Dr. Aimee Paulson is a family medicine board certified family nurse practitioner, professor, and current president of the California Association for Nurse Practitioners. Her early nursing career began in Minnesota as a float-pool, trauma- certified ER and ICU registered nurse. Her current clinical practice as an FNP for the past 20 years has involved care across the lifespan for multi-generation families and addiction medicine.

Laura M. Wagner, PhD, RN, GNP, FAAN is a Professor and the Winnifred Montgomery Endowed Chair in Aging at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research spanning the past two decades has focused on improving geriatric care with a particular emphasis in supporting the nursing workforce. She has several NIH- funded studies currently focused on supporting the dementia care workforce.  Dr. Wagner received her BSN from Case Western Reserve University; her MSN from University of Pennsylvania; and her PhD from Emory University.

She loves being a nurse and loves to encourage others to pursue a career in nursing. In 2016, Dr. Wagner founded the FirstGenRN program, a career development and mentoring program, aimed at supporting people like herself— the first in their family to attend and graduate from college. Since, the FirstGenRN has been implemented in several SF Bay Area nursing schools and she is a national presence in the First-Gen community-including being an inaugural board member of the Journal for First-generation student success.  

Major Sara Rogers was born in Newport, Rhode Island, and Commissioned in the Army Nurse Corps in December 2015. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a minor of Military Science from the University of Maine, Orono, School of Nursing and commissioned through the University of Maine’s Reserve Officer Training Corps. MAJ Rogers is a board certified Medical Surgical Registered Nurse.

Her military assignments include staff and charge nurse at Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA on the Medical Surgical Unit and Mother-Baby Unit. Surgical Nurse Liaison at Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA. MTOE Assigned Personnel to the 14th Combat Support Hospital at Fort Benning, GA. MTOE Assigned Personnel to the 47th Combat Support Hospital, Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA. Staff and charge nurse of the Medical Surgical Nurse at Fort Stewart, GA. Emergency Department staff nurse at Fort Stewart, GA. Clinical Nurse Officer in Charge of the Ambulatory Surgical Unit, Fort Stewart, GA. Reserve Officer Training Corps Brigade Nurse Counselor at Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA.

Major Rogers’s military schools include Army Medical Department Basic Officer Leader Course, Action Officer Development Course, Manager Development Course, Supervisor Development Course, Joint Forces Combat Trauma Management Course, Army Medical Department Captain’s Career Course, and Clinical Nurse Officer in Charge Course.

Major Rogers’s awards and decorations include Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (2 awards), Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon.

Jane Crofut is a Healthcare Planning and Medical Education Specialist at GSBS Consulting. With more than 25 years of experience in healthcare and medical education, Crofut is a respected developer and leader of simulation lab designs that support rapidly evolving, experiential learning pedagogies. Crofut's expertise in business analytics, curriculum delivery requirements, and quality patient care give her a unique perspective that enables her to combine operational optimization with future-forward, flexible space design. It's a perspective gained through a varied career that began as a trauma flight nurse and spans advocacy for patient safety and outcomes, roles in academia and healthcare administration, and architectural planning. In the past 15 years, Crofut has helped more than 40 institutions implement innovative health and educational programs with visioning, business planning, funding, space design, specialty equipment selection, curriculum development, program implementation, and faculty education.

Dr. Kimberly Long is a highly accomplished senior healthcare executive and consultant with more than 35 years of distinguished leadership in healthcare delivery, higher education, community services, executive mentoring, and coaching. She currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL) and as a Legal Nurse Consultant and Expert Witness, collaborating with attorneys on medical malpractice and personal injury litigation. Dr. Long is also the owner of Compass Executive Group, Inc. and co-owner of RayPar Logistics LLC.

Prior to her role at ACNL, Dr. Long held progressive executive leadership positions including Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President and System Chief Nursing Officer, Vice President for Clinical Services, and Director of Cardiovascular Operations. Her clinical background includes experience as a cardiac surgery recovery nurse, pediatric and adult intensive care unit nurse, and nurse practitioner specializing in genetic blood disorders and chronic disease management.
Dr. Long holds a Doctor of Health Administration and both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Nursing. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), reflecting her sustained commitment to excellence in healthcare leadership.

In recognition of her contributions to healthcare and the community, Dr. Long received the 2024 Senior Executive Award from the American College of Healthcare Executives, CAHL Chapter. She has also been honored with numerous distinctions, including Community Service Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Woman of the Year, Excellence in Nursing Leadership, Excellence in Clinical Care Quality, and Alumni Icon from the University of Phoenix School of Advanced Studies.

Dr. Haesook Kim has worked to improve the quality of care for older adults and to advance nursing education. As person-centered and evidence-based care are core values in her nursing practice and education, she has consistently sought to incorporate them into her teaching. As a clinician, she has worked in orthopedics, telemetry, geriatrics, pain management clinics, and nonprofit primary care clinics. She has participated in various research projects, including behavioral symptoms of dementia, elder mistreatment, and culturally competent care for ethnic minority older adults. The findings from those studies have been published in journals and presented at conferences. Recently, her research has expanded to focus more on nursing education, particularly on integrating Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) into the Nurse Practitioner curriculum. For the SIGMA (International Nursing Honor Society), she currently serves as Treasurer of the Nu Xi at Large chapter and Region One.