Executive Director’s Annual Report

There are moments in an association’s history when progress is measured not only in numbers, but in momentum.

This has been one of those defining years.

As I reflect on the past year, I am proud, not because of what the South Carolina Nurses Association accomplished alone, but because of what we accomplished together. Every legislative conversation, educational program, student mentored, partnership formed, community served, and nurse empowered represents our shared commitment to the profession of nursing.

At SCNA, we often say that we are fueled by The Power of Nurses™, but that phrase is much more than a slogan. It is a responsibility. It reminds us that every day we are entrusted with protecting, advancing, and elevating the profession that has given so much to each of us.

Who We Are: Growing Stronger Together

SCNA’s membership continued to grow across every region of South Carolina this year, surpassing 2,600 members while expanding organizational affiliates, faculty memberships, specialty nursing organizations, and student engagement opportunities. Our partnerships with colleges and universities continue to strengthen the pipeline into professional nursing organizations long before graduation, helping students understand that professional membership is more than an extracurricular activity, rather, it is part of becoming a professional nurse.

Growth is not our destination; it is one measure of the trust nurses place in SCNA. Our true focus is impact, seen in the relationships we build, the representation we provide, and the opportunities we create. We are intentionally meeting needs, strengthening connections, and growing communities within the profession we love.

Membership growth affirms that more nurses see SCNA as a meaningful force for change, and that shared belief fuels everything we do next.

What We Have Accomplished: Advocacy Where Decisions Are Made

Advocacy is the heartbeat of SCNA.

At the South Carolina State House and on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., SCNA was present where decisions affecting nursing were being discussed.

Throughout the year, SCNA continued to advocate for:

• Full Practice Authority for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses
• Medicaid Expansion
• Workplace Violence Prevention
• Maternal Health
• Evidence-Based Immunization Education
• Nursing Workforce Development
• Nursing Education
• Health Equity
• Access to Care across rural and underserved communities
• Nursing as a Professional Degree

Our voice has become increasingly recognized because it is thoughtful, collaborative, evidence-based, and always centered on what matters most…the Nurses of South Carolina and every life that they touch.

SCNA also continued serving as a trusted partner through statewide maternal health initiatives, the South Carolina Hospital Association, the American Nurses Association, and numerous coalitions working to improve healthcare across our state.

When policymakers need nursing expertise, they increasingly know where to find it. That presence matters today, and it also shapes the workforce of tomorrow.

Investing in the Future Workforce

Strong professions invest in those who will inherit them.

This year, SCNA expanded opportunities for nursing students through policy experiences, mentorship, scholarship reviews, leadership development, and professional networking, building the bridge between education and professional practice.

Health policy students from the University of South Carolina saw firsthand what advocacy looks like beyond the classroom, while future nurses learned that legislation shapes practice.

Our commitment also extends beyond traditional pathways.

SCNA proudly partnered in the development of the Nurse-Ability initiative, with Able SC and the University of South Carolina College of Nursing, creating opportunities for current and future nurses with disabilities while reinforcing our belief that nursing becomes stronger when everyone has a seat at the table.

As we build the next generation of nurses, SCNA is also carrying South Carolina’s voice into broader conversations about the future of healthcare.

Leading Beyond State Lines

South Carolina nursing is making an impact far beyond our borders.

This year, SCNA leadership represented South Carolina nationally and internationally through keynote presentations, national advisory boards, policy discussions, editorial leadership, and professional conferences.

From Washington, D.C., to Atlanta, GA, from Arkansas to Ghana, the voice of South Carolina nurses continues to influence conversations about healthcare, leadership, workforce development, advocacy, and professional excellence.

Our participation ensures that South Carolina is not simply reacting to the future of nursing, but instead we are shaping it. And that work is strongest when it is shared.

Stronger Together: The Power of Partnership

No organization accomplishes meaningful change alone.

Throughout the year, SCNA strengthened and expanded relationships with healthcare organizations, universities, corporations, nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, and governmental agencies committed to improving healthcare.

