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State Award for Excellence Recipients Announced

2024 State Award For Excellence

Media Contact: Bryan Black

Meet the nurse practitioners and advocates being honored for their remarkable contributions.

AUSTIN, TEXAS — The American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) is pleased to announce the recipients of the prestigious 2024 AANP State Award for Excellence. Presented annually to nurse practitioners (NPs) and those who work to increase patients’ access to the high-quality care NPs provide, one NP and one advocate from each state, district or territory will be honored at the 2024 AANP National Conference in Nashville on June 25-30.

Established in 1991 to recognize outstanding clinical quality, the AANP NP State Award for Excellence honors NPs for the lifesaving care they provide to patients. Added in 1993, the AANP Advocate State Award for Excellence highlights efforts to advance the NP role.

  • 2024 AANP State Award for Excellence Recipients

    Alabama
    Nurse Practitioner: Maggie Hughes
    Advocate: Joy Deupree

    Alaska
    Nurse Practitioner: Marianne Johnstone-Petty
    Advocate: Shannon Hilton

    Arizona
    Nurse Practitioner: Juliana Hall
    Advocate: Amber Porter

    Arkansas
    Nurse Practitioner: Rebekka Amick
    Advocate: John Burris

    California
    Nurse Practitioner: Theresa Mallick-Searle
    Advocate: Stephanie Lewis

    Colorado
    Nurse Practitioner: Ashley Fry
    Advocate: Laura Rosenthal

    Connecticut
    Nurse Practitioner: Brittania Liebla
    Advocate: Joy Elwell

    Delaware
    Nurse Practitioner: Heather Milea
    Advocate: Melissa Minor-Brown

    District of Columbia
    Nurse Practitioner: Barbara Dominguez
    Advocate: Suzanne Thorne-Odem

    Florida
    Nurse Practitioner: Wendy Paracka
    Advocate: Allison Carvajal

    Georgia
    Nurse Practitioner: Denotra Gillard
    Advocate: Janis Coffin

    Hawaii
    Nurse Practitioner: Miki Miura
    Advocate: Carrie Oliveira

    Idaho
    Nurse Practitioner: Nichole Jeppesen
    Advocate: Carolyn Corbett

    Illinois
    Nurse Practitioner: Mya Yee Nandar
    Advocate: Amanda Connoyer

    Indiana
    Nurse Practitioner: Cindy Ledbetter
    Advocate: Ambre Marr

    Iowa
    Nurse Practitioner: Lynette Cooper
    Advocate: Mary Dirks

    Kansas
    Nurse Practitioner: Holly Cobb
    Advocate: Richard Hilderbrand

    Kentucky
    Nurse Practitioner: Joyce Johnson
    Advocate: Julie Adams

    Louisiana
    Nurse Practitioner: Lisa Bishop
    Advocate: Kathy Baldridge

    Maine
    Nurse Practitioner: Courtney Pladsen
    Advocate: Susan Doughty

    Maryland
    Nurse Practitioner: Lindsay Ward
    Advocate: J. William Pitcher

    Massachusetts
    Nurse Practitioner: Amy Yentsch
    Advocate: Paula Brooks

    Michigan
    Nurse Practitioner: Iris Zink
    Advocate: Kristen Telfor

    Minnesota
    Nurse Practitioner: Julie Dahl
    Advocate: Karla French-Baker

    Mississippi
    Nurse Practitioner: James Hawley
    Advocate: Kenneth Hawkins

    Missouri
    Nurse Practitioner: Laura Kuensting
    Advocate: Susan Kimble

    Montana
    Advocate: Sarah Shannon

    Nebraska
    Nurse Practitioner: Maria Douthett
    Advocate: Tara Whitmire

    Nevada
    Nurse Practitioner: Michael Thompson
    Advocate: Faisal Suba

    New Hampshire
    Nurse Practitioner: Bridget Linehan
    Advocate: Sue Prentiss

    New Jersey
    Nurse Practitioner: Olivia Nicastro
    Advocate: Sherry Greenberg

    New Mexico
    Nurse Practitioner: Elisa Lundin

    New York
    Nurse Practitioner: Brighid Gannon
    Advocate: Heidi Yip

    North Carolina
    Nurse Practitioner: Briana Miller
    Advocate: Terri Koson

    North Dakota
    Nurse Practitioner: Katlyn Dobberstein
    Advocate: Sara Wiedrich

    Ohio
    Nurse Practitioner: Margaret Bobonich
    Advocate: Bethany Parsell

    Oklahoma
    Nurse Practitioner: Joan Johnson

    Oregon
    Nurse Practitioner: Amelia Goff
    Advocate: Earl Blumenauer

    Pacific U.S. Territories:
    Nurse Practitioner: Elizabeth Santos
    Advocate: Samir Ambrale

    Pennsylvania
    Nurse Practitioner: Maria Lanzi
    Advocate: Adele Caruso

    Puerto Rico
    Nurse Practitioner: Paloma Ortiz
    Advocate: Luis Cabrera-De la Mata

    Rhode Island
    Nurse Practitioner: Leanne Burke
    Advocate: Pamela Lauria

    South Carolina
    Nurse Practitioner: Alison Sallings
    Advocate: Jeannette Andrews

    South Dakota
    Advocate: Pamela Vanmeeteren

    Tennessee
    Nurse Practitioner: Diana Dedmon
    Advocate: Ruth Kleinpell

    Texas
    Nurse Practitioner: Cynthia Weston
    Advocate: Cesar Blanco

    U.S. Virgin Islands
    Nurse Practitioner: Makeda Kamara
    Advocate: Brittany Dawson

    Utah
    Nurse Practitioner: Zoe Robbins
    Advocate: Julie Balk

    Vermont
    Nurse Practitioner: Eileen Murphy
    Advocate: Katherine Goyette

    Virginia
    Nurse Practitioner: Rebekah Compton
    Advocate: Roxann Robinson

    Washington
    Nurse Practitioner: Devyn Nixon
    Advocate: Kumhee Ro

    West Virginia
    Nurse Practitioner: Rhonda Parker
    Advocate: Kathie Brown

    Wisconsin
    Nurse Practitioner: Jean Roedl
    Advocate: Barbara Nichols

    Wyoming
    Nurse Practitioner: Mary Burman


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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 385,000 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 NPs' 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 an NP in your community, visit npfinder.com. For more information about NPs, visit aanp.org.

Be a part of The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner® representing NPs and patients on critical issues.

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