BIOSKETCH

My professional journey began with a prior career in the technology and consulting industry, after graduating with a Bachelor of Computer Engineering degree in 1984 and a Master of Business Administration in 1989.  I worked for over 25 years in this first career, serving in various senior and executive leadership roles for multiple large corporations and ultimately becoming a part owner of a mid-sized consulting firm.  
 
After the sale of that company in 2007, I retired from the technology and consulting field and began my transition to nursing. I had an interest in health, and I also wanted a way to “give back”.  I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in August 2012 from Regis University and a Master of Science in Nursing in the Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program from the University of Colorado Anschutz in May 2016. In December of 2019, I completed the transition to my second career and was graduated with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

I currently work part-time as a cardiology nurse practitioner, while also serving as a full-time Assistant Professor on the faculty of the University of Colorado College of Nursing.  My DNP study, “Implementation of a New Cardiology Hospital Service with Nurse Practitioners: A Quality Improvement Project to Improve Patient Access and Outcomes” was conducted in this setting.  The project focused on implementing a new patient coverage process and an enhanced use of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) to improve the availability of patient appointments and outcomes.

The transition to nursing provided me the opportunity to help people in a way that was not possible in my first career.  In addition to healthcare related volunteer opportunities such as serving as medical director for 9Health Fair locations, nursing also offered an avenue for continual learning and a profession from which I can pursue healthcare improvement initiatives. My post DNP goals included continuing growth in the cardiology specialty area, working on new quality and process improvement projects, and teaching at the collegiate level. I have been fortunate to achieve all three goals and am currently working on the faculty of the University of Colorado College of Nursing while continuing in part-time practice.