Through Stephanie’s transformational leadership, she has been able to influence nursing standards and professional practice. Widely apparent is her strong ability to strengthen the influence of nurses across Atrium Health’s 70,000+ teammates in the SE region. Other major reasons include her implementation of collaborative interprofessional care models across the healthcare continuum and her ceaseless advocacy to quantify nursing contributions in improving health outcomes. Stephanie’s passion for nurses and the nursing profession is immeasurable. Those who work directly and indirectly with her bear witness to her focused actions; all indicative of improving the quality, visibility, and reputation of nurses. As one of her many nursing initiatives spanning three states, she was the Emergency Department and Continuum Service line leader who spearheaded through COVID challenges. Just recently, she co-led the Emergency responses related to the aftermath of Hurricane Milton in the state of North Carolina. As a leader, Stephanie makes herself available to provide guidance, advice, and support to teammates. Stephanie recognized that in times of crisis, leader communication needs to be direct, caring, and frequent. She regularly rounds with all her nurses. This compassionate nurse leader hosts regular updates for all her nursing teammates. Her huddles focus on facts and always begin with a story of celebration or connection to purpose. Stephanie ends each weekly meeting with an open discussion session, encouraging questions from all. It is a safe space for all to ask difficult questions. If answers were readily not known, they were researched and communicated back quickly. This demonstrates transparency to the team, which allowed for building trust. A best practice, these huddles continue with ongoing recognized value. Nursing engagement scores for teammates in all her areas of oversight are in the 10th percentile.

Trust is perhaps one of the greatest gifts a leader can bestow on their team. Through her actions and her words, Stephanie supports her teams every step of the way. She empowers all those around to ask questions, make the right decisions, and reach for higher achievements. Anyone who has had the privilege of working with Stephanie will tell you that she makes you feel seen, heard, protected, empowered, appreciated, and an essential part of something far bigger than yourself. Stephanie creates a vision for the future of nursing through her leadership and/or participation in the North Carolina Organization for Nursing leadership, where she currently serves as the district 3 Board member, guiding nurse leaders across the entire state. In addition, she is an active member of the Awards Committee for the American Organization of Nursing Leadership. Stephanie is a servant leader and mentor who has advocated for nursing to shape the future of health for three decades. At Atrium Health, senior leaders have made a commitment for all facilities across the enterprise to pursue the Magnet or Pathway to Excellence designation. Stephanie sponsors this body of work, not just in name, but through encouragement and role modeling. She is intentional in her actions, always connecting the work back to standards that lead Atrium Health nursing towards designation. As the leader of the ED Service line, she has encouraged all the EDs to journey to attain the Lantern award, with three additional EDs receiving this award this past year.

In all that she does and in all that she says, Stephanie is focused on bringing excellence to nursing practice. She is recognized as a peer who is an essential link that connects all goals, all teams, and all teammates in three service lines. She seamlessly weaves all together with the common mission. Sometimes teammates are aware of this when they see her in action. Other times, it is her innate behind-the-scenes ability to see the greater picture while “in the weeds” with the onsite team that effectively unites all teammates, harnessing their collective skills and passion for the mutual work. She inherently understands the value of creating a space where everyone belongs to work as one, enabling great things to happen. Accolades regarding Stephanie span 360 degrees and are shared across the Atrium Health system.

Stephanie has a long history of inspiring nurses to be compassionate. In 2022, Stephanie inspired the leadership of Atrium to start a Nightingale Nursing Honor Guard. She applied for grant money from the Atrium Nursing Foundation, was approved, and within a short period of time, she was able to gather a group of over 50 nurses. The Atrium Health Nurses Honor Guard pays tribute to those who dedicated their lives to the nursing profession, Registered Nurses, and Licensed Practical Nurses. Upon request, and free of charge, Stephanie arranges for a group of nurses to provide a short tribute for the deceased nurse at their funeral or memorial service. Atrium Health Nurses Honor Guard respectfully provides the following:
• Attend all services wearing traditional white uniforms.
• Stand guard at the casket or provide a respectful presence during visitation.
• Recite the Nightingale Tribute at the service and preside over the final call to duty.
• Present the Nightingale lamp to the family.
• Place a white rose with the loved one to signify devotion to the nursing profession.
This group has provided this compassionate ceremony to over 70 nurses in our community and has even traveled as far as Virginia to honor a nurse. This all could not have happened if not for Stephanie’s leadership and passion to recognize nurses even at the time of their passing. The following is a link to a spotlight on the local Charlotte news. Carolina Strong: Atrium’s Nurses Honor Guard recognizes service of fellow nurses – WSOC TV

Stephanie seeks to develop and execute effective approaches to improving nursing practice through her influential leadership. In 2020, Stephanie, in partnership with one of her colleagues, started the “First Best Nurse” Podcast. This is a podcast for and about nurses, brought to you by Atrium Health. Through her leadership, she has been able to produce over 50 podcast interviews. These interviews included many nationally known nursing leaders like Dr. Tim Porter O’Grady, Dr. Jean Watson, Donna Wright, Dr. Maureen Swick, Dr. Mary Beth Kingston, Dr. Janice Walker, Dr. Amy Hester, and Dr. Earnest Grant. These widely listened to podcasts covered topics that were most relevant in the moment from how to make publication a reality, virtual nursing, holistic health, perspectives on DEI and Health Equity, Professional Governance models, fall prevention, workplace violence mitigation, professional development and many, many more “don’t miss “episodes. These podcasts, which are found on Spotify, influence nurses everywhere! The following is the link to the Podcast that Stephanie and her colleague host. First Best Nurse Podcast Series - Apple Podcasts

Known for her coaching and mentoring, Stephanie regularly demonstrates a caring willingness to assist others in professional development. She currently has 5-8 mentees across the state in various care locations. She utilizes an effective coaching model, attributing her success to leaders who coached her. Whether serving as a formal or informal mentor to nurses, her approach ensures that her mentees are not discouraged; rather, they are empowered to make necessary changes by doing the right work.
Throughout her career, Stephanie has sought opportunities to improve herself, the nursing profession, and affiliated organizations. She contributed to the creation of a clinical advancement program to reward and recognize nurses. A lifelong learner, she continually encourages all staff to return to school to obtain professional certifications and advance their education, and leads by example. Stephanie is currently enrolled in the University of Alabama at Birmingham- Executive Leadership DNP program and is completing her DNP project, which is a program evaluation of the Clinical Nurse Credentialing Pathway.

Stephanie is a great leader who inspires others to raise their own bar. She believes that nursing leaders have tremendous ability to impact the course of healthcare. Her driving belief is that mentoring aspiring nurse leaders and building collaborative relationships are two of the most impactful ways that nursing leaders can positively impact healthcare. Stephanie plans to leverage her expertise in mentoring, coaching, and innovative leadership to continue positively influencing healthcare globally.