2026 ENA President Dustin Bass Seeks to Strengthen ED Nurse Community

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (Jan. 5, 2026) – Dustin Bass, DNP, MHA, RN, CEN, NEA-BC, of North Carolina, begins his year as Emergency Nurses Association president with a commitment to strengthening connections with the association’s more than 40,000 members and the broader emergency nursing community around the world.

Bass, a board-certified emergency nurse who completed his doctorate in health care leadership, systems, and policy from Yale University in 2023, is the current vice president of System Emergency Services at ECU Health in Greenville, N.C. He has been recognized by ENA and other organizations for his leadership style and achievements across several hospital organizations over his 15-year career.

“Emergency nurses give so much of themselves, and they deserve an association that gives back just as powerfully. As ENA’s 2026 president, I’m committed to creating a year where every member feels seen, valued and connected,” Bass said. “2026 will be a year of belonging, community and hope — one that reflects the undeniable strength and spirit of emergency nursing.”

Bass realized early in his emergency nursing career he had a talent for “helping people help others,” and he has worked to improve the lives of nurses who work at the stretcherside. He wrote “The Leadership Dashboard” and “Leadership Affirmations: A Coloring Book and Journal,” which were published in 2022, and he has presented extensively on leadership at ENA conferences and has been a guest on regional and national TV and radio shows.

In 2021, he was selected for the inaugural ENA 20 Under 40, and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership inducted him into the AONL Young Professional Voices class of 2023.

Bass has been active in ENA with committees and councils since he began his career in 2010, serving as the Nevada ENA Council president before being elected to the ENA Board of Directors in 2021.

The full 2026 ENA Board of Directors also includes:

• President-elect: Chris Parker, MSN, RN, CNL, CEN, CFRN, CPEN, TCRN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, NRP, of Virginia
• Secretary/treasurer: Vanessa Gorman, MSN, RN, CCRN, FAEN, FCENA, of Australia
• Immediate past president: Ryan Oglesby, PhD, MHA, RN, CEN, CFRN, NEA-BC, of Florida
• Directors:
  • Tyler Babcock, MSN, MBA, RN, CEN, NEA-BC, TCRN, of Pennsylvania
  • Benjamin Coe, PhD, DNP, RN, APRN, CEN, CPEN, FNP-BC, NHDP-BC, PCCN, TCRN, NRP, of Missouri
  • Heidi Gilbert, MSN, RN, CEN, SANE-A, TCRN, of Oklahoma
  • Shawntay Harris, DNP, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, NE-BC, TCRN, CPEN, CEN, CTRN, CFRN, FAEN, FAAN, of Texas
  • Leslie Kees, MSN, RN, CEN, of Washington
  • Lauren Plaine, MPS, BSN, RN, CEN, of Washington D.C.
  • Rachael Smith, MSN, RN, CEN, CCRN, CPEN, CNE, NPD-BC, TCRN, of Connecticut
• Emerging Professional Liaison: Spencer Jackson, BSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, TCRN, CCRN, EMT-B, of Texas
• Interim Chief Executive Officer: Bridget Walsh 

The ENA election occurred in September 2025, during which newcomers Coe and Kees were elected to their first terms.