Happy Holidays- AzONL President Letter

As 2024 is coming to an end, I felt inclined to draft a message to our remarkable members for this new year. In drafting this message, I am torn between reflective and a visionary approach, so I decided I would do a little of both. I will begin with our mission statement: “to transform health care in Arizona through expert and influential nursing leadership”. I believe that is what we did. AzONL, alongside the Arizona Nurses Association (AzNA) was involved in vital discussions for state legislation for the support of HB2494 and Grants 1803 and 1804. We held opportunities for leadership education and resources with our partnership with Capstone Leadership including the Virtual AzONL/Capstone Leadership Academy and Intensive and an In-person Leadership Event held on April 25, 2024. We provided our members with professional networking and recognition with the return of our Leadership in Action Awards at the 2024 AzONL Annual Summit. I want to give a very heartfelt thank you to the AzONL Board of Directors: Chris Evans, Lisa Radesi, Marialena Murphy, and Jay Maningo-Salinas. Without these amazing, dedicated individuals, AzONL would not have experienced these successes, as this Board of Directors worked diligently over this past year to re-invigorate and revitalize AzONL for its members.

As we look towards our next year together, I look forward to continuing and expanding on the excitement and work on our commitment to growth, influence, and excellence. Our values remain focused on serving our members, our profession, and our patients in the best way we can. Your insights, expertise and experiences are invaluable, and we invite you to share them with us. We welcome your engagement and commitment to our profession and hope to inspire you to engage and get involved in AzONL. During this holiday season, The AzONL Board wants to encourage you to stay strong, take care of yourself, and your teams. Not every day goes as planned and our profession certainly has its challenges, but I hope you are proud of the work you do as a nurse and leader and that it fills your soul (or cup) daily. The gift of a nurse is to make others feel cared for, make others feel important, and to make others feel they are not alone. That is what a nurse leader does and that…is EVERYTHING.

Happy Holidays! 

Stephanie Barendt DNP, RN, NE-BC

President of AzONL