The Kentucky Nurses Association (KNA) recently named Lisa Lockhart, MSN, MHA, BSN, RN-BC, service excellence coordinator at Ephraim McDowell Health, as the 2021 Nurse of the Year. The Kentucky Nurses Association (KNA) is the only professional organization that represents and supports 90,000 Kentucky nurses. Annually nurses are nominated to be honored as The Nurse of the Year. The KNA Board of Directors selected from an extensive list.
Lisa has been a tireless leader for nurses and nursing students throughout the state. Currently she serves as vice chair of the Nightingale Chapter, a newly created position, and is an active board stewardship participant for the Kentucky Nurses Foundation and is an engaged member of the KNA Board of Directors.
At the same time, she serves as KNA’s liaison to Kentucky Association of Nursing Students and KNA Student Subscribers. The strategy is certain to increase full membership in the years to come as students graduate and begin professional practice. They have been integrated into the work of KNA and have witnessed the benefit of professional membership. Lisa has shaped this growing program over the last two years and continues to be passionate about it.
“The KNA Student Subscriber member group has increased significantly in the last 12 months thanks to Lisa’s dedication and perseverance,” says Delanor Manson MA, BSN, RN, Chief Executive Officer of Kentucky Nurses Association.
Manson added, “Her commitment to KNA isn’t new; she chaired the Professional Nursing and Advocacy Cabinet that developed a survey to look at workplace violence. The report was presented at the 2019 Annual Conference. Multiple media outlets interviewed Lisa about the results and her views on the findings. Subsequently, she also was appointed to the statewide nursing Technical Advisory Committee. Lisa’s leadership in engaging students in the work of KNA will have lasting value. Additionally, her leadership engaged members of the Cabinet she chaired to develop, administer, analyze and report the state of workplace violence affecting nurses. Her service to the state represents KNA mission, values, and relevance in the Commonwealth.”