DeLeon Addison, DNP, RN,CNE, FAADN
Owner, Addison Academics
Dr. DeLeon Addison is a highly accomplished nurse educator with a wealth of experience in clinical practice, leadership, and education. With over 20 years in the field, she has made significant contributions in various roles and has developed expertise in engaged learning techniques, faculty development, and accreditation. Currently serving as a Department of Nursing Chair at Dallas College in Dallas TX, Dr. Addison has been instrumental in shaping the nursing program at the North Lake campus. She has also taken on leadership roles as the accreditation committee co-chair and champion for the strategy planning to implement clinical judgement throughout the program. Dr. Addison demonstrates her commitment to maintaining high standards in nursing education. Dr. Addison's educational journey showcases her dedication to continuous learning and professional growth. She holds an Associate of Science in Nursing from Bryant and Stratton College, a Master of Science in Nursing Education from Gonzaga University, and dual degrees in Health Informatics and a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nursing Leadership from Troy University. Recognizing the importance of innovative teaching methods, Dr. Addison is a Sigma Academic Leader Academy scholar and has completed the Active Learning Academy. Additionally, she is the owner of Addison Academics. Through this venture she aims to elevate the teaching/learning experience by introducing new approaches and strategies to faculty teaching in the classroom. With her extensive experience, passion for education, and commitment to excellence Dr. DeLeon Addison continues to make a significant impact in the field of nursing education. Her expertise and dedication to advancing the profession make her a valuable asset to any academic institution or organization she is associated with.
Kathy Chappell, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN
CEO, Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
Dr. Chappell is the CEO of the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, an international accrediting body that accredits all levels of academic and post-graduate nursing programs in and outside the United States. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President at the American Nurses Association Enterprise where she was responsible for certification of nurses and advanced practice nurses; development of board certification examinations; accreditation of organizations providing continuing nursing and interprofessional continuing education; and accreditation of residency and fellowship programs. She also directed the Institute for Nursing Research and quality management department.
Dr. Chappell is the current Chair of the Board of Trustees for the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and the public member for the Council for Accreditation of Strength and Conditioning Education.
Dr. Chappell holds a baccalaureate in nursing with distinction, a masters in advanced clinical nursing, and a doctorate in nursing.
Lawrence Sherman, FACEHP, FRSM, CHCP
President & CEO Health Impact
Lawrence Sherman is President of Meducate Global, LLC, a U.S.-based organization focused on advancing global health professions education through faculty development, educator training, and continuing professional development (CPD). Through the Meducate Global Academy, he leads international initiatives in communication, presentation skills, and educator capacity building for healthcare professionals and leaders worldwide. He was recently named Visiting Professor of Medical Education at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China.
With more than 30 years of experience in medical and interprofessional education, Lawrence has authored numerous scholarly publications and delivered presentations internationally. He is a Fellow of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions and the Royal Society of Medicine (UK).
An accomplished facilitator and speaker, Lawrence has led hundreds of workshops, advisory boards, and faculty development programs globally. His TEDx talk on including patients in medical education has reached more than 50,000 viewers worldwide.
Lawrence also serves in several leadership and editorial roles within the global medical education community, including Social Media Editor for the Journal for Continuing Education in the Health Professions and Editorial Board Member for the Journal of CME and The Asia Pacific Scholar.
Chuka Maduemezia, RN BSN
Clinical Director & Nurse Educator
Chuka Maduemezia, BSN, RN, is a seasoned nursing leader and educator with more than a decade of diverse clinical experience spanning pediatrics, geriatrics, and hospice care. Her work centers on advancing culturally competent, patient centered care and elevating clinical excellence across multidisciplinary teams. Chuka serves as the Clinical Director and Nurse Educator at Lala Healthcare Solutions and Parker’s Room Training Lab in Dallas, Texas, where she oversees clinical operations, quality improvement, and patient service delivery. She plays a pivotal role in staff development, using evidence-based training strategies and advanced simulation tools—including state of the art mannequins—to enhance nursing competence and real-world readiness. Before stepping into her current leadership position, Chuka spent seven years as a Clinical Care Coordinator at Children’s Health Hospital. There, she specialized in complex care management, patient and family education, care plan development, payer navigation, and advocating for vulnerable patient populations. Her work ensured continuity of care across home and clinical environments, particularly for patients requiring high-cost medications, biologics, and infusion therapies. Chuka’s earlier career includes progressive leadership roles at Epic Health Services, where she structured onboarding programs, trained field nurses, and guided policy development to support quality care delivery. She also brings foundational expertise from hospice and long-term care nursing, where she managed symptom control, supervised interdisciplinary teams, and supported patients and families through end-of-life transitions. Chuka holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington and an Associate of Science in Nursing from Delaware Technical and Community College.
