2017 State Award for Excellence

AUSTIN, TX Every year, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) recognizes outstanding achievements by nurse practitioners (NPs) and NP advocates by presenting the annual AANP State Award for Excellence. These awards are presented to the recipients throughout the year in each state, with winners being recognized during the AANP National Conference.

The State Award for Excellence, founded in 1991, recognizes an NP in each state who demonstrates excellence in clinical practice. In 1993, the state award was extended to recognize the efforts of an individual who had made a significant contribution toward increasing the awareness and acceptance of NPs. Examples of past recipients of this award have been physicians, legislators, educators, etc. NPs are also eligible for the advocate award for non-clinical practice initiatives related to leadership, precepting, policy, politics, research, education, or community affairs.

Congratulations to the 2017 AANP State Award Winners listed below!

2017 State Award Winners
State	Nurse Practitioners	Advocates
Alabama	Dr. Michele H. Talley	Dr. Nancy Turnham
Alaska	Ann Glasheen	Dr. Kyle Bergquist
Arizona	Dr. Sharon Falke	Sen. Nancy Barto
Arkansas	Dr. Nycole Oliver	Pipere Brettell
California	Evy McNitt Silk	Dr. Susanne J. Phillips
Colorado	Dr. Patsy McGuire Cullen	Reenie Zaccardi
Connecticut	Dr. Nanette Alexander	Rep. Theresa W. Conroy
Delaware	Maria R. Ash	Dr. Stacey K. Graves
District of Columbia	Guinevere T. Que	Chioma Nwachukwu
Florida	Hillary L. Morgan	Sen. Aaron Bean
Georgia	Cheryl Kicklighter	Angela M. Barco
Hawaii	Dr. Anne Reynolds Leake	Rep. Della Au Belatti
Idaho	Dr. Melanie Nash
Illinois	Jill C. Cash
Indiana	Dr. Nancy E. Edwards	Dr. Erik P. Southard
Kansas	Jill Ariagno	Melissa Marie Oropeza-Vail
Kentucky	Dr. Deborah V. Thomas	Col. Michele Fennel Shearer
Louisiana	Dr. Jennifer Cameron	Rep. Dustin Miller
Maine	Ann Elizabeth OBrien	Patricia Hamilton
Maryland	S. Dale G. Jafari	Dr. Diane Carole Seibert
Massachusetts	Komal Kenkare	Colleen LaBelle
Michigan	Dr. Patrick Hawkins	Rep. Ken Yonker
Minnesota	Dr. Beth Ann Good	Dr. Brian Keith Goodroad
Mississippi	Dr. Shonda Ricks Phelon	Dr. Kristi Henderson
Missouri	Dr. Kim K. McGinn-Perryman	Fmr. Rep Jeanne Kirkton
Montana	Deborah Kern	Joyce C. Dombrouski
Nebraska	Kathy Hoebelheinrich	Dr. LeAnn R. Holmes
Nevada	Barbara Jean Ruscingno	Sheryl Giordano
New Hampshire	Evelyn M. Stacy	Mary Bidgood-Wilson
New Jersey	Victoria Ellen Eftychiou	Dr. Dorothy A. Borrensen
New Mexico	Dr. Liana K. Martiinez	Melissa Foster Rietz
New York	Dr. Lisa M. Paplanus	Dr. Susan Marks
North Carolina	Gerri Morrison	Dr. Sara L. Hubbell
North Dakota	Gwen LR Witzel	Cheryl Rising
Ohio	Dr. Candy Sue Rinehart	Sally Streiber
Oklahoma	Margaret Rosales	Rep. Jonathan D. Echols
Oregon	Mary I. Fey	Tracy E. Pozar
Pacific U.S. Territories	Anna Maria A. Cruz	Teofila P. Cruz
Pennsylvania	Dr. Eugene Thomas Lucas, Jr.	Rep. Jesse Topper
Puerto Rico	Jorge Garcia	Dr. Nancy Davila
Rhode Island	Eleanor Clapprood	Dr. Andrew Saal
South Carolina	Dr. Sheryl Lynn Mitchell	Judith Curfman Thompson
South Dakota	Sue Hogue	Rachel Waddell
Tennessee	Stan Bevis	Rep. Jeremy Faison
Texas	Julia K. Kuzin	Dr. Jan Zdanuk Dodd
U.S. Virgin Islands	J. Rakiiba Jackson
Utah	Lacey M. Eden	Sen. David Hinkins
Vermont	Dr. Barbara A. Rouleau	Dr. Betty Rambur
Virginia	Dr. Rebecca E. Sutter-Barrett	Connie K. Henry (Posthumous)
Washington	Dr. Doquyen Le Huynh	Dr. Gary Franklin
West Virginia	Deborah Casdorph	Del. Amy Summers
Wisconsin	Marilyn Shutte	Burton Wagner
Wyoming	Alicia Mae Le Pard	Rep. Sue Wilson

---

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of the more than 234,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NP patients and other health care consumers. As The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner, AANP represents the interests of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered health care. To locate a nurse practitioner in your community, go to npfinder.com.