2017, December 15). Influence with storytelling. In NursingCenter.
Mahoney, D. (2017, September 20). Getting nurses on board with serving on boards. In Press Ganey.
Bonsall, L. (2017, September 17). Take an ethical stance!. In NursingCenter.
Bonsall, L. (2017, May 30). Confidence and Truthfulness. In NursingCenter.
Groenwald, S. (2017, May 5). Strategic partnership aims to get more nurses on boards. In Nurse.com.
Bonsall, L. (2017, April 12). Nurses- Get on board!. In NursingCenter.
American Journal of Nursing. (2017, April). A gold bond to restore joy to nursing: A collaborative exchange of ideas to address burnout.. In American Journal of Nursing Blog.
Sundean, L. J. (2017, January 24). Nurses on Boards and Healthy Communities. In Sundean RN.
Sundean, L. J. (2016, November 28). Courageous Conversations for Nurse Board Leaders. In Sundean RN.
Citrin, J. (2016, February 18). The market for board talent is changing: Here is what you need to know. In LinkedIn.
Campaign for Action. (n.d.). Talking points for action coalitions on nurse leadership. In Future of Nursing.
Campaign for Action. (n.d.). Tips and tools: Leadership. In Future of Nursing.

Podcasts

Edmonson, C., Mannion, N. (2025, May). Nurses Are Good for Business: Expanding Leadership Beyond Healthcare! In Glenn Llopis Consulting.
Edmonson, C., Mannion, N. (2025, May). Why Nurses Are Essential Leaders for the Future of Business and Governance. In Glenn Llopis Consulting.
Bonsall, L. (2021, September). The Fabric of Being a Nurse: A Conversation with Lisa Kreeger, PhD, RN. In NursingCenter.
Bonsall, L. (2020, November). Trust and Spheres of Influence: An Interview with Karen Cox, PhD, RN, FACHE, FAAN. In NursingCenter.
Bonsall, L. (2020, October). Uniting Technology & Clinicians: An Interview with Molly McCarthy, MBA, RN-BC. In NursingCenter.
Bonsall, L. (2020, January).Nurses Make Profound Impacts: An Interview with Angelleen Peters Lewis, PhD, RN, FAAN. In NursingCenter, podcast interview | University of Minnesota School of Nursing.
Bonsall, L. (2019, August 30). The power of informal conversations and bold relationships. In NursingCenter.
Bonsall, L. (2019, April 25). Nurses – Natural Leaders and Collaborators: An Interview with Mike Singer. In NursingCenter.
Bonsall, L. (2018, November). The ability to influence: An interview with Mary Beth Kingston, RN, MSN, NEA-BC [Podcast]. In NursingCenter.
Bonsall, L. (2018, October 16). Nurses – The keepers of patients’ stories: An interview with Angela Patterson DNP, FNP-BC, NEA-BC [Podcast]. In NursingCenter.
Bonsall, L. (2018, September 24). The unique perspective of nurses: An interview with Mary Ann Fuchs, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. In NursingCenter.
Bonsall, L. (2018, January 15). Nurses and the business of caring: An interview with John Bluford. In NursingCenter.
Bonsall, L. (2017, July 26). Preparing nurse leaders: An interview with F. Patrick Robinson, PhD, RN, FAAN. In NursingCenter.
Improving health – Making an impact through service on boards (n.d.). In INS Learning Center.

Useful Links

FREE Webinars

AARP Volunteer Panel: Nurses Serving on Boards
In this hour long discussion, AARP’s Nurse Volunteer Leadership Advisory Group members help nurses navigate their journey to board placement.
Featured AARP Advisory Group members: Connie Jastremski, RN, MS, MBA, ANP-CS, Stefany Almaden, PhD, RN, MSN, CCM, CPUM, CMCN, PAHM, Gail McGuill, MS, RN, Gina Miranda, DNP, MS/MPH, APHN-BC, Catherine (Cathy) Campbell, DNP, MSN, MBA, CHC, CCM, FACHE, Flora Haus, MSN, RN-BC, Sue Johnson, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, NE-BE, FAAN
Serving on a Corporate Board: Uncover If It’s for You & Where to Start
This webinar has been provided compliments of Women in the Boardroom

Videos

Board Meeting Simulation
Wonder what it’s like to attend a board meeting? Watch this 90-minute board meeting simulation experience provided to Ohio nurses in 2017. The board packet is available here for you to follow along. Video is courtesy of the Ohio Action Coalition.
Leading Change Through Board/Committee Appointments
At the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action’s Leadership and Legacy Summit in Phoenix, three panelists discussed the importance of nurses’ service on boards, and tips for getting appointed to a board. This hour-long conversation, facilitated by Sue Hassmiller, senior adviser for nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and director of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, is a must-watch for anyone who has considered board service and what it takes to get there.
Lessons in Leadership: The Betty Irene Moore Speaker Series
Lessons in Leadership is a collection of 13 short videos featuring nationally-recognized leaders in nursing or health care who share the strategies that shaped their career and the lessons they learned. The leaders include CEO, executive directors and board members of the nation’s leading health care and nursing organizations; several recipients of “Living Legend” awards; faculty members from top universities; and influential policy advisors. All of them began their careers as nurses.
Transforming Health Care Through Nurse Leadership
Nurses can help transform the nation’s health care system, create healthier communities, and build a Culture of Health. But what are the keys to becoming a nurse leader? Be willing to step outside of your comfort zone, seek a mentor, and more: Leaders from the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action and the 2014 Breakthrough Leaders in Nursing share their advice.

Education Offers
ANA Leadership Institute
Best On Board

Resources

For Nurses

Nurses on Boards Coalition