Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MHA, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FADLN

Dr. Katie Boston-Leary is the Senior Director of Nursing Programs at the American Nurses Association overseeing the Nursing Practice and Work Environment Division and Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation. She was also the Co-Lead for Project Firstline, a multi-million-dollar grant collaborative with the CDC for training on Infection Prevention and Control. Katie is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and the School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. She is a board member for St. John’s University Health Programs, Hippocratic AI and Ingenovis Health and an editorial advisory board member with Nursing Management, Nursing 2023 and ACHE. Katie serves as staff on the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing and is also part of the National Academy of Science and Medicine’s National Plan to Address Clinician Well-Being supported by the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy.

Angela Ross DNP, MPH, RN, PHCNS-BC, FHIMSS, PMP, DASM

Angela Ross, DNP, MPH, PMP, DASM, PHCNS-BC, LTC (ret) U.S. Army Nurse Corps, joined McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston on August 1, 2015, as an assistant professor of Biomedical Informatics. She is an adjunct at the UT Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine Edinburg, TX and the UTHealth School of Public Health Regional Campus in Brownsville, TX. Her project interests include process improvement, project management, system implementation, program and project evaluation, policy development, workflow analysis, and workforce development. Ross served over 25 years in the Army Medical Department. Ross has held positions as chief medical information officer, acting chief of system service and design, and project manager for the U.S. Army Medical Information Technology Center Defense Health Agency (DHA). Ross earned a BSN from Dillard University, an MPH from Tulane University, an M.S. in nursing informatics from the University of Maryland, a Master's Certificate in IS/IT project management from Villanova University, and a DNP with an emphasis on informatics and executive leadership from the University of Maryland. She is certified by the American Nurses Association (ANA) as a clinical nurse specialist in public health and by the Project Management Institute (PMI) as a Project Manager and a Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM).

Deltra Muoki, PhD, APRN, AGNP-C, CMSRN, CNE, NE-B 

Deltra Muoki, PhD, APRN, AGNP-C, CMSRN, CNE, NE-BC is a PhD-prepared nursing scholar and adult geriatric primary care nurse practitioner with over 15 years of nursing experience. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Prairie View A&M University. She received her Master of Science and PhD in Nursing Science from Texas Woman’s University.

Dr. Muoki’s nursing career started as a certified nursing assistant in a community-based facility in Webster, Texas. Her first job as a registered nurse was at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. She has since served as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She also possesses academic experience as adjunct faculty at San Jacinto College South in Houston, Texas and faculty at Texas Woman’s University. She has also served as Undergraduate Nursing Program Director at Texas Woman’s University – Houston campus prior to her current role as nurse scientist at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital in Sugar Land, Texas. Dr. Muoki’s research interests include healthcare disparities, patient outcomes, and innovative pedagogies in nursing education.

Aswathy Nair, BSN, RNIII, RN-BC, CVRN, CCRN

Aswathy Nair is a passionate nurse with over nine years of patient care experience, including the last five years at Houston Methodist West ICU. During this time, she has refined her critical care expertise by managing highly acute patients. She holds a bachelor's degree from Molloy College and has earned her RNIII, RN-BC, CCRN, CVRN certifications. At a unit level, Aswathy actively contributes as a Wound Treatment Associate and a promoter of creating a greener work environment. Aswathy has dedicated her time to not only patient care, but also process and quality improvement projects.  She is currently leading a project aimed at reducing supply wastage and reprocessing patient care items.

Brenda T. Pun, RN, DNP, FCCM

Brenda Pun, DNP, RN is an advanced practice nurse with a special interest in critical care, who serves as the Director of Data Quality at the Vanderbilt Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship (CIBS) Center.  Brenda received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Wheeling Jesuit University, a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. She is involved in a variety of research projects that focus on improving the care and outcomes of critically ill patients and their families. In addition, she is dedicated to helping advance the understanding on how to best translate and implement new evidence into bedside care practices.

Sara Grieshop, MHI, BSN, RN

Sara is a dedicated nurse innovator and leader with over 12 years of experience in critical care, nurse professional organizations, and academic medical centers. Her expertise spans digital competency development, where she co-created a pioneering competency framework, toolkit, and digital knowledge assessment tool. As a national and international leadership speaker, Sara is committed to advancing nursing excellence and empowering healthcare professionals. Currently, Sara plays a pivotal role in supporting the acute, progressive critical care community, delivering essential resources to enhance nursing practice and patient care outcomes. She serves as a lead clinical expert for AACN’s knowledge assessment tools and orientation pathway, contributing significantly to professional development in critical care nursing. Passionate about leadership and healthcare transformation, Sara champions the role of nurses in enhancing patient care experiences and outcomes. She believes strongly in elevating voices to drive meaningful change within healthcare systems. Sara is poised to lead the healthcare field to new heights, advocating for a future where nurses play a central role in shaping a better healthcare landscape.

Tamara DuBose, DNP, RN, NE-BC

Dr. DuBose has over 20 years of nursing experience, including eight years as a nurse leader. She received her BSN from Baylor University, her MSN from the University of Texas at Arlington, and her DNP from the University of Texas Health and Science Center at Houston, Cizik School of Nursing.  She is also NE-BC certified and is a member of the Texas Nurses Association, and Sigma Theta Tau. Her clinical background includes pediatric hematology/oncology, pediatric general med-surg, adult oncology, and dialysis populations.  She is passionate about nursing retention, workforce resilience, and advancing the profession of nursing. She loves building partnerships and always seeks opportunities to promote innovation and evidence-based practice.

Rita Richards MSN, RN, CEN, NEA-BC

Rita Richards is the nursing director of Emergency Services at Houston Methodist Sugar Land. She has over 14 years of emergency nursing experience with 9 years as a clinical nurse manager and 3 years as a nursing director. All her leadership experience has been completed through HMSL. She has led numerous patient care and throughput changes within this specialty. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing in Leadership and Administration from the University of Texas Health Science Center and certifications in Emergency Nursing and Nursing Executive Administration. She is a current transformational leader who encourages growth and development and ensures Evidence-Based Practice is the driving force of change.

Amanda Gerken MBA, RN, CEN, NE-BC

Amanda currently has a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration from Walden University as well as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Biology from the University of Texas at Arlington. Amanda holds certifications in Emergency Nursing and as a Nurse Executive. She has over 14 years of experience in Emergency Nursing and has 5 years of experience as a Nursing Manager. She holds certifications in ACLS, PALS and NIH. She has been involved in multiple Kaizens that have resulted in increased efficiency and throughput in the Emergency Department.