HONORING THE EXTRAORDINARY NURSE LEADERS IN OUR COMMUNITY

2023 ONL Award Recipients

Since 1982, ONL has recognized the outstanding contributions of nurse leaders in the region with our Awards and Scholarships. Each year, our committee has the challenging task of selecting recipients from our pool of incredible nominees. We are proud to have so many exemplary nurse leaders within our community and congratulate all our nominees on their accomplishments.

Candidates are nominated by colleagues and evaluated by an awards committee, except for the Sherwood Award, which is selected by the Board of Directors, and the President’s Award, which is selected by ONL’s President. Awards are bestowed at the ONL Annual Meeting during our Member Reception and Awards Ceremony.

Please join us in congratulating our 2023 ONL Awards and Scholarships Winners!

Helene Thibodeau DNP, RN, CRRN, NEA-BC

Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer

Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital Network

Mary B. Conceison Award

The Mary B. Conceison Award for Excellence in Nursing Leadership recognizes outstanding contributions of a nursing service administrator.

This year’s recipient of the Mary B. Conceison Award is Helene Thibodeau. Since joining Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital as CNO in 2014, Helene has made significant improvements to the quality of patient care across the entire network. With responsibilities encompassing inpatient and outpatient care across four acute rehabilitation hospital sites, including regulatory compliance, infection control, and risk management, her leadership has been instrumental in achieving positive outcomes. During the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Helene demonstrated exceptional leadership as she co-chaired the COVID task force, swiftly navigating the evolving landscape and ensuring safe and quality patient care. Her evidence-based care initiatives led to her promotion to Chief Clinical Officer, showcasing her invaluable contributions. Recently, she was appointed Chief Operating Officer, recognizing her collaborative and innovative management practices. Helene's fervor for organizational and clinical process improvement is further evident in her study of quality improvement science at the Institute for Health Improvement (IHI) and her certification as a Patient Safety Officer.

Passionate about developing future nurse leaders, Helene serves as a mentor to many and has held adjunct nursing faculty positions at prestigious universities. She is also a champion of continuing education for fellow nurses and established a new tuition reimbursement program that served as the catalyst for many to pursue advanced nursing degrees. Her own attainment of a Doctorate in Nursing Practice in 2018 serves as an inspiration to the nurses she leads.

Helene's impact extends beyond her organization, as she actively serves on community boards and contributes to global health initiatives, including recently working with Partners in Health. Helene has also made tremendous contributions to the ONL community, having served on numerous committees and task forces, her current role as the NH Government Affairs Representative and as a former Board Member and Treasurer.

Her colleagues reflect that Helene’s genuine and transformative leadership style is witnessed in her interactions with staff, taking the time to greet and engage with every individual, making them feel valued and recognizing their integral role in the team. She is regarded by all as a collaborative and respected member of the team.

We could not be more proud to award the Mary B. Conceison Award to Helene for her outstanding contributions to the nursing profession and truly exceptional leadership. Congratulations, Helene, and thank you for all that you do!

President’s Award

In 2007, ONL established the President’s Award to recognize contributions that go beyond expectations. The award is given at the discretion of the President, President-Elect, and Past President. This year, we present our President’s Award to two individuals.

Sarah Sjostrom, MSN, RN, ACPN-BC

Associate Chief Nurse & VP of Ancillary Services

Hebrew Senior Life

Our first recipient is Sarah Sjostrom, Associate Chief Nurse & VP of Ancillary Services at Hebrew Senior Life. Sarah is recognized for her exceptional leadership, compassion, innovation, and commitment to her team and patients. During the past two years, she has spearheaded initiatives that surpassed expectations and provided vital support to fellow nurses. Sarah took the initiative to develop an organization-wide Stress First Aid program to address the impact of the pandemic. She proactively attended training sessions, then coordinated with the organization’s Wellness Coordinator, developed easily understood program materials, and led workshops for managers and frontline staff on the program. Sarah’s efforts helped alleviate tensions on the unit and created a more supportive work environment. By encouraging team members to pause throughout their day and perform self-care, this program has helped hundreds of nurses and nursing assistants in their daily work. She also secured funding and space for a meditation and relaxation room accessible 24/7. During this same period, Sarah’s leadership supported work led by the Institute for Healthcare Improvements around Age Friendly Health Initiatives. Not only did Sarah lead organizational efforts to define and support best age-friendly practices, her work informed leaders to foster practical processes for frontline staff, integrating Age-Friendly Work at a national level. Despite her demanding role as Associate Chief Nurse, Sarah's unwavering dedication and willingness to go above and beyond for staff and patients remain evident, making her a worthy recipient of this year’s President’s Award. Congratulations, Sarah!

