Board of Directors

A sought-after presenter and prolific author, Jennifer S. Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, serves as the 38th president of the American Nurses Association. In this national leadership role, Dr. Mensik Kennedy boldly advocates for the nation’s 5.5 million RNs. In 2025 and for the third consecutive years, she was named by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.

Dr. Mensik Kennedy's insights about and experience involving key nursing issues have informed her public appearances and writing. Her books include Lead, Drive, and Thrive in the System, 2nd edition, and The Nurse Manager’s Guide to Innovative Staffing, 3rd edition. She co-authored Lead like a Nurse, A Nurse’s Step-By-Step Guide to Transitioning to the Professional Nurse Role, and The Power of Ten, 2nd edition, and contributed a chapter to The Career Handoff: A Healthcare Leader’s Guide to Knowledge & Wisdom Transfer across Generations.

Prior to her presidency, Dr. Mensik Kennedy held key leadership positions within the nursing profession, including serving the American Nurses Association as Treasurer, Second Vice President, and Director-at-Large. She also served as President of the Arizona Nurses Association from 2007 to 2010. Additionally, Dr. Mensik Kennedy held the role of governor of nursing practice for the Western Institute of Nursing in 2010-2014.

Dr. Mensik Kennedy earned a PhD from the University of Arizona College of Nursing with a focus on health systems and a minor in public administration from the Eller College of Management. She holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a BSN from Washington State University. Dr. Mensik Kennedy also earned an ADN from Wenatchee Valley College-North. She is an assistant clinical professor at the Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing. Dr. Mensik Kennedy was inducted in 2014 as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She has been recognized as Alumna of the Year by both University of Arizona College of Nursing and Washington State University College of Nursing.

Dr. Anita Girard is a seasoned healthcare leader with a successful history of enabling, improving, and working with the healthcare industry. She is highly skilled in nursing management, evidence-based practice, patient advocacy, nursing education, new leader mentorship, role-based clarity, nursing shared governance, and driving quality clinical outcomes. She has significant experience related to LEAN implementation and ANCC Magnet Designation in healthcare systems. Dr. Girard is actively engaged in local, state, national, and international communities to promote the nursing profession and improve the quality of healthcare. She is broadly published on nursing empowerment and building resilient teams. Dr. Girard has a strong business development background with a Doctor of Nursing Practice focused on Executive Leadership from the University of San Francisco. In her most recent role, she drove practice and professional development at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as the Chief Nursing officer and Vice President of Nursing and was the President of the American Nurses Association of California. 

Amanda Oliver, BSN, RN, CCRN, CPST, currently practices as the Trauma Injury Prevention and Community Education Coordinator at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL. In 2023, she was awarded the Loyola University Medical Center Nursing Community Excellence award and was named as a Pinnacle Nurse Leader for her work in this role.   

Amanda has a long history of board service. Currently, she serves as Secretary of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and President of the Illinois Nurses Foundation (INF), and serves on the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center Advisory Board. In her past service, Oliver served as ANA Director at Large- Staff Nurse and Director at Large- Recent Graduate. She additionally has served on the ANA-Illinois board of directors, and she served as both first vice president and as elected executive consultant of the Student Nurses Association of Illinois (SNAI).  She continues to work with SNAI as a special consultant to develop future nurse leaders.

Her additional accolades include top 5 finalists for the Illinois Nurses Foundation Nurse of the Year,  Illinois Nurses Foundation “40 under 40” Emerging Nurse Leader, and a Pinnacle Nurse Leader in 2017 for her outstanding contributions to nursing. Amanda leverages her passion for public policy and advocacy by speaking to nurses and nursing students across the country about the importance of nurses’ participation in advocacy.

Amanda earned her BSN from the University of St. Francis, Joliet in 2015 and is currently enrolled at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing pursuing her MSN.

Nikule Abel, BSN, RN currently works as a staff nurse in the cardiovascular and surgery intensive care unit with previous experience as a surgical trauma nurse. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Nikule has been successful in advocating and lobbying for pertinent issues in healthcare on a state and national level. Nikule believes that to advance the profession, through a modern approach, individuals must take action and lead with compassion, understanding, vigor, and strategy. Moreover, to be successful, one must have passion, perspective, and persistence!  

