New Leadership for a New Era
The American Nurses Association's Membership Assembly convened this year to elect the leaders who will guide the profession's national direction for the next two years. Voting representatives selected Anita Girard, DNP, RN, CNL, CPHQ, NEA-BC, of ANA\California, as the association's 39th President. Dr. Girard will chair the ANA Board of Directors beginning January 1, 2027, stepping into a role that shapes policy, advocacy, and strategic direction for nursing across the country.
She is joined by a newly elected slate of leaders: Heidi Sanborn, DNP, RN, CNE, as Secretary; Ahnyel Burkes, DNP, RN-BC, NEA-BC, and Nelson Tuazon, DNP, DBA, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, CPPS, CPHFH, CNE, FACHE, FNAP, FAMSN, FAAN, as Directors-at-Large; and Josephine Agyei, BSN, RN, as Director-at-Large for Staff Nurses. Jacqueline McEuen, MSN, BS, BSN, RN, Mavis Mesi, DNP, MSN, FNP, RN, and Seth Schweiger, BSN, RN, were also elected to serve on the Nominations and Elections Committee. The Assembly additionally approved the full Professional Policy Committee Report, formalizing the association's legislative priorities for the year ahead.
Nurses Take Their Voice to Capitol Hill
In the same week, more than 500 nurses representing 49 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands traveled to Washington, D.C., for ANA's Hill Day — meeting directly with members of Congress and their staff to advocate for the issues shaping the future of the profession.
Their priorities included recognizing nursing as a professional degree for federal student loan purposes, strengthening protections against workplace violence, expanding patients' access to care, and securing reauthorization of Title VIII Nursing Workforce Programs. Chief among these was support for the Nursing Is a Professional Degree Act (H.R. 8691 / S. 4568), bipartisan legislation that would correct the federal classification of post-baccalaureate nursing education and ensure nursing students are treated consistently with peers in comparable professional programs.
Before heading to their congressional meetings, attendees were addressed by Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Vice-Chair of the Congressional Nursing Caucus, who described the current policy environment as a defining moment for the profession.
She encouraged nurses to carry the momentum from Hill Day into their home districts through town halls and continued advocacy.
A Profession Stepping Into Its Power
Together, the Assembly's leadership elections and the Hill Day advocacy reflect a profession actively shaping its own future — electing its leaders and standing on the steps of the Capitol to make its priorities heard. The Nurses Magazine® was proud to witness both moments.
Moments from the ANA Membership Assembly & Hill Day 2026
