RNO Board of Directors |
| PresidentMary Isaacson Dr. Mary J. Isaacson is an Associate Professor and Christine Heide Sorensen Professor in Nursing at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing, with expertise in hospice, palliative, and rural health nursing. Her NIH-funded research focuses on addressing health inequities and improving culturally responsive care for rural and American Indian communities across the Great Plains. Dr. Isaacson currently serves as President of the Rural Nurse Organization (RNO) and is committed to advancing the specialty of rural nursing through leadership, research, and advocacy. More information is available at: |
 | Past PresidentLori Hendrickx Dr. Lori Hendrickx, Past-President of RNO and Chair of the Nominating Committee. She is a Professor in the Department of Nursing at Northern State University and is retiring from full-time teaching after a 40-year career in nursing education in December of 2026. Lori also currently fills in as a staff nurse in an Emergency Department in Detroit Lakes, MN. She has worked clinically in rural hospitals for most of her career and taught electives in Rural Health at the graduate and RN-BSN levels. Lori's teaching experience includes faculty positions at UW-Eau Claire, Montana State University, and South Dakota State University prior to my current position. |
| SECRETARYStacy Stellflug Stacy Stellflug, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, is an Associate Professor in the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing at Montana State University and a family nurse practitioner with extensive clinical and academic experience. A seventh-generation Montanan raised in Glasgow, Montana, her work is grounded in firsthand experience with rural communities and focuses on preparing nurses and advanced practice providers for rural practice and strengthening the rural healthcare workforce. She leads federally funded workforce initiatives and conducts research examining the nursing workforce, rural practice, and strategies to improve healthcare access in rural and underserved communities. Dr. Stellflug currently serves as Secretary of the Rural Nurse Organization (RNO), supporting its mission to advance rural nursing practice, education, research, and advocacy. More information is available at: Montana State University Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing |
| TreasurerPaige Turner Johnson Paige Johnson, PhD, MSN, RN is the Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs at the University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing. Dr. Johnson's teaching, research, and service focus on improving health and strengthening the healthcare workforce in rural and underserved communities. Her work includes leading rural health initiatives focused on health promotion, community engagement, and developing pathways for rural students to enter nursing and other health professions. She currently serves as Treasurer of the Rural Nurse Organization (RNO) and is actively engaged in advancing rural nursing through professional service and scholarship. Additional information about her professional experience and scholarly work is available through her Google Scholar profile. |
| Member-at-LargeAngeline Bushy Angeline Bushy, professor emerita, held the position of The Bert Fish Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Community Health Nursing at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing. Dr. Bushy is a nationally and internationally recognized authority on rural nursing and rural healthcare issues. Her published research has addressed health issues of women in rural areas, distance education, homelessness, home care, healthcare ethics, and the social determinants of health and healthcare disparities among residents in less populated and remote geographical communities. Angeline Bushy, PhD, RN, FAAN, LTC US Army (ret.) |
Member-at-LargeTrish Gilley |
| Member-at-LargeJennifer Stephens Jennifer M.L. Stephens is a Board Member at Large for RNO. She served a one-year term on the RNO Board previously and appreciates the opportunity to step into a longer term. Jennifer is an Associate Professor of Nursing at the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing at the University of Wyoming. With over 25 years of experience as a nurse in both the US and Canada, her research focus is on oncology patient experience, rural healthcare resource allocation, rural palliative care and hospice, and translational research. She serves on several RNO committees as well as being a Board member for the Wyoming Nurses Association, the Wyoming State Oncology Society, and the Wyoming Cancer Coalition. Jennifer's first career was as a professional historian, and she is very active in the history of nursing in Wyoming and the American West. More information is available at: University of Wyoming Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing |
Committee ChairsBY-LAWS
Jennifer Kowalkowski jqk6169@psu.eduCHAPTERS Dr. Weierbach is a Professor of Nursing at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). She has been a member of the Rural Nurse Organization (RNO) for over 15 years, and was the founding president for the Appalachian Region Tri State (ARTS) Chapter. She remains active with the ARTS chapter as Past President. In June she celebrated 43 years of being a RN. During those 40 plus years she has had the privilege to care for people from all walks of life with the majority of her clinical practice meeting where people are at - which is the home and the community. Her research focuses on community resources and the role of the RN. She is a frequent presenter at the biannual rural nurse organization conference. CPHNO PARTNERSHIP
Dr. Audrey Snyder is a passionate nurse, nurse practitioner, educator, and researcher. She Is the Dean of the Dwyer School of Nursing at Widener University. She is certified as an acute care and family nurse practitioner. She has a passion for building working teams to address community and educational needs. Her significant contributions have focused on disaster resilience, promoting access to care for rural and under resourced populations and decreasing barriers to access advanced education for rural and underrepresented nurses. She is a founding member of the Global Rural Nurse Exchange Network and is the recipient of the 2023 Lillian Wald Humanitarian Award by the National League for Nursing. She has been honored as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the Academy of Emergency Nurses, and the American Academy of Nursing. Audrey Snyder, PhD, RN, CEN, CCRN, FNP-BC, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FAEN, FAAN EDUCATION Dr. Donna Cutting is Chair of the RNO Education Committee and Clinical Associate Professor of Nursing/ Director of the online RN-BS program at the Binghamton University Decker School of Nursing in Binghamton, New York. She has been a Registered Nurse for nearly 20 years with experience working in rural hospitals, health departments, and teaching in rural nursing programs. Donna lives in Walton, located in the Catskill Mountain Region of NYS. MEMBERSHIP Nicole Rouhana Donna Cutting NEWSLETTER Elizabeth Crooks ONLINE JOURNAL Pam Stewart Fahs is a longtime member of the Rural Nurse Organization and has held leadership positions as Secretary, President-Elect, and President. She received the Anna Mae Erickson Rural Leadership Award in 2016. She recently retired from Binghamton University after 40 years, where she held the Decker Endowed Chair of Rural Nursing Care and served as Associate Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Science. She has been Editor-in-Chief of the Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care since 2011 and continues in that role today. WEBSITE Dr. Joan Grant Keltner is Chair of the RNO Web Committee and Professor of Nursing at the UAB School of Nursing in Birmingham, Alabama. With more than 40 years of experience, she works with rural patients, care partners, and individuals with disabilities in home and community settings, including those managing stroke, heart failure, and diabetes. Her work centers on telehealth interventions that support rural individuals in addressing physical and psychosocial challenges. More information is available at: |