Susanne Yeakel, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CNML

Nurse Director

Hartford Hospital

Our next recipient of this year’s President’s award is Susanne Yeakel, Nurse Director at Hartford Hospital. Susanne embodies the spirit of this award as someone who exceeds expectations, both within her organization and beyond. This has been especially evident throughout the pandemic. Susanne helped create and implement an innovative “Covid-19 Shift” approach to limited dialysis machine resources, eliminating the ethical decision of rationing therapy that so many of our organizations faced. These exemplars were published in the Nephrology Nursing Journal. Further, Susanne participated in her organization’s Incident Command Team, drawing upon her FEMA training and expertise. She transitioned her 42-bed general surgery unit into a 38-bed COVID unit and assisted in the development of an algorithm for COVID testing for admissions to inpatient rehab. Despite the rigor and demands of COVID, she presented posters and panel discussions at regional and national conferences on the organization’s quality improvement projects related to getting to zero pressure ulcers, strategies for post foley catheter removal, optimization for urinary retention and diagnostic stewardship resulting in a decreased urinalysis order rate by 46% on the inpatient rehab unit, about which she was recently published in the March/April Rehabilitation Nursing Journal. Susanne’s dedication extends to advancing the nursing profession. She has served as an ONL Board member, a member of our Workplace Violence Task Force, a member of our Government Affairs Committee, and our Nominating Committee. She has also served on the AONL Board, on multiple AONL committees, and as a mentor in the AONL Mentor-to-Mentor program and participated in the inaugural Nurse Manager Fellowship program. Susanne is widely recognized by her colleagues as an exceptional mentor, shaping remarkable leaders who, in turn, become dedicated mentors themselves. It is with great pleasure that we present Susanne with the 2023 President's Award, acknowledging her outstanding contributions. Congratulations, Susanne!

Elaine K. Sherwood Award for Excellence in Service

This award was established in 1993 to recognize outstanding commitment and contribution to the work of our organization. The recipient is selected by ONL’s President, Past President and President-Elect.

Joseph Gordon-Reznar, MPA, BA, BSN, RN, NE-BC

Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Inpatient, Critical Care & Maternal-Newborn Services

Cambridge Health Alliance

The recipient of this year’s Elaine K. Sherwood Award is Joseph Gordon-Reznar, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Inpatient, Critical Care & Maternal-Newborn Services at Cambridge Health Alliance. Joe is an incredible nurse leader and longtime ONL Member who has shown dedication to the vision and mission of this organization. He has a passion for supporting new nurse leaders and is a natural mentor. He is incredibly generous with his time and expertise – whether it is serving as a faculty member for the ONL Leadership Academy, volunteering to help with meeting set-up and take down, or engaging with our vendor partners. Joe arrives early, stays late, and says “yes” to everything we ask of him. Simply put, Joe’s generous contributions to ONL enrich our community, and we are grateful for all that he does. Congratulations, Joe!

Janet Madigan Award for Excellence in Advocacy

This award was created to honor Janet Madigan, who passed away in July 2013. The award honors excellence as a community advocate, or political leader committed to supporting and advocating for the nursing profession and patient care. This year, we are thrilled to announce two recipients of the Janet Madigan Advocacy Award.

Betsy Hassan, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CPPS

Director of Nursing Education & Professional Development

University of Vermont Medical Center

Our first recipient of this award is Dr. Betsy Hassan, Director of Nursing Education & Professional Development at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Betsy embodies advocacy on behalf of the nursing profession. She is recognized today for her unyielding commitment to ensuring the voices of nurses are heard and their contributions recognized and for her advocacy at the organizational, local, state, and federal levels. She has been described by her colleagues as “truly the voice of nursing leadership” and a “transformational leader.” At the state level, she serves as a board member of ANA – Vermont, has represented Vermont as a delegate to the ANA Membership Assembly, serves on a Legislative-directed committee to support the nursing workforce, and is regularly taking action to influence legislation that supports the nursing profession. At the federal level, in response to a request from the Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Betsy drafted an analysis in support of legislation to eliminate the burdensome federal nurse aide skills demonstration testing requirement. She also serves on ONL’s Government Affairs Committee and is an asset to our community. We are thrilled to present her with this year’s Janet Madigan Advocacy Award. Congratulations, Betsy!

Nancy LaMonica, MSN, MHA, RN, PCCN, NEA-BC and the Bristol Health Team

VP of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer

Bristol Health

Our next Janet Madigan Advocacy Award is presented to Nancy LaMonica, Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Bristol Health – and the entire Bristol Health Team. Last fall, when a police officer, well-known and well-connected to the Bristol Health community, was ambushed and gunned down on an emergency call and did not survive, the reality of workplace violence hit home to Bristol Health. In addition to supporting her team through the aftermath of the tragedy, Nancy demonstrated true courage and leadership in helping the team channel their anguish into action to address the need to do more to protect frontline and healthcare workers. She reached out to a local state senator, organized a legislative hearing, which was held at the hospital and encouraged and supported her clinical nurses to “tell their stories”. Their compelling testimony led to CT HB 6741: An Act Improving the Safety of Healthcare Providers and Patients that passed on June 7th! Through her tenacious efforts, Nancy has demonstrated the ability to articulate the voice of nursing leadership, collaborate with others, effectively communicate to political leaders and the community, and encourage and instill bravery in the hearts of her nursing staff. We are thrilled to present her with this year’s Janet Madigan Advocacy Award. Congratulations, Nancy and the entire Bristol Health team!

