Lynnette Vehrs, MN, RN
President
Julia Barcott, RN
Chair, Cabinet on Economic and General Welfare
David Keepnews, PhD, JD, RN, FAAN
Executive Director
Board of Directors, 2021–2023
Back row, from left: Martha Goodall, Erin Allison, Justin Gill, John Gustafson, Phoebe Dang Lim-Vuong. Front row: Heather Stephen-Selby, Lynnette Vehrs, Julia Barcott. (Not pictured: Sara Bergenholtz and Sean Dumas.)
Lynnette Vehrs, MN, RN
President
Spokane
Inland Empire Nurses Association
Justin Gill, DNP, NP
Vice-President
Bothell
Northwest Region Nurses Association
Martha Goodall, ADN, RN
Secretary / Treasurer
Mead
Inland Empire Nurses Association
Julia R. Barcott, RN
Chair, Cabinet on Economic and General Welfare
Yakima
Central Washington Region Nurses Association
Erin Allison, BSN, RN, CEN
Chair, Legislative and Health Policy Council
Bellingham
Northwest Region Nurses Association
Chuck Cumiskey, MBA, BSN, RN
Chair, Professional Nursing and Health Care Council
Olympia
Rainier Olympic Nurses Association
Phoebe Dang Lim-Vuong, MSN, DNP-FNP
Member, At-Large
Kent
King County Nurses Association
John Gustafson, RN
Member, At-Large
Poulsbo
Rainier Olympic Nurses Association
Heather Stephen Selby, MSN, FNP
Member, At-Large
Renton
King County Nurses Association
Sara Bergenholtz, RN
Member, At-Large, Staff Nurse
Wenatchee
North Central Region
Sean Dumas, BSN, RN
Member, At-Large, Staff Nurse
Shoreline
King County Nurses Association
The Board has many responsibilities, including ensuring the priorities adopted by the WSNA General Assembly are incorporated in the strategic plan for each biennium. The Board also approves the budget for WSNA and appoints and reviews the executive director. Board members act as ambassadors for WSNA, representing the association to the membership and other organizations as appropriate.
The chairs of the Cabinet on Economic and General Welfare, Legislative and Health Policy Council, and Professional Nursing and Health Care Council are elected separately and serve as full members of the Board by virtue of their offices. Two of the director-at-large positions must be filled by non-managerial, non-supervisory, direct patient care providers represented by WSNA for collective bargaining.
The Cabinet sets priorities for functions and activities of WSNA labor relations, including developing and reviewing policies and procedures related to the conduct of the Economic and General Welfare program.
The Professional Nursing and Health Care Council is responsible for addressing issues of nursing practice that have been identified by members of the nursing profession and the public. Primary focus is given to the adherence to ethical, professional and legal standards of nursing practice.
The Legislative and Health Policy Council sets the annual health policy and legislative agenda for the Washington State Nurses Association and plays an active role in reviewing and advancing WSNA's legislative priorities. It also helps set the agenda for WSNA's annual Advocacy Camp and Lobby Day.
The General Assembly is WSNA’s governing, democratic body; it convenes every two years at WSNA’s Washington State Nurses Convention. Resolutions passed by the General Assembly help determine the priorities of the association, and thereby directly affect the work of WSNA’s Board of Directors and staff for the ensuing biennium.
All members of WSNA are also members of the regional or district nurses association that includes their county of residence. Regional and district nurses associations are professional organizations that are unrelated to local units and not involved in collective bargaining (union) activities.
