Board of Directors

A sought-after presenter and prolific author, Jennifer S. Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, serves as the 38th president of the American Nurses Association. In this national leadership role, Mensik Kennedy boldly advocates for the nation’s 5.5 million RNs. In 2023, she was named by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.

Mensik Kennedy is a sought-after presenter and prolific author based on her insights about and experience involving key nursing issues. Her books include Lead, Drive, and Thrive in the System, 2nd edition, and The Nurse Manager’s Guide to Innovative Staffing, 2nd edition. She co-authored Lead like a Nurse, A Nurse’s Step-By-Step Guide to Transitioning to the Professional Nurse Role, and The Power of Ten, 2nd edition, and contributed a chapter to The Career Handoff: A Healthcare Leader’s Guide to Knowledge & Wisdom Transfer across Generations.

Prior to her presidency, Mensik Kennedy held key leadership positions within the nursing profession, including serving the American Nurses Association as Treasurer, Second Vice President, and Director-at-Large. She also served as President of the Arizona Nurses Association from 2007 to 2010. Additionally, Mensik Kennedy held the role of governor of nursing practice for the Western Institute of Nursing in 2010-2014.

Mensik Kennedy earned a PhD from the University of Arizona College of Nursing with a focus on health systems and a minor in public administration from the Eller College of Management. She holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a BSN from Washington State University. Mensik Kennedy also earned an ADN from Wenatchee Valley College-North. Prior to assuming the presidency of American Nurses Association, she was an associate clinical professor at the Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing.

Mensik Kennedy was inducted in 2014 as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She has been recognized as Alumna of the Year by both University of Arizona College of Nursing and Washington State University College of Nursing.

Dr. Anita Girard is a seasoned healthcare leader with a successful history of enabling, improving, and working with the healthcare industry. She is highly skilled in nursing management, evidence-based practice, patient advocacy, nursing education, new leader mentorship, role-based clarity, nursing shared governance, and driving quality clinical outcomes. She has significant experience related to LEAN implementation and ANCC Magnet Designation in healthcare systems. Dr. Girard is actively engaged in local, state, national, and international communities to promote the nursing profession and improve the quality of healthcare. She is broadly published on nursing empowerment and building resilient teams. Dr. Girard has a strong business development background with a Doctor of Nursing Practice focused on Executive Leadership from the University of San Francisco. In her most recent role, she drove practice and professional development at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as the Chief Nursing officer and Vice President of Nursing and was the President of the American Nurses Association of California. 

Amanda Oliver, BSN, RN, CCRN, CPST, currently practices as the Trauma Injury Prevention and Community Education Coordinator at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL. In 2023, she was awarded the Loyola University Medical Center Nursing Community Excellence award and was named as a Pinnacle Nurse Leader for her work in this role.   

Amanda has a long history of board service. Currently, she serves as Secretary of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and President of the Illinois Nurses Foundation (INF), and serves on the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center Advisory Board. In her past service, Oliver served as ANA Director at Large- Staff Nurse and Director at Large- Recent Graduate. She additionally has served on the ANA-Illinois board of directors, and she served as both first vice president and as elected executive consultant of the Student Nurses Association of Illinois (SNAI).  She continues to work with SNAI as a special consultant to develop future nurse leaders.

Her additional accolades include top 5 finalists for the Illinois Nurses Foundation Nurse of the Year,  Illinois Nurses Foundation “40 under 40” Emerging Nurse Leader, and a Pinnacle Nurse Leader in 2017 for her outstanding contributions to nursing. Amanda leverages her passion for public policy and advocacy by speaking to nurses and nursing students across the country about the importance of nurses’ participation in advocacy.

Amanda earned her BSN from the University of St. Francis, Joliet in 2015 and is currently enrolled at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing pursuing her MSN.

