UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing and its Alumni Society Board awarded six distinguished alumni nursing awards and six college awards to undergraduate and graduate students, engaged alumni, faculty and staff at the annual Awards Celebration reception and dinner on March 31 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.
Student awards recognize academic achievement; leadership skills; and contributions to the college, community and the University. Alumni awards recognize alumni who have a record of significant professional achievements in their field and acknowledge their dedication to the college and their respective communities. Similarly, college awards acknowledge faculty, staff and students for their dedication to the college and their respective communities. Awards and recipients include:
Alumni Society Board Awards
The Paula Milone-Nuzzo Alumni Volunteer of the Year Award
This year’s recipient is Gail Latimer, class of 1983, who recently completed her seventh year as the college’s chair of the Dean’s Development and Advisory Council for the "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence" development campaign. Latimer also holds an adjunct nursing faculty appointment at the University.
Latimer is a former hospital CEO, a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a Johnson & Johnson fellow from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In 2006, Latimer received the Shirley Novosel Outstanding Nursing Alumni Award, the Pennsylvania State University Alumni Fellow Award in 2009, and was recognized by the University’s Board of Trustees with the prestigious Distinguished Alumna Award in 2019.
The Emerging Professional Award
This year, the Alumni Society Board awarded two emerging professional awards, one each to Julia Mauro, class of 2017, and Krysta Spangler, class of 2014.
Mauro was commissioned as a U.S. Navy Nurse Corps Officer after graduation and worked at a naval medical center in Postpartum/Complicated Obstetrics and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She was deployed to New York City on the USNS Comfort to help with the COVID-19 pandemic and is currently pursuing her master of science in complementary and integrative health from Drexel University.
Spangler began her career as a staff nurse on a medical/surgical unit at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and then moved to the Pediatric Oncology Unit as a staff nurse. She then became the clinical staff leader and transitioned to her current role as the quality nurse specialist in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. In addition to her career, she volunteers with the PA Central Chapter Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses, the Make-A-Wish foundation, and with the Lebanon School District.
The Alumni Achievement Award
This year’s recipient, Jennifer Wissemann, class of 2020, commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps (ANC) and attended the Officer Basic Course less than 10 days after the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Her military assignments included working as a staff nurse on the medical-surgical-pediatric ward and the mother-baby unit, a labor and delivery and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurse, and as a clinical nurse officer in charge. She was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and Afghanistan in 2007.
Wissemann’s is currently chief of education and training at Medical Department Activity-Bavaria in Vilseck, Germany. She has published articles, has presented at several healthcare conferences in the U.S. and Europe, and was also selected as the recipient of the Military Health System’s 2023 Federal Civilian Nursing Excellence in Leadership Award.
The Undergraduate Student Service Award
This year’s recipient is Kyle Loose. Loose is a fourth-year bachelor of science in nursing student and currently serves as president of the Student Nurses’ Association (SNAPS), which he joined as a first-year student. He served two terms on the National Student Nurses’ Association board as vice president, before serving as its president. He plans to work in the Coronary ICU at Virginia Commonwealth Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, after graduation.
The Doctoral Nursing Student Academic Excellence Award
This year’s recipient is Sherif Olanrewaju, a third-year doctoral student and an experienced mental health professional from Nigeria. He completed a master’s in professional studies in labor and global workers’ rights at Penn State and his planned dissertation study aims to enhance understanding of how internationally educated nurses describe their experiences transitioning to work with older adults in the U.S. He was also a part of the 142nd session of the World Health Organization Executive Board meeting in 2018.
Olanrewaju was awarded the 2023 Mark T. Kolanowski Award for Excellence in PhD Nursing Research for his engagement and research around geriatric nursing in affiliation with the college.
Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing Awards
Staff Appreciation Award
This year’s recipient, Tana McGhee-Wegner, has been a valued staff member of the college for over 15 years, starting as a research assistant, then to financial assistant, and finally to her current role as assistant financial officer. As her nominator stated, “Tana is always working toward the successful completion of tasks. She has been asked to participate in meetings and workshops to share her best practices to the finance community.”
Janet A. Williamson Excellence in Teaching Award
This year’s recipient, Kristal Hockenberry, is an instructor and Simulation Lab coordinator. Hockenberry facilitates simulations in multiple nursing courses and students consistently rate her as an excellent simulation facilitator. She not only serves as a role model for her students by her commitment to staying current on nursing topics, but she also serves as a role model to other faculty.
Her student nominator wrote, “She [Hockenberry] has helped me fundamentally grow and develop professionally by encouraging bedside manner, emphasizing holistic care, and promoting critical thinking … she is a true support system for students, someone who goes above and beyond as an empathetic educator and an exemplar role model.”
Beta Sigma Student Achievement Award
This year’s recipient, Samantha Anderson, was inducted into to Beta Sigma in the spring of her third year and has continued with her academic excellence through her fourth year. She is an honor student graduating with a bachelor of science in nursing and a minor is psychology. After graduation, she plans to join the Emergency Department at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Kim Gedney-Guzik Memorial Award
This year’s recipient, Arianna Fauth, is a fourth-year nursing and Army ROTC student. In addition to her fantastic clinical skills, nominators said, Fauth has been instrumental in the THON medication administration process, organizing and overseeing the committee of senior students this year. After graduation, she plans to work in the Emergency Department at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Savannah, Georgia. She will also be commissioning into the US Army as a 2nd Lieutenant army reserves nurse in Augusta, Georgia.
Norris Himes Adult Critical Care Student Nursing Award
This year’s recipient, Alaina Davis, is a fourth-year student who has been recognized by staff on the clinical unit for her competence, communication and understanding, and always pursuing the “why” behind the “what.” She is minoring in deafness and hearing studies and has completed the Forensic Nursing Undergraduate Certificate. After graduation she will be working at Penn State Hershey Medical Center in the Heart and Vascular Institute Critical Care Unit.
Janet A. Williamson Graduate Award in Nursing
This year’s recipient, Yo-Jen Kazmer Liao, is a fourth-year nursing doctoral student. She has two ongoing NIH funded research projects to address dementia care in nursing homes and her dissertation will focus on nursing-home staff’s competencies in managing pain for residents with dementia in long-term care. Liao is an active member and leader in the doctoral student community, having served as the president of the Doctoral Student Organization last year. Her nominator described Liao: “…as a dedicated and productive doctoral student … her research work holds promise to improve the quality of care for older adults living with dementia.”
Each award nominee is evaluated by the Nursing Alumni Society Awards Committee, and with consideration of many different criteria. These recipients have been formally recognized by the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing as exemplifying what it truly means to be a nurse or nurse educator.
For more information on the alumni awards, click here, and the faculty and staff awards, click here.