Recognize Nursing Trailblazers With the National Leadership Awards
Nominate a nurse practitioner leader for the Towers Pinnacle or Sharp Cutting Edge Award today.
On March 3, nominations close for two important awards created by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) — the Towers Pinnacle Award and Sharp Cutting Edge Award. Honoring the contributions of Jan Towers, PhD, NP-C, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, the Towers Pinnacle Award is presented annually to an individual who, through policy, practice or education, has made outstanding contributions that resulted in increased recognition of nurse practitioners (NPs) nationally or internationally and expanded opportunities for NPs to care for patients. The Sharp Cutting Edge Award honors Nancy J. Sharp, MSN, RN, FAAN, an exemplar of excellence in organizational leadership within nursing. This award recognizes individuals who have performed extraordinary service activities on behalf of NPs on a national or international scale.
Any current AANP member is welcome to nominate a colleague for either or both awards this year, and the chosen awardees will be notified in March of 2025. Learn more about past recipients of both awards and why it is important to recognize these NP trailblazers.
Sharp Cutting Edge Award
Nancy J. Sharp was not an NP herself, but acted as an advocate for NPs in nursing leadership. Her past role as nurse representative for the U.S. Joint Working Group on Telehealth is just one of the leadership positions she undertook over the years in support of the nursing profession, which extended to specific support for NPs. “I think NPs are the answer to the health care system’s problems. I’m not an NP, but I believe in the NP role,” she said. “Truly, some people do not know what NPs do or what they are capable of. The vast majority of the time, NPs listen to you, spend more time with you, hear your story and direct their care to meet your specific needs. You aren’t just labeled with a disease and sent on your way.”
In 2023, the recipient of the Sharp Cutting Edge Award was James Q. Simmons, DNP, MSN, RN, AGACNP-BC, BSJMC. Simmons is a founding and continuing clinical ambassador for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Let’s Stop HIV Together” campaign. He also serves on the American Nurses Association California LGBTQIA+ Task Force and reaches a wide audience online by addressing health care questions with his “Ask the NP” series.
Last year’s award went to Angela Golden, DNP, FNP-C, FAANP, FOMA, past president of AANP and founding co-chair of the AANP’s Obesity Community. In announcing her award, AANP announced that Golden’s “… partnerships with elected officials, national agencies and professional organizations have enhanced the understanding of how NPs positively impact health care access and social justice across all its complex facets.”
Towers Pinnacle Award
Jan Towers graduated from one of the first baccalaureate programs for NPs at Duke University and became an NP in 1976. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners was famously founded under an apple tree in her backyard, and as AANP wrote about Towers, “There isn’t an aspect of the NP role that has not been influenced by Dr. Towers. If you’re an NP, much of how you practice has been shaped by the work she has done over the last four decades. Today, she continues to support AANP through her work as senior policy advisor.”
2023’s recipient of the Towers Pinnacle Award was William E. Rosa, PhD, MBE, NP-BC, FAAN, FAANP. Rosa is an assistant attending behavioral scientist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, specializing in palliative care, LGBTQI+ health care and health equity research. Last year’s recipient of the Towers Pinnacle Award was Kahlil Demonbreun, DNP, RNC-OB, WHNP-BC, ANP-BC, FAANP, FAAN. Demonbreun is a women’s health NP and as the women’s health medical director at the Columbia VA Health Care System, and just a few of his many achievements include a “ten-year sustained participation on the AANP Health Policy Committee,” which “resulted in summaries of more than 75 articles of federal and state legislation to advance NP practice.”
How to Nominate an NP for a Leadership Award
Award nominations must be submitted electronically on the AANP National Leadership Awards Nomination Form. Any current AANP member may submit a nomination of 250 words or fewer detailing the reasons for nominating an individual for either award. Additionally, two letters of support from individuals other than the nominator must accompany each nomination — but please note that letters exceeding the allowed maximum will not be considered. AANP elected leadership and Awards Committee members are not eligible to receive either of these awards during their term of office. Finally, consideration will only be given to nominations complete with all required information submitted by the published deadline, and nominations received after the deadline date will not be accepted.
Honor the Leadership Awardees in Person at the 2025 AANP National Conference
The recipients of the Towers Pinnacle and Sharp Cutting Edge Awards are honored at AANP’s national conference. The 2025 AANP National Conference will take place in San Diego, California, from June 17-22. In addition to the Opening General Session at which both award recipients will be recognized, the conference features more than 330 sessions and workshops where attendees may earn up to 34 contact hours of continuing education credit — and many opportunities to network and attend industry-supported and sponsored events.