AACN Certification Corporation Announces Board of Directors for Fiscal Year 2025

AACN Certification Corporation – the credentialing arm of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) – announces its board of directors for fiscal year 2025, with terms effective July 1, 2024.

AACN Certification Corporation drives patient health and safety through comprehensive credentialing of acute and critical care nurses, advancing practice consistent with standards of excellence. To carry out its mission, the organization offers 10 specialty, subspecialty and advanced practice nursing certification programs and has granted more than 140,000 certifications.

Myra Ellis, MSN, RN, CCRN-CSC, begins the first year of a two-year term as chair of the AACN Certification Corporation board of directors. She is a clinical nurse IV at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. She has worked in critical care throughout her 46-year nursing career, with the last 35 years focused on the care of cardiothoracic surgical patients.

“As a voluntary process, certification points to nurses’ commitment to career development and dedication to patient care, particularly as healthcare becomes increasingly complex and challenging,” Ellis said.

“Certification provides patients and their families with validation that the nurse caring for them has demonstrated a level of expertise and a focus on quality and safety. It demonstrates to employers and colleagues their commitment to using the best evidence to provide care for patients and families.” 

Jodi Berndt, PhD, RN, CCRN, PCCN, CNE, CNEcl, CHSE, becomes chair-elect. She is an associate professor of nursing at College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University in St. Joseph, Minnesota.

Carly Byrne, DNP, APRN, PCNS-BC, CCNS, CPN, CCRN, serves a one-year term as secretary/treasurer and begins her second year on the board. She is a clinical nurse specialist at Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska, and adjunct faculty for Rush University College of Nursing, Chicago.

Stephen Holman, MSN, AGACNP-BC, ACNP-AG, CCRN-CSC-CMC, joins the board for a three-year team as a director. He is a nurse practitioner in cardiothoracic surgery at VCU Health in Richmond, Virginia.

Tonka Williams, MHA, BSN, RN, CMSRN, joins the board for one year as a director, after completing a three-year term on the AACN board. She is senior nursing director for practice and innovation at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.

Elizabeth Scruth, PhD, MPH, RN, CCNS, CCRN, FCCM, FCNS, CPHQ, becomes immediate past chair for two years. She is regional executive director for clinical quality programs, data analytics and tele-critical care at Northern California Kaiser Permanente.

Returning to the AACN Certification Corporation board with Dana Woods, MBA, AACN chief executive officer, are the following directors:

• Carol Olff, MSN, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC, is director of critical care services at John Muir Health, Concord Medical Center in Concord, California.
• Kathleen Siedlecki, who also serves as consumer representative, is the founder of KAS Strategies, Chico, California, where she designs programs to raise awareness, engage thought leaders, influence health policy, mobilize advocates and motivate positive health behavior.

Each year, two members of the AACN board of directors are appointed to concurrent one-year terms on the AACN Certification Corporation board:

• Sara Knippa, MS, RN, ACCNS-AG, CCRN, PCCN, is a critical care clinical nurse specialist at UCHealth in Aurora, Colorado.
• Lynn Orser, MSN, RN, CCRN, PCCN, NPD-BC, is a nursing professional development specialist, critical care, at Hartford Healthcare, St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

About AACN Certification Corporation: Established in 1976, AACN Certification Corporation, the credentialing arm of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, drives patient health and safety through comprehensive credentialing of acute and critical care nurses, advancing practice consistent with standards of excellence. Currently, about 130,000 acute and critical care nurses hold AACN Certification Corporation credentials.

About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with about 130,000 members and nearly 200 chapters in the United States.

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 27071 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656; 949-362-2000; www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; twitter.com/aacnme