Inputs
Welcoming New Voices and Visions to the ANPD Board of Directors
April 18, 2024 — Jenny Harshman, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CPN
Rachel Senefeld Kromer, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, NEA-BC
Shara Rhodes, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, NPDA-DC ®, MEDSURG-BC
As is tradition during the ANPD Aspire Convention, this April ANPD leadership announced the newly elected Directors. Get to know these new faces, their goals for their Board term, and what they enjoy most about our community in this Q&A.
What inspired you to join the ANPD Board of Directors?
Jenny Harshman, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CPN (JH): For the past three years I’ve been a member of the ANPD Innovation Committee, and I learned I thrive in an environment where collaboration and advocacy meet to enhance the NPD specialty. I wanted to be a member of ANPD Board of Directors so I can influence our specialty through advocacy and change agency.
Rachel Senefeld Kromer, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, NEA-BC (RSK): Chris Wilson, past president of ANPD, was the senior director of our nursing education and professional development department at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where I work as director of clinical education and professional development for the adult hospital. She has been an endless source of wisdom for me throughout my NPD career, and the ANPD connections she built and shared with our department have been fundamental in my success as an NPD leader. When she retired, I felt like running for the ANPD Board would be the best way to carry the torch.
Shara Rhodes, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, NPDA-DC®, MEDSURG-BC (SR): I was inspired to join the ANPD Board because of my interest in serving the members of the association. As a member of ANPD, this role gives me the ability to be a voice and a representative of the many faces of NPD practice. I am equally inspired by the opportunity to partner with the association leaders in equipping NPD teams to respond more nimbly to the needs of nurses and nursing practice associates.
Can you share any goals for your time as a Board member?
JH: One goal I would like to achieve in my time as a Board member is to encourage members in the organization to think outside of the box in ways to get involved. I never thought I would be a Board member, and initially joined ANPD for the convention information. I think there are other members out there who don’t fully know all the benefits of the organization, and as a Board member I hope to highlight all the awesome benefits ANPD offers to our profession.
RSK: As a good NPD practitioner, I’m going to hold off on making goals until I do a good needs assessment! As I write this, I’m waiting to check-in at the ANPD Aspire Convention. I can’t wait to meet ANPD members and hear from them what they’d like represented in the board meetings.
SR: As an NPD specialist myself, I have witnessed firsthand the post-pandemic evolution of nursing and healthcare. One of my goals is aiding in the discovery of how we can help our NPD teams be more agile in addressing the needs of healthcare organizations who are facing constraints relating to operations and staffing. This includes bolstering our efforts regarding organizational knowledge of the NPD scope and standards to ensure we are optimizing our reach by making full use of the entire spectrum of NPD practice.
Is there anything that you are looking forward to in this role?
JH: I am personally excited about the knowledge I will gain as a new Board member. I am looking forward to the diversity of thought and experience that are part of the Board. Additionally, I love budgets and keeping things organized via Excel, and I hope through my role as the treasurer I’ll be able to share and put that love into practice for ANPD.
RSK: I look forward to building new collaborative partnerships with my fellow board members, as well as getting involved in any work around leadership, respectful and equitable practice, and evidence-based practice. I am excited to build new ideas for the ANPD community.
SR: I am looking forward to interacting with the association in a different, more intimate way. I have served on committees in the past, I also have served on taskforces and workgroups. These experiences have helped me to both understand the functions of the associations while also equipping me to apply the scope and standards in the communities I serve. I really am delighted to be able to influence NPD practice from a more encompassing role.
What do you enjoy most about being part of the ANPD community?
JH: My favorite part of the ANPD community is the opportunity to learn from others. I love hearing about how other hospitals do things, and how that can be translated to my organization. ANPD ensures our profession never settles and always strives for the best in nursing professional development.
RSK: The first time I saw the NPD model, I thought, “Aha! This is what I’m supposed to be doing! Someone else gets it!” It provided such clarity of purpose. I appreciate being with folks who are engaged in the same challenges and seeking to support NPD practitioners and PD associates.
SR: I enjoy making the connection between academia and professional practice. I also enjoy being part of an exceptional group of healthcare scientists whose work underpins the entirety of nursing practice from its most basic concepts to the highest orders of operations. Being an NPD specialist is undoubtedly the most significant intersection of all the roles I hold as a registered nurse and I am thrilled to serve on the Board because of this interconnectedness.
Jenny Harshman, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CPN
Senior Director of Clinical Learning and Patient Education, Children’s Health
Jenny Harshman, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CPN, is a nursing professional development leader at Children’s Health in Dallas, Texas. She serves as the senior director of clinical learning and patient education in the Learning and Leadership Institute and has a special interest in how modern learning design impacts outcomes. Harshman has presented on social learning and redesigning learning methods at national and international conferences. She is a published author and serves as a subject matter expert for leadership in healthcare learning. Harshman was also a finalist for International Manager of the Year for Gallup, Inc. in 2022 and is the recipient of ANPD’s 2024 Leader Award.
Rachel Senefeld Kromer, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, NEA-BC
Director of Clinical Education and Professional Development, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Rachel Kromer is the director of clinical education and professional development at Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s adult hospital, where she manages a team of 30 NPD practitioners and PD associates. She serves on ANPD’s Implementation Committee as past chair and mentors in the ANPD EBP Academy. She won ANPD’s 2022 Leader Award and has been featured on the NPD Forecast podcast.
Shara Rhodes, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, NPDA-DC ®, MEDSURG-BC
Assistant Chief Nursing Officer, Grand Strand Medical Center – HCA
Dr. Shara Rhodes has been a practicing nurse for nearly two decades, and held her first role in nursing professional development over 13 years ago teaching continuing education to adult learners in her small NC town. She has held many NPD roles, including approver unit program director, organizational development director, division (regional) director of clinical programs, and vice president of nursing operations.
She holds multiple specialty certifications in nursing, including the Advanced NPD credential, has completed formal mentor training and achieved fellowship as a coach mentor through a special workforce development program, and holds a doctorate in nursing practice with a focus on healthcare systems leadership. Her doctoral journey was a focus on how the nursing professional development of healthcare preceptors can influence organizational outcomes in staffing, leadership, and care delivery.