Washington State Labor & Industries Healthcare Labor Standards Manager Carl Backen will be adding his insight on the Safe Staffing Panel. With a robust background in policymaking, legislative analysis, and labor enforcement, Backen seeks to promote fairness and sustainability in healthcare workplaces. In his free time, Backen enjoys reading science fiction, playing music, and befriending cats. 

Sami Bailey joined the Washington State Nurses Association in May 2024. She has experience as a health policy analyst, a legislative staffer at both the state and congressional levels, and working on political campaigns. 

Katie Blanchard, PhD-c, MSN, NPD-BC, CNE, CPP, is a dedicated advocate for workplace violence prevention. Her journey began after graduating from Pacific Lutheran University and commissioning into the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. On Sept. 7, 2016, then-First Lieutenant Blanchard was attacked by a coworker who doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. He also stabbed her multiple times.  

Blanchard has contributed her expertise to numerous committees and conferences both nationally and internationally, striving to make healthcare settings safer for all. She volunteers as the chair of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation’s workplace safety committee and serves on the workplace violence Technical Advisory Panel for the Joint Commission.  

Her career has spanned various specialties, including Med/Surg, Oncology, Pediatrics, Psychiatric care and Patient Safety. Currently, she is the Director of Nursing with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services in Behavioral Healthcare Administration. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Washington and is a PhD candidate in their School of Nursing with a research focus on workplace violence prevention.  

Kristina Buckley is a hospital program manager at the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) with a strong commitment to public health. 

Buckley holds a certification in healthcare management and is dedicated to protecting and improving the health of individuals in Washington state and ensuring equitable access to healthcare for all. In her current role, Buckley provides technical assistance, policy interpretation, and supports the implementation of SB5236, concerning hospital staffing.  

Buckley joined DOH in 2022 as a health service consultant for the Certificate of Need, Facilities Licensing, and Construction Review Services programs. She gave guidance and education to the public and applicants throughout the application process, while addressing inquiries on rules application. 

Dr. Cynthia Clark is the Founder of Civility Matters, Professor Emeritus at Boise State University, and an award-winning professor, scholar, and author. As a clinician, she specialized in adolescent and family mental health, substance abuse recovery, and suicide and violence prevention. For two decades, Dr. Clark taught a variety of nursing courses in her role as a tenured university professor. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, the NLN Academy of Nursing Education, and co-chaired the American Nurses Association Professional Panel on Incivility, Bullying, and Workplace Violence. Dr. Clark is best known for her ground-breaking work on fostering civility and healthy work and learning environments around the globe. She is the recipient of numerous teaching, service, and research awards—and widely acclaimed for her engaging presentations. Her empirical assessments have been translated into 16 world languages and used by scholars in 32 countries on 5 continents. She is a community builder and an unwavering advocate for a kinder, gentler, and more civil world. 

Pat Ellis started his career as a public safety chaplain in 2000 with the Kent Police Department, Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority, and Valley 911 Communications Center.   

He holds multiple certifications in critical incident stress management, traumatic stress, traumatic grief, and line-of-duty death of an emergency responder.   

Ellis teaches Critical Incident Stress Management, Compassion Fatigue, and Emotional Survival in Emergency Services for various public safety agencies and academies throughout Washington. He also trains and coordinates peer support teams for multiple fire and police departments.   

Ellis is president of the board for the Washington State Fallen Firefighters Memorial Foundation and is the co-author of the Washington State Fire Service Line of Duty Death Policy and Procedures.  He is also the Washington state coordinator for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Local Assistant State Team.   

He is married and has three children and five grandchildren. 

Justin Gill currently serves as the President of the Washington State Nurses Association. He is the first person of color to hold the role, and at 33 years of age he is one of the youngest presidents in WSNA history. He works clinically as an urgent care nurse practitioner in Everett, Washington. Justin graduated from nursing school in 2012 from Whatcom Community College. As a nursing student, he served as the Vice-President of the Nursing Students of Washington State 2011 Board where he strengthened his leadership skills. 

Justin obtained his BSN from the University of Washington, Bothell while working as a bedside nurse. After completing this he completed his MSN in 2015 at Georgetown University with a Family Nurse Practitioner focus. He has been working as a nurse practitioner since 2015. He later obtained Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree from Yale University with a focus on policy and leadership. 

Justin has been an active member of WSNA since graduating from nursing school in 2012. He has held positions as a member and chair of the WSNA Legislative & Health Policy Council, Vice President of the WSNA Board, and as a member of the WSNA Political Action Committee. Nationally, Justin is a former trustee for the American Nurses Association (ANA) Political Action Committee. In 2014, he received the ANA Nurse Advocate Award alongside Senator Susan Collins of Maine. During the COVID 19 pandemic Justin made numerous appearances on live segments for MSNBC, NBC News, and CBS News discussing his experience as an Urgent Care NP and commenting on the direct clinical impact of national policy decisions. Justin is a passionate health policy advocate and believes that nurses are best positioned to make positive changes in our healthcare system. He feels strongly that nurses possess the skills to address some of the most complex problems that face our society.   

David Keepnews is Executive Director of the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA). He has devoted the past three and a half decades of his professional career to advancing the nursing profession in roles as a policy analyst, advocate, educator, and union leader. He has backgrounds in nursing, public health, law, and health policy. He has held professional staff positions in nursing and health care organizations, including the American Nurses Association. He has also served in leadership positions in state and national nursing organizations, including the American Academy of Nursing, where he served as a Board member for 6 years. He edited Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice, a nursing journal focused on nursing and health policy, for a decade.

He is a Vice President of both the Washington State Labor Council and AFT, a national union representing professionals in education, health care, and public service.

