Tonya Harbison
President Elect Nominee
My personal goals for the MOADN President-Elect office include to be a Servant to the MOADN Nursing members, and the MOADN Board. Another personal goal is to represent the Associate Degree Nursing Profession as a Servant, and advocate for Registered Nurses in the local and legislative arena. Other important goals are to wisely budget the cost of providing the MOADN Spring Convention annually, increase membership, and provide services to Associate Degree Nurses to help advance this Honorable Nursing profession. My personal belief is that Associate Degree Nurses are so important to providing the essential care to patients within our communities. The Associate Degree Nurse is ready to join the workforce within two years of completion of nursing school, and provides the steady supply which is needed for the nursing workforce. Covid19 has brought many challenges to the Nursing profession, along with the nursing workforce shortage. I wish to say “Thank You!” to the Registered Nurses who worked tirelessly during Covid 19 pan endemic and afterwards to provide health care in the State of Mississippi! God Bless You! I would appreciate your vote in allowing me the honor and privilege of Serving you!
Brief Summary of M-OADN/OADN involvement:
Current MOADN Board Education Director 2021-present.
Designed & Implemented the Spring 2021 Virtual Faculty MOADN Meeting, Spring 2022 & 2023 Vicksburg MOADN Convention. I attended the many MOADN Board meetings required to discuss and implement plans to make conventions successful. This will be our second face-to-face convention since the Covid 19 restrictions regarding convention settings. Guest speakers were contacted, and asked to speak this year without hindering our budget limitations. The speakers agreed to support MOADN without a contract for payment fees. The agenda was designed, and CEUs attained for the conference guest speakers.
Also, I participated and represented MOADN in the OADN Annual Convention in New Orleans 2023 this year. I consider it an “Honor” to represent Mississippi Associate Degree Nurses nationally at Convention.
Other Professional Memberships and Activities:
Member of American Nurses Association.
Member of American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
Mississippi Nurses Association President District 6, year 2022-present.
MNA Health Affairs Board Director for four consecutive years.
Member of Mississippi Association of Nurse Practitioners for five years.
Melissa Evans
Nominations Committee Member
I have had the privilege of being a registered nurse for 27 years. I’ve had the opportunity to work in multiple environments and with varied patient populations during that time. In 2008 I began my journey into nursing education by becoming a unit educator on the cardiac and surgical unit that I had worked on for several years. I’ve loved every experience in nursing education. In 2011 I joined the Clinical Professional Development team for one of the large healthcare systems in the Memphis area and began to work on brining a nurse residency program on board. The program was a success, was adopted by the system and remains in place today. My current position as a faculty member at Northwest Mississippi Community College has allowed me to transition from teaching the licensed professionals to teaching those who aspire to be part of the profession of nursing. I have learned so much from my students and colleagues in the 7 years that I have been on faculty. I love the academic facet of nursing education and am privileged every day to be able to participate in shaping the future of nursing.