March 2026
From the Desk of the President:
Dear Members:
Happy Lent to you all. So much has been happening at NACN-USA since our last newsletter.
Elections are over. We have a new group of enthusiastic Regional Directors ready to get started. They assume their position April 1. Onboarding will occur in the month of March. Welcome to our new Regional Directors. They are announced in this newsletter by the Membership and Elections Committee Chair, Sue Staiano.
On behalf of the Membership and Board of Directors, I wish to thank the outgoing Regional Directors for their service and dedication to NACN-USA. Thank you, Jamie Shephard, Linda Lopp, and Dr. Rosalinda Jimenez.
Molloy Conference. This regional conference will be here before you know. The slate of speakers is phenomenal with Sister Dede leading the pack. If you are going to be in the New York area at the time of the Conference, register to attend. It is a one-day conference. See the notice in this Newsletter for details.
The NACN-USA National Conference will be held in June of 2027 at Benedictine College in Kansas. Judy Dusek, our State Rep for Kansas, is coordinating the planning process with the School of Nursing. It is a great networking opportunity and learning event. More information will be forthcoming so keep an eye on the website for details.
CICIAMS International Conference is coming up in November 2026 in Thailand. NACN-USA hosted the last International Conference in 2022. Nurses from around the world came and shared the nursing challenges and opportunities in their individual countries. If you can possibly plan to go it is a great opportunity to be present on the World Stage. Registration for this conference is open. Sign up soon.
Committees:
The Schools & Agencies Committee chaired by Pat Sayers is a booming success. Council formation has started or is now complete at 8 Universities with Catholic Schools of Nursing. A pilot program for Catholic students at a secular School of Nursing has begun. This School has a large number of Catholic students wanting to start a Council. It is an Ad Hoc pilot process to see how it works and if it goes well, we may open it up to other Secular Schools of Nursing who have a connection with a local parish or a Newman Center on Campus.
Awards & Scholarship Committee. We have a new Awards and Scholarship Chairperson. Having a representative from each of our 9 regions would be ideal to support the review of Scholarship applications and determine the Scholarship recipients for the coming year.
More members are needed to serve on Committees. Interested? Complete the volunteer paperwork found on the NACN-USA website. Those of you who volunteered through the survey sent out last November can get a head start by completing this paperwork if you have not already done so. Committee Chair meetings will be scheduled twice a year. This is an opportunity for the Committee Chair’s to network with each other and support their individual projects.
Our pilot program for State Representatives has also proven successful. These state representatives provide a lot of support to the Regional Director in their area. It is giving the association a broader outreach process around the country. State Representatives help Regional Directors to recruit new members, support regional meetings, and work on projects specific to their state or region. Would you like to be a state representative? Complete the volunteer paperwork on the NACN-USA website.
Meetings: General Membership Meetings will be held twice a year by Zoom. The purpose of these meetings is to share with you accomplishments/forecasting upcoming events, answer member questions, solicit feedback on current projects, and secure ideas for new projects for future consideration.
Yours in Christ,
Bonnie Blachly
Bonnie Blachly MN, BSN, RN
President, NACN-USA
