News
American Academy of Nursing Names AACN CEO Honorary Fellow
Sep 15, 2026
ALISO VIEJO, Calif. — Sept. 15, 2026 — The American Academy of Nursing (Academy) will officially designate Dana Woods, CEO of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), as an Honorary Fellow in recognition of her efforts to strengthen critical care nursing, workforce resilience and patient safety.
Woods has been a member of AACN's senior staff leadership group since 1999 and was named CEO in 2014. In her more than 25 years with AACN, Woods has played an integral role in the association's growth and stability, which has led to advancing education, certification, innovation and healthy work environments for nurses.
"As the AACN mission statement boldly declares, we drive excellence for nurses, patients and their families, and Dana brings those words to life every day. Her keen understanding and appreciation of AACN from the inside out are strengthened by her strategic insight and mission-driven business administration experience," said Tonka Williams, AACN president. "With her at the helm, AACN has thrived through steady and turbulent times alike and is well positioned as a leading voice for the future of nursing and healthcare."
Woods has been a champion for AACN's Healthy Work Environment Standards, which are based on evidence that healthy work environments are key to advancing excellence for nurses, patients and their families. Her possibility-focused and collaborative leadership has also led to AACN establishing landmark staffing standards for Adult Critical Care, Pediatric Critical Care and Adult Progressive Care. Her support for AACN Clinical Scene Investigator Academy is based on her unwavering belief that nurses hold the key to influencing positive change in quality, safety, retention and the complicated economics of healthcare.
"The societal impact that nurses make is unparalleled," Woods said. "To have been welcomed into this community so warmly all of these years has been life changing. It is an extraordinary privilege to have made supporting the vital, demanding and important work of nurses my life's work."
Before joining AACN's national staff, Woods held leadership positions with healthcare and nonprofit organizations.
Woods holds an undergraduate degree in economics from Tufts University and a master's in business administration with highest honors from University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business.
The Academy is also recognizing Peter Reinecke, Dr. Thomas Smith and Christy Turlington Burns as Honorary Fellows this year. These individuals are being honored for their distinct and sustained contributions to nursing and health, including promoting nurses' influence in shaping national health policy, elevating nurse-led and interprofessional palliative care and championing maternal health equity.
"The Academy is proud to recognize these exceptional leaders as Honorary Fellows. Their commitment to optimizing health, strengthening care, and championing the vital contributions of nurses reflects the very best of what leadership in health can achieve," said Academy President Debra J. Barksdale, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, ANEF, FAAN. "Through their philanthropy, policy acumen, advocacy and service, they have demonstrated what it means to be true supporters and steadfast friends of the nursing profession. Their work has expanded opportunities for nurses, improved care for patients and families, and helped build a healthier, more equitable future."
The recipients will be recognized as Honorary Fellows during the Academy's Induction Ceremony Oct. 10 in Washington, D.C., during the Academy's Health Policy Conference. Learn more about the Academy and visit the policy conference website for more details.
About the American Academy of Nursing: The American Academy of Nursing serves the public by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. Academy Fellows are inducted into the organization for their extraordinary contributions to improve health locally and globally. With more than 3,400 Fellows, the Academy—an honorific society and policy organization—represents nursing's most accomplished leaders in policy, research, administration, practice, and academia.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: For more than 55 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization's vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world's largest specialty nursing organization, with more than 136,000 members and about 170 chapters in the United States.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses 27071 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656; 949-362-2000; www.aacn.org