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. 

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, DNP, ARNP, RN, is the first person of color, first male, and one of the youngest presidents in WSNA’s 115-year history, becoming president at age 33. He works as an urgent care nurse practitioner at Providence Medical Group in Everett.

Gill’s experience as a member of a WSNA collective bargaining unit and a professional member reinforced his belief that WSNA should be involved in all health policy discussions in Washington. His priorities include elevating WSNA and the nursing profession.

A natural leader, he has held leadership roles since high school, including serving as president of his nursing student organization and vice president for the Nursing Students of Washington State. He earned his BSN from UW Bothell, a master's from Georgetown, and a doctorate in nursing from Yale.

Gill believes success comes from solving problems, and he views nursing as a way to address societal challenges, given the trust and respect the profession holds.

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.

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.

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.