Pamela Leigh Vecchiarino Nursing Leadership Award

This award was created to honor the memory of Pam Vecchiarino by ONE CT, which merged with ONL in 2016. The award recognizes nurse leaders who are patient-focused change agents committed to improving outcomes. Honorees advance the profession, are compassionate, and serve as role models to others.

Lisa DeMelis, MSN, RN, CAPA

Director of Perioperative Services and the Families Are First Birthing Center

Bristol Hospital

The recipient of this year’s Pamela Leigh Vecchiarino Nursing Leadership Award is Lisa DeMelis, Director of Perioperative Services and the Families Are First Birthing Center at Bristol Hospital. Lisa is recognized for her commitment to excellent patient outcomes and for her leadership and ability to strengthen nursing teams to the benefit of patient care. Lisa’s leadership during the pandemic illustrates her patient focus: When she was tasked with opening up one of the first outside COVID specimen swabbing centers in the state, she suited up daily in protective garb, came in early and left late, and partnered with Bristol Public Health to operationalize school nurses to staff the testing site. She always kept community focus at the forefront and was highlighted in the news as an exemplar. She also never lost focus of surgical operations and starting up surgeries again as soon as possible. She implemented the Patient Safety Initiative huddle in preop before surgery, which led to more than 850 days without a serious safety event and improved OR efficiency as first case on-time starts went from 50% to 80%. Even after taking on more and more additional responsibilities including the Maternity Unit, Lisa continues to build strong relationships, mentor each manager on her team, offer daily encouragement and recognition, and remembers and celebrate personal milestones. She is described by her colleagues as always “bringing a positive attitude and a light that never grows dim, no matter what she encounters,” and for spreading that light to others. Her transformational leadership has helped to stabilize staffing and leaders on her team to the benefit of patient care and outcomes. She truly embodies the spirit of the Pamela Leigh Vecchiarino Nursing Leadership Award. Congratulations, Lisa!

Marilyn Rinker Memorial Scholarship Award for RNs in Advanced Degree Programs

This award was established by the Vermont Organization of Nurse Leaders in 2009 to honor Marilyn’s lifelong commitment and dedication to professional nursing practice, nursing education and leadership. The award provides scholarship support for nurses pursuing an advanced degree with an emphasis on nursing leadership.

Sarah Hoffman, MSN, RN, CENP

Director of Nursing Operations and Resources

University of Vermont Medical Center

This year’s recipient is Sarah Hoffman, Director of Nursing Operations and Resources at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Like Marilyn, Sarah has held roles throughout nursing including direct patient care, nursing education and nursing leadership – though it is in nursing leadership, she reports, that she has found her true passion. Her passion and dedication as a nurse leader are evidenced by her work both within and outside of her organization. At UVM Medical Center, Sarah represents nursing on many different cross-functional committees and workgroups. To name just a few - she is co-chair of the Organizational Clinical Effectiveness and Efficiency Committee, leads the Nursing Workforce Steering Committee, is leading margin correction work around 1:1 observation, and works collaboratively with the resource management team to advocate for the acquisition of nursing resources across the inpatient nursing division. She is lauded by others within her organization for her flexibility, willingness to take initiative, innovation, and mentorship. Sarah also serves as a VT State Representative on the ONL Board of Directors and is an active member of AONL. She was selected for and completed the AONL Nurse Director Fellowship in 2022, and in the same year received her CENP leadership certification. Sarah is currently pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree through Baylor University’s DNP – Executive Nurse Leader Program, which she thoughtfully selected for its alignment with her professional goals and aspirations to lead and advocate on behalf of all nurses. We are thrilled to present Sarah with this year’s Marilyn Rinker Memorial Scholarship Award. Congratulations, Sarah!

Laudio Outstanding Nurse Manager/Nurse Director Scholarship

This scholarship recognizes nurse leaders that demonstrate strong leadership skills, support a continuous journey towards excellence, and exhibit promise for greater contribution and levels of responsibility. Recipients receive scholarship funds exclusively for ONL’s nurse leader development programs.

Victoria Franco, BSN, RN

Nurse Manager

Newport Hospital

Kari Irwin, MSN, RN, RCIS, NE-BC

Nurse Director Procedural Recovery Unit and Procedural Float Pool

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Fran Leonard, MSN, RN, AOCN

Nurse Director

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Sharon A. Smith Scholarship Award

The Sharon A. Smith Scholarship Award honors Sharon's legacy by developing nurse leaders and supporting their continued educational journey in nursing programs or advanced degree programs.