Congratulations to Kenya Beard, EdD, AGACNP-BC, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, Associate Provost at Chamberlain University, on being appointed chairperson of the New York State Board for Nursing.
Dr. Kenya Beard has dedicated her 35-year career to the nursing profession and education with an emphasis on advancing education and health equity at the national level. Dr. Beard represents the National League for Nursing as a commissioner for the American Nurses Association’s National Commission to Address Racism and is chair of the American Academy of Nursing’s Diversity and Inclusivity Committee. She is a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Nursing, and the Academy of Nursing Education and serves on the editorial board for the American Journal of Nursing. She previously served as an advisor to the New York Academy of Medicine’s Health Equity Scholars Network and has co-authored a perspective for the National Academy of Medicine, which was recently accepted. Her research has also been published in the American Journal of Nursing, Journal of Professional Nursing, and Nursing Outlook.
As a proponent for eliminating disparities in academia, she led the New York State Action Coalition in constructing the 2014 Workforce Diversity Toolkit for New York. In 2016 she was called upon by the National League for Nursing to assist with the development of their 2016 Diversity Vision Statement and helped co-create the Josiah Macy Foundation’s 2018 groundbreaking document “Improving Environments for Learning in the Health Professions.” Dr. Beard’s national workshop “Diversity & Inclusion: Facilitating Race-Related Discourse that Matters” mitigates bias in health care and is supported by the National League for Nursing.
Dr. Beard served on the New York State Board for Nursing eight years prior to assuming the title of chairperson. In her new capacity, she will guide a board of 17 esteemed leaders in the healthcare sector. The Board provides guidance to the New York State Board of Regents and the State Education Department to advance the nursing profession by establishing standards in nursing practice and education.
“Creating a more diverse and inclusive nursing pipeline is a public health priority,” said Beard. “In my position at Chamberlain, and in my new role with the New York State Board for Nursing, I am committed to engaging healthcare and education partners to ensure that the nursing workforce more clearly represents the communities and the patients we serve.”
