NLN Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA)

Announces the 2025 Election Results

Board of Commissioners and Nominations Committee Members Elected

to Three- and Two Year Terms

The National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA)  is pleased to announce the outcome of its 2025 election. All those elected will begin three-year terms for the Board of Commissioners and two-year terms for the Nominations Committee effective January 1, 2026.

Brooke McAtee, Ph.D., MSN, RN, was re-elected to a second term on the Board of Commissioners as a Nurse Educator Representative. Dr. McAtee is the Director of Nursing Programs and Assistant Professor at Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, MO. Dr. McAtee was also elected to serve as the Board Chair.

Newly elected members of the Board of Commissioners include:

Nurse Educator Representatives

• Amber Heimberger, DNP, MSHL, RN, CNE, Dean, College of Science & Health; Founding Dean of Nursing; Professor of Nursing, Missouri Baptist University, Saint Louis MO.
• Bonny Kehm, PhD, RN, CNE, Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and Assistant Provost, Columbia Southern University, Orange Beach, AL.
• Pavel Pugh, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-C, FEP, CNE, Director of Nursing, SABER College, Miami, FL.
• Pamela Sandvig, DNP, MSN-Ed., RN, CNE, Executive Director, Pathways & Compliance and Dean, Post-Licensure Nursing, West Coast University, Richardson, TX.
• Kimberly Wiegand, DNP, RN, CNE, Assistant Vice President for Nursing, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Indianapolis, IN.

 Nursing Practice Representative

• Anjie Raber, PhD, RN, CNE, EBP-CH, Nurse Scientist, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, Falls Church, VA.

Newly elected members of the Nominations Committee include:

Pre-licensure Representative

• Rachel Choudhury, MSN, MS, RN, CNE, Associate Dean, Nursing, Pacific College of Health and Science, New York, NY.

Post-licensure Representatives

• April Minster, EdD, MPH, RN, CNE, Curriculum Instructional Developer – Post-licensure & Graduate Programs, Chamberlin University, Chicago, IL.
• John Gonzalez, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, ANP-C, Clinical Associate Professor School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX.

“We are excited to work with this outstanding group of newly elected nurse educators and our practice representative. These individuals will help to advance the NLN CNEA’s work ensuring quality nursing education accreditation excellence,” said NLN CNEA Executive Director Teresa Shellenbarger, PhD, RN, CNE, CNEcl, ANEF. “I appreciate that the voters took their time to review the candidates and elect these exceptional individuals representing nursing programs from across the academic spectrum as well as our nursing practice representative.”

“The NLN CNEA Board of Commissioners Executive Committee is thrilled to have such an esteemed list of newly elected and re-elected members who will continue the organization’s commitment to our core values of caring, diversity and inclusion, integrity, and excellence,” said NLN CNEA Board of Commissioners Chair Susan Welch, PhD(c), EdD, RN, CNE, alumnus CCRN.

The 15-member board provides leadership and direction to the accreditation services and is responsible for all accreditation decisions on nursing programs that seek accreditation from the NLN CNEA. The Nominations Committee is one of many standing committees and special task forces that facilitate the work of the Commission.

More information about the NLN CNEA, including how to begin the accreditation process, can be found at  CNEA.NLN.org.