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