John M. McKenzie, M.A., M.S.
Executive Director
Division of Academic Innovation
John McKenzie is the Executive Director of the Division of Academic Innovation at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. He is a member of the AI strategy task force for UNT Health Fort Worth and is regularly a featured speaker on artificial intelligence, including presentations for the Graduate Certificate in Academic Medicine program at UNT Health and for the Association of Healthcare Administrative Professionals. He is also the founding chair of UNT Health's microcredentialing initiative and has led the launch of more than 30 microcredentials and other short-term high quality microcredential programs in the health sciences since 2020. He is responsible for all community-facing educational programming from the university, which include over 200 programs annually that reach 35,000-40,000 enrollments per year. McKenzie also serves as the Chair of the Credential Innovation Network of UPCEA. He holds master's degrees in Learning Technologies from the University of North Texas and Communication from Texas A&M University.
_JPG.jpg)
Rebecca Harris-Smith, EdD, MSN, BA, RN
Founder, Professional Academic Consulting Services, LLC
Dr. Rebecca Harris-Smith is a compassionate and visionary nursing leader with over 50+ years of impactful experience spanning healthcare, higher education, consulting, and public/private sectors. A resolute educator and mentor, she has a proven record of designing and advancing academic nursing programs while fostering growth and excellence among students, peers, and professional teams. Educated in New Orleans, Dr. Harris-Smith completed the Licensed Practical Nursing Program in high school, received a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Dillard University, completed the Associate of Science in Nursing from Louisiana State University, and later received a Master of Science in Nursing Degree from University of Phoenix. Rebecca also received a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her doctoral dissertation focused on "Exploring Faculty and Students' Perception of the Use of Multiple Teaching Strategies on the Success of Nursing Students." Rebecca's nursing experience spans bedside care, administration, and community/public health nursing, and she has served as a nurse educator since 2003. She has taught at multiple levels in nursing education, including Certified Nursing Assistant, Practical Nursing, Associate of Science, and Entry-Level Master of Nursing programs. Committed to education, Dr. Harris-Smith has presented at local and national conferences for many organizations and provided professional development for numerous schools of nursing. After retiring in 2024, she founded Professional Academic Consulting Services, LLC, to support nursing schools with faculty development. Her career reflects a deep commitment to service, leadership, and education. She remains recognized as a collaborative leader, articulate communicator, and advocate for nursing excellence.
Cherie Rebar, PhD, DNP, MBA, RN, CNE, CNEcl, CLNC, COI, FAADN
Nicole M. Heimgartner, DNP, RN, CNE, CNEcl, COI, FAADN
Nursing Faculty, Wittenberg University
Dr. Cherie Rebar and Dr. Nicole Heimgartner have collaborated as professional nurse educators since 2005. Together, they represent decades of combined teaching and clinical experience. Both actively teach, consult with nursing programs across the United States and Canada, serve as subject matter experts, and author multiple nursing textbooks and educational resources. They are widely recognized for their expertise in curriculum design, program accreditation, the Next-Generation NCLEX®, and clinical judgment development. Among their most meaningful professional accomplishments is their collaboration with Donna Ignatavicius on Medical-Surgical Nursing: Concepts for Clinical Judgment and Collaborative Care, a partnership that began in 2007 and continues to shape nursing education today. They are frequent podium presenters at nationally recognized nursing education conferences, including the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) and National League for Nursing (NLN). Both are members of Sigma Theta Tau International, and they are honored to be named Fellows of the Academy of Associate Degree Nursing (FAADN). Drs. Rebar and Heimgartner are certified nurse educators (CNE), certified academic clinical educators (CNEcl), and certified online instructors. Their shared mission is to empower faculty, engage nursing students, and promote evidence-based best practices in academia to advance the nursing profession and strengthen the future of nursing education. Together, they remain committed to inspiring the next generation of nurses and nurse educators through excellence in teaching, innovation, and collaboration.