Among many accomplishments, SCNA:

• Expanded relationships with the South Carolina Hospital Association
• Continued collaboration with the American Nurses Association
• Welcomed new Organizational Affiliates
• Strengthened partnerships with colleges and universities
• Partnered with the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation to help nurses better understand educational financing and loan repayment opportunities
• Collaborated with healthcare organizations focused on recovery services, maternal health, workforce development, and community engagement
• Offered SCNA’s first half-day campaign school in partnership with Healing Politics
• Secured SCNA’s first organizational grant in more than twenty years
• These partnerships expand opportunities for nurses and strengthen the long-term sustainability of our association.

Our willingness to collaborate is one of SCNA’s greatest strengths. We know that no single organization can meet every need of today’s nursing workforce, but together we can accomplish extraordinary things.

This year, we proudly welcomed several new Organizational Affiliates, including the Neo Hero Foundation, Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority, Delta Eta Chapter, and The Center for Nursing Excellence at the University of South Carolina. These organizations joined an outstanding group of existing affiliates and strategic partners who continue to invest alongside us in the future of nursing.

SCNA also strengthened its role within the South Carolina Nursing Collaborative, further elevating the collective voice of nursing across our state. Through intentional collaboration, shared advocacy, and coordinated initiatives, we continue to demonstrate that when nursing organizations work together, the profession becomes stronger.

Our goal is not to offer more for the sake of more. Our goal is to offer the right opportunities, meaningful education, relevant advocacy, timely resources, networking, leadership development, and professional support that create measurable value for our members.

That value comes to life through education that supports nurses at every stage of their journey.

Educating Nurses Across Every Career Stage

Professional development remains one of SCNA’s greatest responsibilities.

This year alone, SCNA provided webinars, conferences, symposiums, continuing education opportunities, leadership development, policy education, workforce resources, and specialty programming reaching nurses across every stage of practice.

Highlights included:

• 2026 Legislative Day at the SC State Capital
• The inaugural Acute Care Symposium
• Psychiatric-Mental Health Symposium
•  Student Loan educational webinars
• Healing Politics Campaign School
• Nurses Month programming
• Nurses Week celebrations across South Carolina
• Continuing Education initiatives
• Specialty nursing collaborations
• Convention planning for another outstanding statewide conference

Education is one of the greatest investments we can make, not simply because nurses need continuing education credits, but because patients deserve nurses who never stop learning.

Behind each of these efforts is a team whose size may be small, but whose reach is statewide.

Small Team. Statewide Impact.

One statistic tells a powerful story.

Everything highlighted throughout this report has been accomplished by an office of just two full-time staff members, supported by an extraordinary Board of Directors, resolute committee members, chapter leaders, Organizational Affiliates, volunteers, and engaged members across South Carolina.

Behind every conference, legislative meeting, educational offering, webinar, publication, partnership, sponsorship, membership initiative, and advocacy effort is a small but mighty team committed to serving nearly 100,000 nurses across South Carolina.

Our greatest resource is our people. Their dedication, innovation, and belief in the profession make this work possible every day.

That same commitment guides not only what we do, but how we do it.

Why It Matters: Living Our Values

Some accomplishments cannot be captured fully in reports or financial statements.

They are measured in courage.

SCNA continued advancing conversations surrounding diversity, belonging, health equity, and our Racial Reckoning Journey while intentionally creating space for difficult but necessary conversations about the profession we all love.

We continued to demonstrate that leadership is not about avoiding difficult conversations.

It is about having them with integrity and using them to move the profession forward.

That integrity was visible in the way SCNA showed up for nurses across the state.

The Power of Nurses in Action

Throughout Nurses Month, SCNA traveled across South Carolina to celebrate nurses where they work, learn, serve, and lead.

We visited hospitals, celebrated with nursing students, hosted webinars, partnered with communities, attended sporting events, supported specialty organizations, and celebrated our largest Nurses 5K to date.

While May gave us an opportunity to celebrate nurses publicly, our advocacy did not begin on May 1, and it did not end on May 31.

Every legislative meeting, phone call, email, partnership, educational opportunity, media interview, coalition meeting, and conversation about healthcare represents SCNA working for nurses.

Every single day.

The scope of that work is reflected in everything that we do.

Our Vision for the Future

The future has never looked brighter because the work is already underway.

As healthcare continues to evolve, nursing must evolve with it and SCNA is committed to helping lead that evolution.