Ms. Widmer has a unique and varied professional background. Before becoming a nurse, she had a successful career in multiple corporate accounting and finance roles, including her appointment as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a publicly traded corporation (Telular Canada, Inc.). In her capacity as a VP of Finance & Accounting, Corporate Controller, and/or CFO, Ms. Widmer was responsible for the day-to-day financial and accounting management, including the preparation of financial statements, business plans, strategic plans, and monitoring performance against these plans. In addition, Ms. Widmer oversaw the internal and external audit processes, created and maintained banking relationships, and prepared the corporate annual report for shareholders.

In 2004, Ms. Widmer elected to pursue a second career in nursing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, with a double major in European History and Literature from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master of Science degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance, from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She completed her first nursing degree at Rivier College School of Nursing and received a Master’s of Science in Nursing, Evidence-Based Practice from the University of New Hampshire; where she also taught as an adjunct clinical faculty member for several years. Ms. Widmer was appointed the Nurse Executive Director of the New Hampshire Nurses Association in October 2016 (through November 2020) and she was responsible for the day-to-day operations of this non-profit professional organization for New Hampshire nurses. She served as spokesperson for the organization and testified on numerous occasions before NH legislative committees regarding bills impacting nursing and healthcare. Ms. Widmer currently works as the Executive Director of NH Healthcare Workers for Climate Action, a non-partisan, interdisciplinary, nonprofit organization that uses the trusted messenger voices of healthcare workers to share information on the health impacts of climate change with other healthcare workers, policymakers, and the general public. 

Ms. Widmer was honored with election to the business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma and to the honor society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau. She has been published in the Journal of Emergency Nursing and New Hampshire Nursing News and is the co-author of a research brief published by the Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire. She has spoken nationally and internationally on nursing topics. She currently serves nationally as Secretary for the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) Political Action Committee Board of Trustees and as a member of ANA’s Finance, Investment & Audit Committee. She served on the Nursing Service Organization’s Advisory Board between 2017 and 2021.

Nikule Abel, BSN, RN currently works as a staff nurse in the cardiovascular and surgery intensive care unit with previous experience as a surgical trauma nurse. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Nikule has been successful in advocating and lobbying for pertinent issues in healthcare on a state and national level. Nikule believes that to advance the profession, through a modern approach, individuals must take action and lead with compassion, understanding, vigor, and strategy. Moreover, to be successful, one must have passion, perspective, and persistence!  

As a first-generation college graduate, Nikule’s dedication to advocating for social justice efforts and underrepresented populations stems from her dynamic upbringing in Southern California. It was during her time in nursing school that laid the foundation of her advocacy roots. Nikule was elected to the Board of Directors for the National Student Nursing Association (NSNA), where she immersed herself in emphasizing collective action to effect systemic change for nursing students.  

Nikule developed the 2020-2021 NSNA Board of Directors Resolution titled “In Support of Policy Development and Education on Racism as a Public Health Threat.” Along with constructing a mentorship program, in collaboration with the University of Columbia School of Nursing, to advance LQBTQIA health among nursing students. Furthermore, Nikule proved successful as UNLV’s School of Nursing Health Policy and Advocacy Chair where she implemented educational materials in recognizing and transforming racial implicit biases and microaggressions observed in healthcare.  

In 2021, Nikule was elected to the Minnesota Organization for Registered Nurses Board of Directors (MNORN). Along with MNORN, she has been able to support several bills proposed by ANA. Additionally, she used her position to cultivate advocacy strategies to further nursing and healthcare concerns through legislative and regulatory action.  

Nikule is also an elected member of Mayo Clinic’s Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Committee. She has earned several distinct academic achievements, leadership awards, and clinical excellence awards. 

Edward Briggs, MS, DNP, APRN,  is a Family Nurse practitioner who received his master’s degree in Nursing from the University of South Florida and his Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Florida.

His clinical career has included Nursing Administration, Emergency Medicine, Primary care, and currently practices within the Veterans Administration. His passions are vested in health care quality, improving health care access, and nursing advocacy.

