Sara Knippa

Sara Knippa, MS, RN, ACCNS-AG, CCRN, PCCN, serves a one-year term as president-elect of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Board of Directors from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. She completed a one-year term as secretary on June 30, 2026, and continues a three-year term as a director on the AACN board from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026. She also served a concurrent one-year term on the AACN Certification Corporation board from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

Knippa is a critical care clinical nurse specialist (CNS) at UCHealth in Aurora, Colorado. Her current projects are prevention of hospital-acquired pressure injuries and implementing the ABCDEF bundle. She led implementation of a nurse competency assessment program, as well as targeted temperature management and post-cardiac arrest care with quality improvement projects, a podium presentation and a publication. She mentored a team of units implementing Healthy Work Environment standards in participation with AACN’s National Collaborative. Previously, she was a cardiac progressive care and intensive care staff nurse for 15 years and a CICU clinical nurse educator for 12 years.

Her volunteer activities with AACN include certification prep column editor for Critical Care Nurse, concurrent session presenter at the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, and presenter of a CCRN and PCCN review course. She received the Denver Chapter’s Outstanding Service Award in 2019. Additional affiliations include membership in the Association for Nursing Professional Development and Sigma Theta Tau.

Knippa earned a Master of Science, adult/gerontology CNS, and a certificate in nursing education at University of Colorado College of Nursing, Denver. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In her free time, Knippa enjoys traveling. She says, “I would love to visit all 50 states in the USA. I’ve visited 39 and have 11 to go!”