From a "Gem of an Idea" to Reality
Reducing healthcare disparities among minority communities by contributing to the global scholarly discourse.
39th Annual Meeting
Sallie Tucker-Allen Annual Meeting & Scientific Conference
June 10 - 13, 2026
cancun, mexico
(hilton Cancun)
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Lucindra Campbell-Law
PhD, APRN, ANP, PMHNP-BC
It is both a privilege and an honor to serve as President of the Association of Black Nursing Faculty (ABNF) for the 2026–2028 term. I am deeply grateful for the confidence you have placed in me and excited to work alongside our Board of Directors, committee chairs, and members as we continue to advance the mission and vision of ABNF.
As I begin this term of service, I do so with profound respect for the foundation established by our Founder, Dr. Sallie Tucker-Allen, FAAN, and the many distinguished leaders who have guided this organization throughout its history. Their dedication to excellence in nursing education, scholarship, leadership, advocacy, and service has shaped ABNF into a nationally respected organization. My commitment is to honor that legacy while positioning ABNF to thrive in an ever-changing academic and healthcare environment.
2026 Conference Faculty Award Recipients
Congratulations to this year's ABNF Conference Award recipients! Each honoree was selected for their outstanding contributions to nursing education, mentorship, and advocacy — carrying forward the mission and legacy of ABNF's founders. These awards were presented at the 39th Sallie Tucker-Allen Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference, held June 10–13, 2026, in Cancún, Mexico. Please join us in celebrating their achievements. Read their bios below.
New Publisher Award
This award is given to an ABNF member and new author who has had at least 2 manuscripts published in refereed journals during the preceding year that address the health care needs of African American clients, families, and communities or African American faculty members and students. One letter of recommendation and access to the journal articles are required.
This award is presented to Dr. Cassandre Horne.
Dr. Cassandre Horne, over the past year, has produced three peer-reviewed publications that directly address the health care needs of Black populations, with a particular emphasis on immigrant communities. Her work consistently centers the lived experiences of individuals navigating acculturation, cultural marginalization, and mental health challenges, which are areas that remain underrepresented in the literature yet are critically important for advancing health equity. Her recent publications demonstrate both productivity and focus. Notably, her work examining the mental health experiences of first- and second-generation immigrant populations provides important qualitative insight into how identity, culture, and structural factors intersect to shape health outcomes. These contributions are not only timely but also methodologically sound and grounded in culturally responsive frameworks that align with the mission of ABNF.
What distinguishes Dr. Horne’s scholarship is her unwavering commitment to improving the health of Black and African Americans, particularly new immigrants and first-generation families. Her work does not treat culture as a variable to control, but treats it as a central, organizing force in understanding health. This perspective is essential if nursing science is to move beyond descriptive disparities and toward meaningful, community-informed solutions.
Excellence in Academic Leadership Award
This award is given to an ABNF member who: demonstrates a high level of initiative; responsibility and resourcefulness to address challenges confronting the school or college of nursing; develops trust and credibility through open, respectful communication with faculty, students, staff and key stakeholders; invests time and effort in developing others to grow professionally; champions change effectively through formal or informal leadership; driven by a need to produce sustainable results; demonstrates worker like diligence in achieving positive outcomes; guided by values of fairness and doing the right thing for students, faculty and staff; and demonstrates a record of accomplishment in achieving excellence awards.
The Excellence in Academic Leadership Award is given to Dr. Karen Alexander.
Her leadership is grounded in integrity, fairness, transparency, and a commitment to students, faculty, and our communities. The following highlights demonstrate alignment with the award criteria. She has demonstrated Initiative, Responsibility, and Resourcefulness as Founding Director of the RN-BSN and MSN programs at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), she led both from inception through successful accreditation. I secured initial ACEN accreditation (2017) and reaffirmation (2022) without deficiencies. She also launched the university’s first HyFlex model, increasing access for working nurses and introducing innovation in Houston. In Building Trust and Credibility Through Transparent Leadership. She emphasizes open communication, shared governance, and collaborative decision-making. As Director, she fosters a culture of scholarship, teaching excellence, and professional development. Her service on key committees, including the University President’s Task Force and COVID-19 Medical Team, demonstrates the trust in her leadership during institutional change.
Excellence in Mentoring Faculty & Students Award
The Excellence in Mentoring Award recognizes the value of high-quality mentoring relationships and their impact on professional development and career advancement in nursing, particularly in research, teaching, and administration.
The Award is given to Dr. Jonas Nguh.
