Farewell letter from David Keepnews

Dear WSNA Members, 

As I reflect on retirement from my position as your Executive Director, I can’t help but think over my 45 years in nursing. I’ve had a chance to do a lot of interesting things. I’ve worked as an RN in inpatient, community, and psychiatric emergency settings. I’ve worked as an attorney, a policy specialist, a nursing professor, and an academic administrator. But these past five years—serving as executive director of a dynamic union and professional association—have been the most exhilarating, exhausting, insane, and rewarding of my career. I can honestly say that, thanks to WSNA and you, our members, I have never been prouder to be a nurse.  

Our members have repeatedly shown the values that first attracted me to the profession: Commitment, resilience, a strong sense of ethical responsibility, and a willingness to stand up and advocate for your patients, their communities, yourselves, and your co-workers. You work under all-too-often difficult conditions, but –for the most part—without losing your sense of humor. 

I’ve seen WSNA win important contract gains in many facilities around the state. I’ve seen WSNA grow to our largest size ever. I’ve seen WSNA advocate effectively in Olympia. I’ve seen WSNA establish stronger relationships with the labor movement in Washington and nationally—and I’ve had the honor of serving as a vice-president of both the Washington State Labor Council and WSNA’s national union, AFT.  I’ve seen WSNA stand up on the important issues—safe staffing, workplace safety, access to quality care, opposing dangerous cuts in health funding, defending science-based health and public health care. When federal agencies deleted important health databases and other web-based resources, WSNA along with other health groups sued to restore those resources—and we won a settlement doing just that.

I’d like to think that I’ve done more than just witness these successes—I’ve participated in and helped to facilitate many of them. But I can’t and won’t take credit for any of them. The credit goes to WSNA’s leadership—particularly our Board of Directors and Labor Executive Councill—and to our remarkable staff. And it goes to the leaders of our local units, our regional associations and, really, to every one of our members who continue to provide the skilled, compassionate care that defines us as a profession.  

WSNA is a work in progress. Of course, we can do better. We can be more responsive, more transparent, more participatory, more inclusive. But these really aren’t weaknesses: Our ability to identify areas where we can do better, and our openness to strategies to get there, are among our greatest strengths.   

I want to recognize my predecessors, Sally Watkins and Judy Huntington, for their leadership and the examples they set. And I deeply appreciate the opportunity to work closely with colleagues throughout the U.S., through our affiliation with both the American Nurses Association and AFT.  

I’m grateful for the working relationship I’ve enjoyed with our leadership, including our visionary and tireless president, Justin Gill. And I greatly appreciate the Board’s wisdom in selecting Gerard Friesz as my successor. Based on my work with Gerard over the past five years, I know for a fact that WSNA will be in good hands and will continue to do right by our members. I will miss working with Gerard and all of our staff—the best group of troublemakers I’ve ever encountered. 

I also need to thank my husband, Peter Tung, who has put up with my insane schedule, endless meetings, and work-related travel. His support for my work—and for nursing—has been indispensable. 

During my time at WSNA, I’ve had a chance to meet many of our members—certainly nowhere near all of you. But I’m deeply grateful to every one of our members for all that you do. Even those who don’t think of yourselves as active members—you are WSNA.  

After all of my years in nursing, I believe in this profession more than ever. It’s been a true privilege to work on behalf of nursing.  

And for that, I can only say: Thank you! 

David