Thoughts of Kelleher set tone 
as state and chapter leaders gather

A moving tribute to ENA co-founder Judy Kelleher opened the State and Chapter Leaders Conference on Thursday. ENA 2013 President JoAnn Lazarus, MSN, RN, CEN, read the eulogy she was unable to deliver at Kelleher’s services on Feb. 1 because of flight delays.

Lazarus (right) recalled the first time she met Kelleher at an ENA conference and the impression made by that encounter with a true leader and visionary. When Lazarus was elected ENA president, Kelleher sent her a letter brimming with encouragement.

“She had faith in me … she had faith in all of us when she pursued her dream and co-founded the Emergency Nurses Association,” Lazarus told the 261 association leaders gathered.

In her president’s address, Lazarus said her vision for 2013 includes a focus on her passions of leadership development, association mentoring and board member communications. Specific initiatives are ENA’s “Day on the Hill” scheduled for May 15, a new board mentoring program aimed at developing future ENA leaders, Lazarus’ weekly president’s blog and monthly updates to state council presidents.

Susan Hohenhaus, LPD, RN, CEN, FAEN, ENA’s executive director, presented an update on the ENA national office. She praised association staff who work behind the scenes to provide products and services that support the more than 40,000 ENA members around the world.

ENA Foundation Chairperson Julie Jones, BS, RN, CEN, kicked off the 2013 State Challenge campaign, Shout Out for Emergency Nursing Education, by handing out megaphones to each state council. The goal is to raise more than $117,000 to support educational scholarships during this year’s campaign, she said.

During a special luncheon presentation, ENA member Denise Abernethy, MSN, RN, CEN, received the 2013 Blue Jay Consulting/ENA Outstanding Emergency Department Nurse Leader of the Year Award. Abernethy (shown holding her award at left with Lazarus and Blue Jay managing partners Mark Feinberg, MSB, ACHE, and Jim Hoelz, MS, MBA, RN, CEN, FAEN) is director of emergency services at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Shadyside.

Amy Carpenter Aquino