Excellence in Innovation in Teaching Award
The Excellence in Innovation in Teaching Award is given to an ABNF member who demonstrates creativity and innovative teaching strategies that promote academic success and student achievement; demonstrates compassion and respect for students and creates a culture that encourages student expression of ideas; acts as an exemplary role model, exhibits professional values and standards, and demonstrates evidence-based teaching/learning and integration of theory and evidence-based practice. The awardee must have taught full-time for at least 2 consecutive years. Two letters of support with an example of the faculty member’s teaching innovation and the impact of the innovation are required for the nomination.
This year’s awardee is presented to Davida Chatman.
Professor Chatman’s leadership in establishing our new partnership with Kids Meals Inc. represents a transformative contribution to undergraduate nursing education. Her vision and coordination have created meaningful experiential learning opportunities that immerse students in the realities of nutrition insecurity and community health. Under her guidance, students toured the organization’s newest campus, conducted a literature review on food disparities affecting school-aged children in Harris County, analyzed program data, evaluated ingredients for the winter supply box, and developed a healthy menu-teaching plan. The teaching plan’s selection for publication in the Winter newsletter underscores the academic rigor and community relevance of this project. This initiative has significantly deepened students’ understanding of population health, social determinants of health, and the nurse’s role as a community advocate. By embedding data analysis, health education, and community partnership into the curriculum, Professor Chatman builds competencies that extend beyond traditional clinical skills. She prepares future nurses to address upstream health issues, collaborate interprofessionally, and contribute to community-based health innovation, skills that directly enhance their professional demand in today’s evolving healthcare landscape.
Excellence in Community Service and Engagement Award
This award recognizes an ABNF faculty member who demonstrates leadership in community service and has had a sustained impact on improving the well-being of underserved populations. Two letters of support with examples of the member’s community service and engagement, including an example of the impact of the member’s community service and engagement, are required for the nomination.
The award is presented to Dr. Arnetta Finney.
Dr. Finley demonstrates exemplary leadership in community service and has made a sustained, measurable impact on the well-being of underserved populations. She received the prestigious Edge Runner Award from the American Academy of Nursing, alongside Dr. Gloria McNeal, in recognition of innovative service models that improve community health. She serves as the project director for the Gloria J. McNeal Nurse-Led Mobile Clinic in San Diego and Los Angeles, California, which provides primary and preventive care to very low-income and unhoused individuals. Supported by a $4 million HRSA grant now in its fourth year, the project offers nurse practitioner and BSN students opportunities to deliver care under the guidance of grant-funded preceptors. To date, approximately 1,500 individuals have received essential health services through this initiative.
Gloria J. McNeal Policy Innovation & Leadership Award
The Gloria J. McNeal Policy Innovation & Leadership Award honors an ABNF member who demonstrates exceptional leadership and impactful advocacy on behalf of a vulnerable or under‑resourced population.
The first is Dr. Claudia Davis.
The Gloria J. McNeal Award honors advocacy on behalf of vulnerable and under-resourced populations through evidence-based policy change, community collaboration, new organizational policy, and the shaping of public and legislative priorities. Dr. Davis has pursued all four of these pathways, simultaneously and with distinction.
Her research program is not merely academic. For three decades, Dr. Davis has investigated the predictors of health disparities among Black breast cancer survivors, using community-based participatory methods that embed her scholarship inside the communities she serves. Her publications in the Journal of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, and the Journal of Transcultural Nursing are not ends in themselves. They are instruments of advocacy.
Her 2020 American Association for Cancer Research Minority and Minority Serving Institution Faculty Scholar Award recognized precisely this: that her science is inseparable from her commitment to health equity.
Dr. Davis’s policy leadership at the institutional level has been equally consequential. As the first woman of color to chair the Faculty Senate at California State University, San Bernardino in that institution’s 56-year history, she did not simply preside; she transformed. She championed shared governance when it was contested, opened consultative processes to faculty who had been shut out, and advanced policies that protected students and faculty from historically marginalized communities. Her recognition with the Pioneer Award on February 27, 2026, was accompanied by Certificates of Special Recognition from Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Congressman Peter Aguilar, Assembly Member Eloise Gomez Reyes, and the Mayor and City Council of San Bernardino. That chorus of recognition across federal, state, and municipal government is not coincidental. It reflects the breadth and durability of her impact on the policy environment of a region. Her community board service deepens this picture. From 2015 to 2025, Dr. Davis served as Board Member and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at Community Hospital of San Bernardino, chairing both the Quality Board and Patient Safety Committee. Under her leadership, the hospital earned its highest ratings for overall patient safety. The Board of Directors Award she received cited her “leadership, selfless service, and lasting impact on the hospital and the broader community.” This is policy work at the ground level: the patient safety policy work that protects the most vulnerable people in a community health system.