As a first-generation college graduate, Nikule’s dedication to advocating for social justice efforts and underrepresented populations stems from her dynamic upbringing in Southern California. It was during her time in nursing school that laid the foundation of her advocacy roots. Nikule was elected to the Board of Directors for the National Student Nursing Association (NSNA), where she immersed herself in emphasizing collective action to effect systemic change for nursing students.  

Nikule developed the 2020-2021 NSNA Board of Directors Resolution titled “In Support of Policy Development and Education on Racism as a Public Health Threat.” Along with constructing a mentorship program, in collaboration with the University of Columbia School of Nursing, to advance LQBTQIA health among nursing students. Furthermore, Nikule proved successful as UNLV’s School of Nursing Health Policy and Advocacy Chair where she implemented educational materials in recognizing and transforming racial implicit biases and microaggressions observed in healthcare.  

In 2021, Nikule was elected to the Minnesota Organization for Registered Nurses Board of Directors (MNORN). Along with MNORN, she has been able to support several bills proposed by ANA. Additionally, she used her position to cultivate advocacy strategies to further nursing and healthcare concerns through legislative and regulatory action.  

Nikule is also an elected member of Mayo Clinic’s Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Committee. She has earned several distinct academic achievements, leadership awards, and clinical excellence awards. 

Josephine A. Agyei, BSN, RN is a clinical nurse in the Cardiac Surgery/Cardiovascular ICU at Mount Sinai Hospital and Co-chair of the Mount Sinai Heart Professional Practice Council. A Magnet® Champion and member of several hospital councils, Agyei is dedicated to delivering exceptional patient care and advancing diversity and professional practice.

She is pursuing a dual-degree MSN/MBA in Healthcare Organizational Leadership at Johns Hopkins University, where she also serves as an intern at the Center for Global Initiatives and the Graduate Nursing Student Academy Liaison. Agyei is actively engaged in professional organizations, including the Greater NYC Black Nurses Association (Board Member and Planning Chair), ANA-NY, and the American Heart Association.

Globally, she is the Director of Global Health for the Ghanaian-Diaspora Nursing Alliance, co-leading health initiatives in Ghana and participating in medical missions in Nigeria. She has raised funds for clean water and sanitation projects, impacting vulnerable communities.

A recipient of multiple awards, including the ANA Early Career Nurse Leader Award and the NBNA Under 40 Award, Agyei is committed to transforming healthcare through education, leadership, and service, with a focus on underserved communities.

Edward Briggs, MS, DNP, APRN,  is a Family Nurse practitioner who received his master’s degree in Nursing from the University of South Florida and his Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Florida.

His clinical career has included Nursing Administration, Emergency Medicine, Primary care, and currently practices within the Veterans Administration. His passions are vested in health care quality, improving health care access, and nursing advocacy.

He has previously taught as adjunct faculty for Saint Petersburg College of Nursing and is currently adjunct faculty for Keiser University. He also serves as the Director for Care for the Belize Missions of Nokumbaya, a Lutheran charity organization that provides healthcare services to remote Mayan Villages in Belize.  In this role, he leads a nursing-led team to provide primary care 2-3 times a year.

He is an advocate for nursing practice and has previously served as President of the Florida Nurses Association, Chair of the Florida Coalition of Advanced Practice Nursing, Chair of the American Nurses Association Nominations and Elections Committee, and Treasurer of the American Nurses Association Political Action Committee. 

He has received the Barbara Lumpkin Award for Nursing Political Advocacy, the American Nurses Association award for Nurse Advocate of the Year, and Nurse of the Year from the Veterans Administration

Ahnyel Burkes, DNP, RN-BC, NEA-BC is a faculty member in Tulane University’s Program of Nursing and a certified Advanced Nurse Executive with expertise in leadership, advocacy, and education. She earned her BSN from Dillard University, MSN in Healthcare Systems Management from Loyola University, and DNP in Nurse Executive Leadership from Chamberlain University.

Dr. Burkes is a dynamic leader with a career spanning executive management, entrepreneurship, and policy advocacy. She played a pivotal role in advancing Louisiana’s first Workplace Violence Prevention Law (2022) and Surgical Smoke Evacuation Law (2023), underscoring her dedication to improving workplace safety in healthcare.

In addition to her advocacy efforts, Dr. Burkes has taught undergraduate and graduate nursing students and continues to inspire future leaders in the profession.