About NursingColleges.com
Sechel Ventures Partners LLC owns and operates NursingColleges.com, which publishes expert-written guides on careers, education, state licensure, and advocacy issues in nursing. The mission of Sechel is to provide authoritative features that help prospective nursing students find degree programs, certification information, and first-hand accounts of professionals’ daily lives.
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Experts Interviewed on NursingColleges.com
Cheryl Peterson is the Vice President of Nursing Programs at the American Nurses Association (ANA). She earned her BSN from the University of Cincinnati and her MSN from Georgetown University. In her role at the ANA, Peterson provides senior leadership to the departments responsible for guiding policy development and advises the ANA CEO, President, and membership on the full range of policy and practice issues facing the nursing profession.
As part of her policy portfolio, Peterson is responsible for managing ANA’s participation within the International Council of Nurses and supporting the development and implementation of quality indicators affecting patients, nurses, and the entire healthcare team. Since coming to ANA in 1990, she has developed expertise in several areas, including political education and campaign involvement; lobbying issues related to labor, employment, trade, and immigration; and policy development on the supply of and demand for nursing services.
Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, MHA
Dr. Katie Boston-Leary is the director of nursing programs and co-lead for Project Firstline at the American Nurses Association (ANA). She has been an RN for 27 years, specializing and certified in perioperative nursing, nursing administration, and executive leadership. She is also adjunct faculty at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and adjunct faculty at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University.
Dr. Boston-Leary has been invited to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC with the American Organization of Nurse Leaders to discuss the havoc of regulatory burden on hospitals. In 2019, she was identified by Health Leaders Journal as One of Five Chief Nursing Officers Changing Healthcare.
Matthew Allen is a Director at Large on the Board of Directors for the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), which represents over 42,000 members in New York State.
He also works as a clinical nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital, in New York City. Allen received his BSN from the Columbia University School of Nursing in 2015.
Dr. Maureen Fagan is a double-certified women’s health and family nurse practitioner. She has compiled a lifetime of work as a nurse, nurse practitioner, and specialist in reproductive health, emphasizing adolescent high-risk pregnant girls and women. She spent most of her practice in OB-GYN, using her expertise to provide patient-centered care.
After graduating with a nursing diploma from Albany Memorial School of Nursing and obtaining women’s health and family nurse practitioner certifications, she went on to achieve a master’s in health administration and a doctorate in nursing practice from Simmons College. Most recently, she was employed as the chief nursing executive for the University of Miami Hospitals and Clinics Health System.
Rachel Norton has been an RN since 2007 and has always worked in critical care, spending the first 12 years of her career based in Albany, working for a level I trauma center in their surgical neuroscience trauma ICU.
Norton also worked as a flight nurse for LifeNet of New York on various bases across the state, took on multiple travel assignments since 2010, and ultimately landed in Denver, where she remains per diem in the ICU at The Medical Center of Aurora. As a user researcher at National Hiring Marketplace Vivian Health, she advocates for healthcare workers and works to help bridge the gap between employee and employer expectations.
Dr. Stacia Hays is associate dean for the online graduate program and clinical associate professor for the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing. She is also a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner with an active pediatric practice and a current primary care editor for the Journal of Pediatric Health Care. She earned her MSN from the University of Texas at Austin and her DNP from the University of Florida.
Dr. Hays is the recipient of state, national, and international leadership and advocacy awards, including America’s Top 10 NP Award, a Florida Advocacy Icon Award, Nurse Practitioner of the Year, an Advocacy Scholar Award, and Emerging Nurse Leader. Dr. Hays is a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the current treasurer of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP).
Dr. Surani Hayre-Kwan is the director of professional practice and nursing excellence at Sutter Health in Sacramento, California. She is responsible for advancing professional practice throughout system affiliates. She provides leadership in professional development, clinical education, and training for nursing and advanced practice clinicians. She was previously the executive director of operations for the Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation.
Dr. Kwan has been a California Association for Nurse Practitioners (CANP) member for nearly 20 years and served as the association’s president for two terms. She is also a certified family nurse practitioner and a Fellow of the American Association for Nurse Practitioners and the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Meet the Team
Jocelyn Blore
Chief Content Strategist, Editor, WriterJocelyn Blore is the chief content officer of Sechel Ventures and the co-author of the Women Breaking Barriers series. She graduated summa cum laude from UC Berkeley and traveled the world for five years. She also worked as an addiction specialist for two years in San Francisco. She’s interested in how culture shapes individuals and systems within societies—one of the many themes she writes about in her blog, Blore’s Razor (Instagram: @bloresrazor). She has served as managing editor and strategist for four nursing websites since 2015.
Seth Restaino
Co-Founder, Sechel VenturesIn 2013, Seth co-founded Sechel Ventures, where he wears many hats, including production and engineering. Prior to that, he built and sold a web design company (the precursor to Sechel), and held Director positions at a large media company and a marketing software company. Seth lives and works in California wine country.
Barry Franklin
Co-Founder, Sechel VenturesBefore co-founding Sechel Ventures Partners LLC, Barry Franklin was a VP at a Silicon Valley software company. Barry is married with two beautiful daughters. He and his wife met while attending Carnegie Mellon University, a hub of innovation. He is also an investor in several companies.
Johannes Stitz
WriterJohannes Stitz is a freelance writer and researcher based in the Southwest. He’s written about various topics in medical technology careers. Before turning to freelance writing, he spent nearly a decade in the arts as a booker and event manager.
Kimmy Gustafson
WriterKimmy Gustafson is a freelance writer with extensive experience writing about nursing careers and education. She has worked in public health, at health-focused nonprofits, and as a Spanish interpreter for doctor’s offices and hospitals. She has a passion for learning, which drives her to stay up to date on the latest trends in healthcare. When not writing or researching, she can be found pursuing her passions of nutrition and an active outdoors lifestyle.
Matt Zbrog
WriterMatt Zbrog is a writer and researcher from Southern California currently living in Berlin. He believes a strong society demands a stronger support network for healthcare and nursing professionals. Since early 2018, he’s written extensively and interviewed experts about emerging topics in the nursing field. Drawing upon his source with healthcare leaders, professors, nurse practitioners, advocacy groups, and others, his writing and research focus on learning from those who know the subject best.
Nina Chamlou
WriterNina Chamlou is a freelance writer from Portland, OR. She writes about healthcare, psychology, economic trends, business, technology, digitization, supply chains, education, aviation, and travel. You can find her floating around the Pacific Northwest in diners and coffee shops, or traveling abroad, studying the locale from behind her MacBook. Visit her personal website at NinaChamlou.com.
Rachel Drummond
WriterRachel Drummond is a freelance writer, educator, and yogini from Oregon. She’s taught English to international university students in the United States and Japan for more than a decade and has a master’s degree in education from the University of Oregon. A dedicated Ashtanga yoga practitioner, Rachel is interested in exploring the nuanced philosophical aspects of contemplative physical practices and how they apply in daily life. She writes about this topic among others on her blog (Instagram: @racheldrummondyoga).