The second awardee is Dr. Sharron Crowder
Dr. Crowder has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, vision, and dedication to advancing health policy and improving healthcare outcomes. Her commitment to fostering collaboration and driving positive changes within the academic and healthcare communities is truly commendable. Dr. Crowder, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow, unapologetically followed in the footsteps taking over leadership of the now named Dr. Gloria J McNeal Leadership and Public Policy Fellowship initiative with a degree of purpose and passion that is palpable (after the untimely death of Dr. McNeal). Dr. Crowder was also there at the American Academy of Nursing to welcome the ABNF newly inducted Fellows into the academy and has recruited some to help hone the policy and advocacy arm of the ABNF through their mentorship, thus building the pipeline for public policy. She spearheaded the creation of a Public Policy Conference at Indiana University and intentionally facilitated its hybrid model to help accommodate members of ABNF for the inaugural conference in 2025. She openly and willingly shares her talent, teaching how to navigate the landscape of public policy and cautioning us on the pitfalls related to advocacy. She has brought representatives from Government to the Leadership and Public Policy Fellows to help to share their experience and expose the Academy Fellows to possibilities in the field.
Dr. Crowder’s expertise and passion for health policy make her an invaluable asset to not only her Indiana University but to ABNF and to the broader discipline of nursing. I am confident that her continued contributions will have a lasting impact on health policy
initiatives both locally and nationally.
The Living Legend Award
The Living Legend Award is awarded to an ABNF member or members in honor of their extraordinary contributions to the nursing profession, sustained over the course of their career.
Dr. Catherine Alicia Georges
Dr. Catherine Alicia Georges is unquestionably deserving of the Living Legend Award for her enduring, national-level impact on nursing, public health, and leadership. She stands out as a transformational leader, beginning with her presidency of the National Black Nurses Association, where she advocated for the Black voice to be heard at the national level with the initiation of the organization's annual Capitol Hill Day of advocacy. She has been a powerful advocate for increasing diversity in nursing, especially supporting Black nurses and underrepresented groups. Her work helped open doors in education, leadership, and clinical practice, making the profession more equitable. As a longtime Dean at Lehman College, she influenced generations of nurses. Her leadership strengthened nursing programs and emphasized community-based care and cultural competence. Dr. George's contributions have earned numerous honors, and her policies, mentorship, and advocacy continue to influence nursing practice and healthcare systems today.
2026 Conference Student Award Recipients
Sallie Tucker Allen Graduate Student Award
- John Fuller – student at Emory University
- Keyshawnna Pittman Lee – student at University of Mississippi Medical Center
Sallie Tucker Allen Undergraduate Student Award
- Heaven Harris – student at University of Mississippi Medical Center
The Association of Black Nursing Faculty, Inc. is proud to showcase its members who are on the move! Our members are dedicated nurses and faculty members who strive for excellence in their fields. From making advancements in nursing research to training the next generation of nurses globally, our members are trailblazers leading the way. We’re honored to work with such passionate and energetic individuals who are changing the face of nursing. Join us as we celebrate our incredible members and all they do for our profession! Congratulations to the movers and shakers within ABNF!
Dr. Catherine Alicia Georges is unquestionably deserving of the Living Legend Award for her enduring, national-level impact on nursing, public health, and leadership. She stands out as a transformational leader, beginning with her presidency of the National Black Nurses Association, where she advocated for the Black voice to be heard at the national level with […]
Erik V. Carter, PhD, MSN, APRN-ACNS, CCRN-A, PHN, serves as Director of Undergraduate Programs and Associate Professor, Clinical, in the College of Nursing at Wayne State University, an R1 research institution in Detroit, Michigan. A cardiovascular nurse scientist and clinical nurse specialist, Dr. Carter studies the biological and social mechanisms that drive cardiovascular disease, with […]
Julia Ugorji, DNP, MSN/Ed, RN is an accomplished nurse leader, educator, and global health advocate whose career spans nursing education, mental health, leadership, public policy, and international health initiatives. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Nursing at Southwest Minnesota State University, where she teaches across multiple nursing programs and is committed to advancing student […]
Maxine Adegbola, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, ADSL is a Clinical Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) College of Nursing and Health Innovation whose career exemplifies service leadership, professional generosity, mentorship, and advocacy. Over nearly five decades in nursing, she has distinguished herself through sustained service to local, national, and international organizations dedicated […]