One of the greatest accomplishments this year was not SCNA’s alone, but ANAs as well. Last October at the 2025 SCNA Annual Meeting, our members voted to welcome LPs into the association. As an organization that claims to represent the profession of nursing, ensuring that all nurses have an opportunity to become members was a vital step forward. At the 2026 ANA Membership Assembly, that opportunity became available to LPNs across the country! The historic 88.2% in favor vote was a testament to our shared commitment to represent every nurse, at every level. The electrifying energy in the room, only solidified what I believe, we all already knew…our professions are strongest when we all have a voice.

It is with that in mind that SCNA will continue investing in advocacy, innovation, leadership development, workforce initiatives, continuing education, strategic partnerships, and expanding opportunities for every nurse across South Carolina.

Our vision is bold because the future demands bold leadership.

Nurses deserve nothing less.

An Invitation to Every Nurse

If you are already an SCNA member, thank you. You make this work possible.

Your membership is more than an annual investment; it is an investment in every nurse practicing today and every student preparing to become one tomorrow.

If you are not yet a member, I invite you to join us.

Join the organization advocating for your profession in legislative chambers, investing in the future nursing workforce, creating educational opportunities, strengthening partnerships, expanding professional resources, and ensuring that the voice of nursing is heard wherever healthcare decisions are made.

Because here is the truth: whether you see us or not, SCNA is working for you every day.

Imagine what we can accomplish when every nurse in South Carolina collaborates with us.

Together, we are not simply preparing for the future of nursing, we are leading the way in creating it!

Together, we are The Power of Nurses™.

2026 Year at a Glance

An executive snapshot of SCNA’s momentum, reach, partnerships, and priorities across the year.

Advocacy & Policy Influence

• Advocated for APRN Full Practice Authority (State and Federal)
• Continued leadership supporting Medicaid Expansion
• Advanced workplace violence prevention efforts
• Represented South Carolina nurses during ANA Hill Day and Membership Assembly
• Participated in statewide maternal health initiatives
• Membership & Association Growth
• Membership surpassed 2,600 nurses
• Expanded faculty and bulk membership initiatives
• Added new Organizational Affiliates
•  Increased engagement with nursing students statewide
• Continued growth across every membership category

Education & Professional Development

• Hosted Legislative Day
• Hosted the inaugural Acute Care Symposium
• Hosted Psychiatric-Mental Health Symposium
• Continued the SC Student Loan Corporation webinar series
• Expanded continuing education opportunities
• Hosted Healing Politics Campaign School and follow-up programming
• Presented dozens of educational sessions across South Carolina

Partnerships & Collaboration

New Organizational Affiliates:

• Neo Hero Foundation
• Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority – Delta Eta Chapter
• Center for Nursing Excellence at the University of South Carolina
• Strengthened partnerships with:
• American Nurses Association
• South Carolina Hospital Association
• South Carolina Student Loan Corporation
• Johnson & Johnson
• WayPoint Recovery Services
• Kelly Willenberg & Associates
• Numerous academic institutions and healthcare organizations

Leadership & Representation

SCNA staff leadership represented South Carolina at:

• ANA Membership Assembly
• ANA Hill Day
• American Nurse Journal Editorial Board
• Ghana Diaspora Nurses Alliance
• AORN Regional Conference
• SCASE Annual Conference
• ECPI University Commencement
• Clinton College Nursing Pinning Ceremony
• Statewide healthcare conferences, universities, and policy forums

Innovation & Sustainability

• Secured SCNA’s first grant in more than 20 years
• Continued organizational technology modernization
• Implemented operational efficiencies
• Expanded sponsorship opportunities
• Advanced dynamic reporting initiatives (ANA)
• Continued strategic planning for long-term sustainability
• Community Visibility & Impact
• Celebrated Nurses Month across South Carolina
• Hosted the largest SCNA Nurses 5K to date
• Expanded student engagement
• Increased visibility in hospitals and communities
• Supported future nurse leaders through mentorship and policy experiences

We Showed Up.

For nurses. For patients. For students. For educators. For communities. For legislation. For healthcare. For the future.

Because nurses deserve an organization that works for them every single day.

JOIN SCNA TODAY!!!