Following another successful conference, ENA looks to the future with new leaders taking office Jan. 1.
The closing session of EN21 included a ceremonial changing of the guard for ENA and ENA Foundation leadership.
Association President Ron Kraus passed the torch to incoming ENA President Jennifer Schmitz.
“Jen exemplifies the idea that anything can happen if you are willing to put in the work and see where the journey takes you,” Kraus said.
Nearly 20 years ago Schmitz was a new nurse in the ED at Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford, the same hospital where she now serves as chief nursing officer.
“We all know 2022 will continue to bring new challenges and plenty of old ones to our profession,” Schmitz said. “Let’s use what’s ahead, and the struggles we have endured over the last two years, as motivation to plot a course, both individually and together, that reinforces what emergency nurses need to be successful, to amplify our voices about what’s most important in health care, and to continually demonstrate how this community is the epitome of exceptional.”
ENA Foundation Chairperson Sally Snow introduced her successor, 2018 ENA President Jeff Solheim. He aims to heighten the profile of the foundation’s support of emergency nurses beyond educational scholarships.
“I don’t want to diminish the important component of supporting education, but I hope that we can increase the visibility of our research grants and continue to grow the philanthropic component of the foundation as ways that we can strengthen our association and in doing so, strengthen our profession,” he said.
Leading up to and during EN21, ENA members exercised one of the core privileges of association membership: the right to vote for the ENA Board of Directors and the Nominations and Elections Committee.
ENA Election Results
2022 PRESIDENT-ELECT
2022 SECRETARY/TREASURER
DIRECTORS
*One-year term
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE
Gina Slobogin (Pennsylvania)
Barbara Gibson (Tennessee)