Mo began her nursing career after graduating from a diploma program in 1984. Her passion for learning and growth led her to further her education, earning a bachelor’s, a master’s, and culminating in a PhD in Organizational Leadership and Learning in 2018 – all while working full time as a single mom raising five children. 

Mo’s commitment to servant leadership began as a clinical nurse from 1984 to 1989 at a community hospital.  Her formal leadership journey began in the early 90s when she took the role of an off-shift supervisor.  In 1994, she accepted her first managerial role overseeing a team of approximately 50 nurses. Her mission-centric and results-oriented approach was widely recognized, propelling her into director roles between 1997 and 2011. Her leadership journey reached a significant milestone in 2011 when she accepted her first SVP/CNO role at Allegheny Health Network. Mo joined Ascension as the Market CNO serving Michigan in 2018, where she was accountable for 8,500 nurses. Currently, she serves as the SVP/CNO for Ascension, the 3rd largest healthcare system in the United States, providing strategic oversight and executive leadership to 46,000 nurses and 13,000 support staff across 12 markets (WI, MI, IL, IN, NY, MD, KS, OK, TN, TX, AL, FL) Her role involves the development and alignment of the ministry-wide nursing strategy supporting the Ascension 3-year dynamic plan.

Within Ascension, Mo’s impact has been profound, driving nursing and patient care delivery outcomes consistent with our Vision, “answering God’s call to bring health, healing, and hope to all.”  By the numbers, as the system SVP/CNO, she has achieved remarkable outcomes. 

Quality and Safety Amenable to Nursing
70% fewer regulatory citations
19.5% reduction in C diff
11.8% reduction in CAUTI
10.4% reduction in CLABSI
27.4% reduction in HAPI Stage 2+
13% reduction in falls with injury
3.27 to 3.50 CMS Stars Rating

Equity and Policy
Thanks to Mo’s advocacy, 725 hospitals worldwide have adopted skin tone assessments before evaluating pressure ulcer prevalence, impacting  55,000 patients globally
Mo’s doctoral work on diversity barriers in nursing fueled her passion for removing obstacles for colleagues of color
In partnership with other senior colleagues, Mo established the Ascension Market to address employee food insecurity
She served as the executive sponsor, resulting in a $1M grant-funded SNI pipeline program allowing students to simultaneously earn while they learn
In 2022, Mo was invited to speak at the Bipartisan Policy Center Virtual Roundtable moderated by Sheila Burke, MPA, RN, FAAN, along with Dr. Peter Buerhaus, Deb Trautman, PhD, RN, FAAN, President and CEO of AACN, and Chip Kohn, Federation of American Hospitals, on “Help Wanted: Alleviating the Nursing Shortage” 
Mo served as the executive sponsor for the Ralph C. Wilson THRIVE grant of $3.6 million to support entry level caregivers in developing life skills. 206 participants enrolled, resulting in a turnover reduction from 30% to 7%
Mo served as the executive sponsor for the SAMHSA Zero Suicide Grant training to reduce death by suicide
She advocated for a $7M investment of socially just wage for entry-level staff in the Michigan market 

Nurse Development
Mo implemented the Nurse Leader Structure consistent with AONL Compendium 
She developed the quarterly Nurse Leader Development Series attended by 5,138 nurse leaders
She awarded $ 500,000 in results-oriented EBP capacity-building among nurses

Nurse Engagement
7.3% improvement in nurses recommending Ascension as the place to work 
19.2% improvement in nurses recommending Ascension as the place to receive care
 40% improvement in nurse turnover
134 sites actively participating in DAISY Recognition for clinical nurses with 2100 nominations at scale - established by Mo
Additional evidence of Mo’s contributions to the profession includes 11 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 14 podium and poster presentations, and a book chapter on Transformational Leadership in Nursing titled “Practice Models: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation.” 

With immense appreciation and on behalf of the DAISY Foundation, we present Dr. Maureen “Mo” Chadwick with the Lifetime DAISY Award for her outstanding contributions to Ascension, the nursing profession, healthcare delivery, and health equity. Her work embodies the Ascension Vision, “answering God’s call to bring health, healing, and hope to all” - and aligns with the DAISY Mission to “meaningfully celebrate extraordinary, compassionate nurses, capturing those moments unique to nursing that make a profound difference in the lives of people around the world.”