Garrett Chan
President & CEO Health Impact
Dr. Garrett Chan is President and CEO of HealthImpact, the California designated nursing workforce and policy center, and Associate Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Chan’s scholarship and policy work focuses on palliative care and emergency nursing, advanced practice registered nursing scope of practice and education, and nursing workforce strategy and development. He is currently the Co-Director of the International Consortium for Outcomes of Nursing Education with Dean Mary Ann Jessee at Colorado Mountain College. Dr. Chan earned his BSN from San Jose State University, his Master’s and PhD at the University of California, San Francisco, did a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Nursing Research Summer Genetics Institute, and completed the Senior Executive Program of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Dr. Patricia Benner was his PhD dissertation adviser and has been working with her for the past 25 years. He is also a law student at Purdue Global University. He is an elected Fellow in the Academy of Emergency Nursing, Palliative Care Nursing, National Academies of Practice, Clinical Nurse Specialist Institute, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the American Academy of Nursing.
Melissa Shemek
System Director Transition to Practice and Continuing Education, Baylor Scott and White Health
Dr. Melissa Shemek is a transformational nurse leader with more than 20 years of experience spanning clinical practice and academic leadership across the United States. She currently serves as the System Director for Transition to Practice and Continuing Education at Baylor Scott & White Health, where she leads strategic initiatives that strengthen workforce readiness, support nurse development, and advance lifelong learning. As a 2024–2025 Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellow, she applies human-centered design to create innovative programs that enhance patient care and elevate nursing excellence. Throughout her career, Dr. Shemek has been recognized for her ability to build collaborative partnerships, lead large-scale program redesigns, and drive system-wide standardization efforts that improve the experience of new graduate nurses. Her leadership is grounded in evidence-based practice, data-informed decision-making, and a deep appreciation for the contributions of frontline clinicians. A passionate advocate for professional growth, she mentors nurses and preceptors at all career stages and champions initiatives that cultivate resilience, promote excellence, and empower nurses to lead transformative change in healthcare. Dr. Shemek holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership with specialization in curriculum and instruction and a Master of Science in Nursing Education.
Toni Doston, DNP, MSN, RN
Remediation Specialist/Academic Coach, Nurse Instructor
Toni Doston, DNP, MSN, RN, is a nurse educator and academic success coach dedicated to advancing nursing student achievement through evidence-based remediation and clinical reasoning development. With extensive experience in both classroom and clinical education, Dr. Doston designs targeted learning interventions that close performance gaps, foster critical thinking, and enhance NCLEX readiness. Her professional work and faculty-development initiatives integrate principles of cognitive scaffolding, simulation-based learning, and data-informed remediation to improve outcomes across diverse nursing populations. In her work with nurse educators, Dr. Doston facilitates faculty development in implementing critical thinking and clinical judgment strategies across theory and clinical settings. She mentors faculty in integrating the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (CJMM™), developing higher-order questioning, and creating reasoning-focused assessments to strengthen teaching effectiveness and student learning. As an academic coach, Dr. Doston applies a holistic, student-centered approach emphasizing self-reflection, structured study planning, and performance analytics to promote mastery and confidence. Her professional mission centers on cultivating resilience, accountability, and excellence in nursing education — bridging the gap between academic preparation and clinical competence.
Toni Doston, DNP, MSN, RN
Remediation Specialist/Academic Coach, Nurse Instructor
Toni Doston, DNP, MSN, RN, is a nurse educator and academic success coach dedicated to advancing nursing student achievement through evidence-based remediation and clinical reasoning development. With extensive experience in both classroom and clinical education, Dr. Doston designs targeted learning interventions that close performance gaps, foster critical thinking, and enhance NCLEX readiness. Her professional work and faculty-development initiatives integrate principles of cognitive scaffolding, simulation-based learning, and data-informed remediation to improve outcomes across diverse nursing populations. In her work with nurse educators, Dr. Doston facilitates faculty development in implementing critical thinking and clinical judgment strategies across theory and clinical settings. She mentors faculty in integrating the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (CJMM™), developing higher-order questioning, and creating reasoning-focused assessments to strengthen teaching effectiveness and student learning. As an academic coach, Dr. Doston applies a holistic, student-centered approach emphasizing self-reflection, structured study planning, and performance analytics to promote mastery and confidence. Her professional mission centers on cultivating resilience, accountability, and excellence in nursing education — bridging the gap between academic preparation and clinical competence.
©2024 by Addison Academics.