Warner named interim dean of College of Nursing

Ann Warner, professor of nursing and co-coordinator of the graduate nursing program at McNeese State University, has been named interim dean of the McNeese College of Nursing and Health Professions. Warner replaces Peggy Wolfe, who has stepped down as dean to resume her role as a member of the faculty.

“I am excited to serve as interim dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions,” Warner said. “While these are definitely challenging times for students, faculty and staff, our team is laser focused, extremely capable and working hard to produce health care professionals to meet the needs of our communities. It is an honor to be their leader and I am looking forward to it.”

Warner, whose appointment became effective Jan. 4, received her doctorate in nursing science from Texas Woman’s University in Houston, her Master of Science degree in trauma/ critical care nursing from the University of Maryland in Baltimore and her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Mississippi in Jackson.

A McNeese nursing faculty member since 1992, Warner has more than 14 years of clinical practice experience in critical care and trauma and surgical intensive emergency care in a variety of nursing roles including staff nurse, charge nurse and nurse manager in community hospitals and academic medical center settings. She taught adult health in the undergraduate nursing program for 15 years before moving to the graduate nursing program where she teaches nursing theory, statistics, research and nursing education.

As co-coordinator of the graduate program, she shares responsibility for administration of the online Master of Science in Nursing program of about 150 students within the Intercollegiate Consortium for a Master of Science in Nursing. This multi-site, multi-school consortium is Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education accredited to offer concentrations in family nurse practitioner, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and nursing education. She represents McNeese in the Louisiana Council of Administrators in Nursing Education and has served in multiple leadership roles. Her research interests are nursing education including nursing student success.

Warner was also part of the curriculum development team for the new Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program in advanced practice psychiatric mental health nursing that tentatively begins this fall and worked with colleagues on a $1.45 million grant proposal recently funded by the U.S. Department of Labor that focuses on increasing enrollment in the RN-to-BSN program to provide job training that will improve employment in underserved areas. She has also received more than $230,000 in grants for research projects funded by local, state and national foundations and organizations.

Warner is a member of several university committees and professional organizations, has published several articles and made numerous presentations. She is a Pinnacle Excellence Award winner as well as the recipient of the John B. and Patricia Scofield Professorship in Nursing, the Fanny Edith Winn Educational Trust Professorship in Nursing, Lucretia M. Tupper Nursing Professorship, the Oliver Tupper Endowed Nursing Professorship, the Charles and Emily Stokes Professorship in Nursing and a Shearman Research Fellowship. She was one of 49 nursing faculty from 25 states to be selected for the 2018 Leadership for Academic Nursing Fellowship Program sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.