He has previously taught as adjunct faculty for Saint Petersburg College of Nursing and is currently adjunct faculty for Keiser University. He also serves as the Director for Care for the Belize Missions of Nokumbaya, a Lutheran charity organization that provides healthcare services to remote Mayan Villages in Belize.  In this role, he leads a nursing-led team to provide primary care 2-3 times a year.

He is an advocate for nursing practice and has previously served as President of the Florida Nurses Association, Chair of the Florida Coalition of Advanced Practice Nursing, Chair of the American Nurses Association Nominations and Elections Committee, and Treasurer of the American Nurses Association Political Action Committee. 

He has received the Barbara Lumpkin Award for Nursing Political Advocacy, the American Nurses Association award for Nurse Advocate of the Year, and Nurse of the Year from the Veterans Administration

Khaliah Fisher-Grace is Registered Nurse with balanced clinical and leadership experience, and a solid educational foundation. She started her nursing career as a Clinical Nurse in a Cardiac and Thoracic Stepdown unit, at a Northeast Ohio academic medical center and climbed the clinical ladder. She has more than a decade of teaching experience as a community college adjunct faculty member, teaching LPN and RN students in the lab and clinical settings. In addition to teaching LPN and RN students, Khaliah served four years as an instructor in the American Red Cross Nurse Assistant Training Program. She is currently a part-time Professor of Nursing at Capella University.  

Since 2010 Khaliah has blended her clinical experiences with systematic approaches to attaining high quality patient outcomes in her positions of Quality Improvement and Senior Quality Improvement Nurse. In these roles she has led transdisciplinary teams to develop processes that will improve safety and quality for patients at the individual hospital and health system level. She previously held the position of Principal Advisor for Accreditation at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and she is also the chair of the Health System's Policy Oversight Council.  In both of these roles she collaborated with teams to ensure sustained compliance with regulatory and organizational requirements. Most recently she developed a policy team within her organization, and she leads the team as the System Director of Policy.  

Khaliah obtained both her BSN and MSN in Healthcare Management from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. She earned her PhD in Nursing from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.  

Using her experience, education, and voice to serve her profession and her community Khaliah has held leadership, membership, and volunteer positions in many organizations. She is a Past President of Greater Cleveland Nurses Association, and a past member of the Ohio Nurse Review Committee. In her community she supported victims of sexual assault in her volunteer role as a Hotline Advocate for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. She is an active member of the Greater Cleveland Alumnae Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated as well as the Cleveland Heights/University Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters. 

Jacob Garcia, MSN, MBA, BSN, PCCN, RN, currently works as a staff nurse for Astria Sunnyside Hospital in the Medical/Surgical department. He also works for Providence as a Clinical Informaticist. Before his current jobs, he worked as a nurse in a Clinical decision unit and IV therapy unit for five years. He is heavily involved with Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), currently serves as Treasurer/Secretary of the Cabinet of Economic and General Welfare as well as the Chair of WSNA’s PAC Board. In 2022, he earned his MBA from Western Governors University.

Jennifer Gil, MSN, RN, is a Presidential Pre-doctoral Fellow at the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research and an Associate Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. With a decade of direct care experience in emergency, trauma, and critical care nursing, Jennifer's research aims to address barriers that impact access to healthcare services, with the goal of creating innovative clinical pathways to connect socially at-risk populations with timely care. Her goal as a researcher is to build a program of research that generates knowledge and evidence to inform public policies and improve healthcare access, quality, and outcomes for underserved and underrepresented communities. 

In addition, Jennifer is engaged in numerous professional organizations, including the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Nurses Services Organization, and the American Nurses Association where she currently serves as a member of the ANA Board of Directors. Jennifer earned her BSN from the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University in 2013 and her MSN in Health Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in 2020. Currently pursuing her Ph.D., Jennifer is also enrolled in the Master's in Health Innovation program at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Jennifer is driven by a passion to transform communities and enhance healthcare delivery by leveraging innovation and technology to address social needs."