AANP National Leadership Awards — the Sharp Cutting Edge Award and the Towers Pinnacle Award — honor two individuals who have contributed significantly to the national or international recognition and advancement of nurse practitioners (NPs).
Elected leaders, including AANP Board of Directors members, AANP Fellows leadership, AANP State Liaisons, and AANP Nomination Council members, do not qualify for awards during their term in office. AANP Awards Committee members are not eligible for award nomination due to a conflict of interest.
Learn more about the recipients of previous AANP National Leadership Awards below.
The Sharp Cutting Edge Award was initiated in February 1996 in honor of Nancy J. Sharp, MSN, RN, FAAN, an exemplar in the world of nursing organizational leadership for more than two decades. Nancy demonstrated a decisive positive influence for NPs, both professionally and politically. Not an NP herself, Nancy nevertheless left a legacy of early and steadfast service for NPs. Through her vision, foresight and service to the NP profession, Nancy focused on public policy issues clarifying the legislative and regulatory processes. She also utilized innovative strategies to meet major milestones as an office staff member and a volunteer leader in national nursing organizations. Examples of her many accomplishments are National President, American Nephrology Nurses Association (1981-1983); Director, Practice and Legislation, Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, Neonatal Nurses (1982-1990); Founding Director, Nurse in Washington Internship (1985-1992); Editor-Publisher, The Nurse’s Directory of Capitol Connections: A Directory of Positions and Opportunities for Nurse Participation in Health Policy Development (1991-2000); Nurse Representative, U.S. Joint Working Group on Telehealth (1993-1997).
Angela Golden, DNP, FNP-C, FAANP, FOMA, was awarded the 2024 AANP Sharp Cutting Edge Award. She is a family NP, current fellow of AANP and past AANP president. Her dedication to health care led her to design and execute an obesity intervention and treatment clinic in rural Arizona utilizing innovative, integrated technology for advancing care, modeled by other practices across the country. Her 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. Golden has a great deal of experience as a consultant in the development of patient education materials, has authored a book, “Treating Obesity in Primary Care,” written peer reviewed articles, participated in research and been interviewed on obesity treatment. She presents nationally and internationally with an emphasis on obesity, health policy, leadership and clinical care.
As of 2022, AANP celebrated 26 years of Sharp Cutting Edge Awards and is proud to have recognized nine Sharp Cutting Edge Award recipients, along with 17 recipients honored by the American College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP), for their leadership and innovation in advancing NP practice and patient care.
Meet the awardees:
Recipients of the Sharp Award have demonstrated extraordinary service activities on behalf of NPs. This award is for achievements that have impacted the NP profession on a national or international level and incorporated the AANP mission into the initiative(s). Additionally, recipients have demonstrated and promoted diversity, equity and inclusivity within health care through social justice initiatives that have increased access to quality health care for all.
Recipients may be an NP, nurse or non-nurse who has demonstrated exceptional belief and confidence in NPs and has shown efforts to advance the image, profile and visibility of NPs at the national or international level in three or more of the following areas:
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. AANP elected leadership and Awards Committee members are not eligible to receive either of these awards during their term of office.
Award recipients will be notified in mid-March and should plan to be present at the 2024 AANP National Conference in Nashville on June 25-30 to accept their award. Recipients will receive round-trip airfare for this conference and one-night accommodations at a conference hotel.
Disclaimer: For elected officials, regulators, appointees, federal employees and military at both the state and federal levels (“government employee”), AANP cannot provide items of value. Individuals in these positions will receive public recognition and be presented with a certificate but will not receive additional items. If you are a government employee and inadvertently receive an offer from AANP that includes additional benefits as part of an award, please alert staff since AANP is not always aware — or informed — that an awardee holds such a position.
The Towers Pinnacle Award was launched in 2013 by the AANP Board of Directors in honor of Jan Towers, Ph.D., NP-C, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, an accomplished and much-admired leader in the NP movement. Dr. Towers has been at the forefront of legislative and regulatory issues, guiding health policy initiatives to ensure that NPs and their patients are represented wherever health care is being discussed. She has informed and educated numerous NPs on issues related to health policy through presentations at regional and national conferences. Her steadfast commitment, keen insight and vigilance have served to guide and direct NPs toward their current recognition as reimbursable providers of high-quality health care nationwide. The result of her life’s work is increased awareness by legislators and the general public of NPs’ contributions to health care, as well as advancement in expanding the scope of practice for NPs, advocating for equity in pay for services and expanding the commitment of NP professional organizations to provide leadership on health policy issues.
Kahlil Demonbreun, DNP, RNC-OB, WHNP-BC, ANP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, received the 2024 AANP Towers Pinnacle Award. He is a practicing women's health NP and the women’s health medical director at the Columbia VA Health Care System in Columbia, South Carolina. His dedication to advanced practice nursing reaches beyond the patient care arena through his contributions to health care policy change and regulation. Demonbreun’s ten-year sustained participation on the AANP Health Policy Committee has resulted in summaries of more than 75 articles of federal and state legislation to advance NP practice. His eight-year tenure as an AANP state representative for South Carolina proved pivotal to leading the charge and crafting language for legislation that would eliminate barriers to access NP care. He has penned advisory opinions and position statements during his decade-long senior leadership capacity on such challenging endeavors as the South Carolina Board of Nursing’s Advanced Practice Committee. As chair of the South Carolina Nurses Association APRN Chapter, he met with federal and State Senators and House Representatives, organized grassroots advocacy and provided critical testimony toward FPA. He holds a visible presence on social media and in the political arena where he continues to advocate for advancement of the NP role.
Meet the awardees:
Recipients of this prestigious award have exemplified Dr. Towers’ advocacy, passion and dedication to the advancement of the NP role through policy, practice and education. Additionally, these individuals have demonstrated and promoted diversity, equity and inclusivity within health care through social justice initiatives that have increased access to quality health care for all.
This award is for achievements that have impacted the NP profession on a national or international level and incorporated the AANP mission into the success of the initiative(s).
Nominees are preferably NPs; however, consideration is given to other individuals who have made outstanding contributions resulting in increased recognition of NPs and increased opportunities for NPs to provide care to patients through ongoing work in policy, practice and education at the national or international level in three of the five following areas:
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. AANP elected leadership and Awards Committee members are not eligible to receive either of these awards during their term of office.
Award recipients will be notified in mid-March and should plan to be present at the 2024 AANP National Conference in Nashville on June 25-30 to accept their award. Recipients will receive round-trip airfare for this conference and one-night accommodations at a conference hotel.
Disclaimer: For elected officials, regulators, appointees, federal employees and military at both the state and federal levels (“government employee”), AANP cannot provide items of value. Individuals in these positions will receive public recognition and be presented with a certificate but will not receive additional items. If you are a government employee and inadvertently receive an offer from AANP that includes additional benefits as part of an award, please alert staff since AANP is not always aware — or informed — that an awardee holds such a position.