Abstract | Serving on Boards

Serving on Boards: Using Nursing Leadership to Improve Health and Health Equity 

Kimberly Harper, MS, RN, FAAN

Laurie Benson, BSN 

AONL and the Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC) share a long-standing relationship. In fact, AONL was one of the 21 founding member organizations when NOBC was created 10 years ago and has continued to play a key role in NOBC’s success, reach and impact. AONL’s vision of “Nursing leadership–one voice advancing health for all” (2024) and NOBC’s mission to “improve the health of communities through the service of nurses on boards and other governing bodies,” (2024) align naturally, along with our shared values and commitment to collaboration to achieve our shared goals.  

Through its strategic imperatives, NOBC targets board placements where nurses can influence polices regarding the social determinants of health (SDOH) to ensure social justice and equity at the community level and demonstrate the value of nurses in board seats. The coalition also seeks to identify barriers to nurse board service and publish measures of success related to desired outcomes.