AONE announces new president elect and directors to 2018 board

The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) membership elected Mary Beth Kingston, RN, executive vice president and chief nursing officer at Aurora Health Care, as the 2018 president-elect of the AONE Board of Directors. She will assume the presidency January 1, 2019, leading the national membership organization whose strategic focus is excellence in nursing leadership.

Aurora Health Care is an integrated, not-for-profit, health system serving communities throughout eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois via a comprehensive network of facilities, services and providers including 15 hospitals, more than 150 clinics and 33,000 caregivers. In her position, Kingston co-leads the strategy for integrated services, and provides strategic direction for nursing and clinical education.

Kingston currently serves on the boards of the Milwaukee Urban League and Mount Mary University. She previously served on the board of directors for AONE and the Pennsylvania Organizations of Nurse Leaders, as well as the LaSalle University School of Health Professions Advisory Board. Kingston is a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow and a recipient of the Pennsylvania Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing Administration. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Also elected to the AONE Board of Directors, serving three-year terms beginning January 1, 2018, are the following:

Anne Schmidt, MSN, RN, is the vice president of patient care services and system CNO at South County Health in Wakefield, R.I. She is an experienced health care executive with broad leadership experience in ambulatory care, home health and hospital-based care. Schmidt served in the United States Navy Nurse Corps. She is the recipient of the State of Connecticut Nightingale Award for Nursing Excellence and Leadership, as well as San Diego Naval Hospital’s Navy Nurse of the Year Award. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of San Diego and certification as an adult nurse practitioner and certified executive of nursing practice.

Deb Zimmermann, DNP, RN, CNO is the chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health System and associate dean of clinical programs at the VCU School of Nursing in Richmond, Va. She is a member of the Virginia Organization of Nurse Executives and Leaders Board of Directors and serves as chair of the American Academy of Nursing’s expert panel on building health system excellence. Previously, she served as chair of American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on the Magnet Recognition Program and as president of the New York Organization of Nurse Executives Board of Directors. Zimmermann holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

About the American Organization of Nurse Executives
The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) is the national professional organization for nurses who design, facilitate and manage care. With more than 9,700 members, AONE is the leading voice of nursing leadership in health care. Since 1967, the organization has provided leadership, professional development, advocacy and research to advance nursing practice and patient care, promote nursing leadership excellence and shape public policy for health care. AONE is a subsidiary of the American Hospital Association. For more information, visit the AONE website.