About MKSNLA

The Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, is a global community for nursing leadership development to advance health globally and design the future of healthcare.

Vision 
Transformation of health globally through nursing leadership.  

Mission
To empower nurse leaders to impact health globally and advance the future of healthcare.

Core Values
Integrity
Discovery
Accountability
Innovation
Global Citizenship
 

  • Joyce Fitzpatrick, Director
  • Linda Q. Everett, Miller Postdoctoral Program Director 
  • Rebecca Patton, Faculty
  • Evelyn Duffy, Faculty
  • Mary Dolansky, Faculty
  • Molly Jackson, Faculty
  • Stuart Downs, Coldiron Senior Nurse Executive Fellowship Program Director
  • Jack FitzGerald, Manager
  • Joshua Gerlick, Research Associate
  • Nancy Hovan, Development partner
  • Dhara Awasthi, Marketing and Communications Intern
  • Kathleen Wilson, Department Assistant

The Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy has two advisory boards that help guide its education, research and policy decisions.

For more information about these boards, visit our "Advisory Boards" webpage.

Marian K. Shaughnessy: Nurse Leader & Advocate

Picture of Marian K. Shaughnessy, RN, DNP, founder of the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Shaughnessy is also an alumna of FPB.

Marian Shaughnessy said the concept for the new academy originated in a “future of nursing” letter she wrote in 2013 for a class taught by Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, the Elizabeth Brooks Ford Professor in Nursing and former dean of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. She wrote, “Now, more than ever, nurses must seize the opportunity to be, not just facilitators of health care, but rather leaders in their own right.”

Together, Drs. Shaughnessy and Fitzpatrick further developed her concept into the game-changing Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy.

Sadly, our friend, colleague and visionary nurse leader, Marian K. Shaughnessy, DNP, MSN, RN, passed away February 24, 2020.

Dr. Shaughnessy helped launch the national Nurses on Boards Coalition for the American Nurses Foundation in order to present a nursing perspective to America’s boardrooms. Dr. Shaughnessy held leadership board positions in a wide number of Cleveland nonprofits and was a current member of the board of University Hospitals Medical Center of Cleveland and the Advisory Committee for Notre Dame School of Nursing in South Euclid, Ohio.

Dr. Shaughnessy's nursing career included leadership positions and consulting in perioperative care delivery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Lakewood Hospital and Critical Care at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital. She was a member of the American Nurses Association, Association of Operating Room Nurses, American Organization for Nursing Leadership, Association of Leadership Science in Nursing and Sigma Theta Tau. 

Dr. Shaughnessy had extraordinary vision in creating a pathway for nurses to develop their capacity to lead. Her drive and passion have inspired Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing faculty, students, staff and alumni, along with colleagues across the nation, to take leading roles in redesigning health care. The Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy will strive to make Marian’s dream of nurses as innovative leaders a reality.

As a tribute to her life's work of improving patient care and advancing nurses in the workforce, Dr. Shaughnessy's family prefers that those who wish to make contributions in her name to the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106.

Donate to MKSNLA


About the Shaughnessys

Joyce Fitzpatrick, Marian K. Shaughnessy, Dean Mary E. Kerr

Marian K. Shaughnessy, DNP, MSN, RN, was an educator, administrator and community leader. A double alumna of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, she served on the Board of Directors of University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and the Board of Trustees for the American Nurse Foundation until her passing in February 2020.

Her husband Michael is the founder and former president of Color Matrix. He also serves on numerous boards including trustee and board member for Notre Dame College, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland among others.