April Sims — Community Partner Award

Presented to a community or consumer partner who has contributed to promoting health and a positive image of nurses through advocacy and/or improvements in healthcare safety and quality.

April Sims was elected president of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO in October 2022. She is the first woman to be elected president of the labor council and the first Black woman elected to the presidency of any AFL-CIO state federation.

As president, Sims is the chief executive officer of the council. She supervises all its activities and staff and leads Washington's largest union organization, representing over half a million union members.

The granddaughter of Louisiana sharecroppers and the daughter of a single mother, Sims has seen the power of unions to change lives.

April joined the Washington State Labor Council in 2015 as field mobilization director before becoming the council’s political and strategic campaign director in 2017. In 2018, the labor council elected Sims as secretary treasurer.

April has repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to nursing. She has been present on our picket lines. She ensured that WSNA is represented on the Washington State Labor Council’s Executive Board and that our legislative issues are the labor council’s priorities. She spoke powerfully at WSNA's labor leadership conference and has welcomed WSNA participation in labor council events, including the Washington State Labor Council convention and its legislative conferences. She is also the proud mother of a nursing student.