Class of 2026 Circle of Excellence Honorees Announced

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – April 23, 2026 – Transformative. Strategic. Impactful. Innovative. Compassionate. Data-driven. Evidence-based. Supportive. Collaborative. Committed. Fearless.

The words used to describe the 18 exceptional nurses who will receive the Circle of Excellence award this year from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) demonstrate the high regard in which they’re held by colleagues and their commitment to achieving excellent outcomes in the care of acutely and critically ill patients and their families. They will be honored during AACN’s National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI), in San Diego, May 17-20.

They are noted for their solution-oriented approaches to challenges, including reducing healthcare-associated infection rates, improving their work environments, and helping their organizations address staffing shortages, turnover and other operational issues.

Criteria to evaluate Circle of Excellence candidates include relentless promotion of patient-driven excellence; strong communication skills; true collaboration; effective decision-making; meaningful recognition of others; ability to transform thinking, structures and processes; and ability to address challenges and remove barriers to excellent patient care and achieve visible results through leadership.

“Circle of Excellence recipients shape and transform healthcare, striving to ensure that every patient gets the excellent care they deserve and that every nurse has the tools and skills they need to provide that care,” said AACN President Rebekah Marsh. “They are acting with intention and vision, On Purpose, to lead the changes they wish to see in nursing, in healthcare and in their communities.”

Recipients of the 2026 AACN Circle of Excellence award (in alphabetical order):

• Brigitte August, charge nurse, surgical intensive care unit (ICU), Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Florida
• Brady Bielewicz, expert advanced practice provider/AG-ACNP, department of critical care medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Presbyterian Hospital, Pennsylvania
• Maxwell Breaux, Nursing director surgical ICU, Our Lady of the Lake Health, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Cedonnie Curtis, clinical coordinator/clinical nurse specialist, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Joseph Falise, associate chief nursing officer, Jackson Health System, Miami, Florida
• Kristina Formica, associate clinical manager, pediatric ICU, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora
• Bryan Frankovitch, APRN, inpatient vascular neurology (stroke), Hartford Hospital, Connecticut
• Pamela Garlinghouse, RN, surgical, trauma and burn ICU, Ohio State University Hospital, Columbus
• Rose Hata, director, Queen Emma Nursing Institute, The Queen’s Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
• Kelly Kester, senior director, nursing, heart services, Duke University Hospital, Durham, North Carolina
• Elizabeth Koelliker, ICU nurse educator, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, California
• Mika Lagman, critical care educator, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, California
• Benjamin Lindsay, senior nursing professional development specialist, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York
• Kenneth Jun Logrono, acting head nurse for quality improvement, Hamad General Hospital - Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
• Carlota Monares, clinical nurse IV, Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, California
• Theresa O’Connor, clinical nurse specialist, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Per Rosenkvist, critical care lead advanced practice provider, RWJBH - Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston, New Jersey
• Daisy Samonte, nursing professional development practitioner, UCLA Center for Nursing Excellence, Los Angeles, California

AACN’s Circle of Excellence award aligns with the association’s vision to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution.

Nominations are now being accepted for the next class of honorees, with completed materials due by Sept. 15.

Highly regarded for its responsiveness to current trends in the nursing profession and the environments where nurses work, the award is supported by grants from Dale Medical Products.

About the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition: Established in 1974, AACN’s National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) represents the world’s largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families. Bedside nurses, nurse educators, nurse managers, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners attend NTI.

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 their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with more than 134,000 members and over 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