Dr. Keepnews previously served in faculty roles in New York, Massachusetts, Washington state and Washington, DC. He has worked as a staff nurse in inpatient psychiatry, psychiatric emergency, and community mental health settings and as a staff attorney for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. He has published and spoken widely on nursing and health policy, including workforce, payment, and advocacy issues. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the New York Academy of Medicine, and the Academy of Nursing Education. He is board-certified as a Nurse Executive – Advanced by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is an alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows program.

Dr. Monica R. McLemore is a tenured professor in the Child, Family, and Population Health Department and the Director for the Manning-Price Spratlan Center for Anti-Racism and Equity (CARE) in Nursing at the University of Washington School of Nursing. She currently holds the Endowed Professorship and Lecture in Health Promotions.

Her program of research is focused on understanding reproductive health and justice. To date, she has 143 peer reviewed articles, OpEds and commentaries and her research has been cited in the Huffington Post, Lavender Health, six amicus briefs to the Supreme Court of the United States, and four National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine reports, and a data visualization project entitled How To Fix Maternal Mortality: The first step is to stop blaming women that was published in the 2019 Future of Medicine edition of Scientific American.

Her work has also appeared in publications such as Dame Magazine, Politico, ProPublica/NPR and she made a voice appearance in Terrance Nance’s HBO series Random Acts of Flyness. She is the recipient of numerous awards and was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2019. She became the Editor in Chief of Health Equity Journal in 2022.

A sought-after presenter and prolific author, Jennifer S. Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, serves as the 38th president of the American Nurses Association. In this national leadership role, Mensik Kennedy boldly advocates for the nation’s 5.5 million RNs. In 2023, she was named by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.

Her books include Lead, Drive, and Thrive in the System, 2nd edition, and The Nurse Manager’s Guide to Innovative Staffing, 2nd edition. She co-authored Lead like a Nurse, A Nurse’s Step-By-Step Guide to Transitioning to the Professional Nurse Role, and The Power of Ten, 2nd edition, and contributed a chapter to The Career Handoff: A Healthcare Leader’s Guide to Knowledge & Wisdom Transfer across Generations.

Prior to her presidency, Mensik Kennedy held key leadership positions within the nursing profession, including serving the American Nurses Association as Treasurer, Second Vice President, and Director-at-Large. She also served as President of the Arizona Nurses Association from 2007 to 2010. Additionally, Mensik Kennedy held the role of governor of nursing practice for the Western Institute of Nursing in 2010-2014.

Mensik Kennedy earned a PhD from the University of Arizona College of Nursing with a focus on health systems and a minor in public administration from the Eller College of Management. She holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a BSN from Washington State University. Mensik Kennedy also earned an ADN from Wenatchee Valley College-North. Prior to assuming the presidency of American Nurses Association, she was an associate clinical professor at the Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing. 

Mensik Kennedy was inducted in 2014 as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She has been recognized as Alumna of the Year by both University of Arizona College of Nursing and Washington State University College of Nursing.

Kelly Nedrow is senior director of AFT Health Issues. She has nearly two decades of experience representing workers in various capacities, including work as a staff representative, general counsel, and executive director for healthcare affiliates. Nedrow is integral to the AFT Code Red campaign, which is a multiyear effort focused on healthcare safe staffing and workplace violence prevention.

Nedrow’s work at the AFT has included advocacy around epidemics, pandemics, adverse and unsafe working conditions, activism, and program development. She believes that advocacy for worker safety and health is a critical underpinning in all union work. 

ReWired nurse and psychosocial wellness expert Stephanie Staples has dedicated her career to supporting healthcare professionals as they revitalize both their personal and professional lives. With a career that spans from the Mayo Clinic to the Middle East, Stephanie’s engaging, idea-packed keynotes are proven to elevate feelings of hope, happiness, and empowerment—while providing nurses with practical tools to make positive changes in their daily lives.

As a multi-titled author and speaker, Stephanie draws on her unique background in nursing, fitness, and communications to connect deeply with her audiences. She understands firsthand the challenges of the profession and offers real-world strategies that can be applied immediately to enhance well-being.

Whether you’re feeling the weight of compassion fatigue or just need a fresh perspective, Steph’s authentic approach will leave you feeling inspired and recharged.

Most importantly, Steph is a mom of three humanitarians, Lolli of three hellions, wife of one very patient person, and despite being a last-placed triathlete, she’s proud to cross the finish line upright, smiling, and without medical intervention!

Get ready to laugh, learn, and take away actionable steps to improve your well-being and patient care. For more information about your keynote speaker, visit StephanieStaples.ca. 

Dr. Ali R. Tayyeb is a United States Navy Veteran, having served as a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman with Naval Medical Center San Diego, 1st Marine Division, and 3rd Marine Division. 

Dr. Tayyeb earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from California State University, Los Angeles, and his Ph.D. from the University of San Diego. 

Dr. Tayyeb is a Jonas Veterans Healthcare Scholar Alumnus and is the CEO and founder of RN Mentor Consulting, Creator, Producer, and Host of the RN-Mentor Podcast and serves as Chief Research Consultant for the Los Angeles County Military and Veterans Affairs. 

Dr. Tayyeb’s expertise, research, and advocacy are primarily veteran-centric; however, his work has evolved into exploring systemic failures and advancing social networks to connect and advance nursing issues while facilitating nursing discourse centered around the theory of social contracts. 

Dr. Tayyeb is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and is ANCC nationally board-certified in Nursing Professional Development. 

Eppie Williamson is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Schools of Nursing where she worked teaching clinicals. She also worked at Johns at Johns Hopkins Hospital in general medicine and at Harborview Medical Center in neurosciences. She is now working at UW Medicine in ambulatory care with internal medicine.  

Williamson is also working with other registered nurses across UW clinics on a project to address incivility and verbal violence from patients and family members directed towards staff over the phone and through MyChart messages.