Shirley A. Brekken, MS, RN, FAAN
Brekken, a nationally recognized accomplished leader in nursing regulation, served as the chief executive officer for the Minnesota Board of Nursing 1999-2021. She has engaged in patient safety initiatives leadership at the state and national level. Prior to her employment with the Board, Brekken was a member and president of the Board of Nursing. She has diverse clinical and administrative experience, including, nursing education, educational administration and public health, school and hospital staff nursing. Brekken has a proven commitment to quality improvement, transparency and developing a culture of justice, learning and accountability in regulation. She has been actively involved with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) as a member of the Board of Directors, serving as vice-president and president. She had a leadership role in numerous NCSBN innovative initiatives, including computer adaptive testing and Next Generation NCLEX®, and Nursys (national nurse licensure data base.) She is an inaugural and current member of the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Nursing Regulation. Brekken has made numerous presentations at the national and international level on excellence in nursing regulation. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Adult Health Nursing with a focus in educational administration.
Holly K. Shaw, PhD, RN
Shaw is a professor, clinician, consultant, and advocate for global health and healing. She is a graduate of the Harvard Medical School Master Class in Global Health and the Masters’ Certificate Program in Global Mental Health, Trauma and Recovery, PhD and MSN, Adelphi University and BSN at Boston University, SON. She is President of the US Board of Directors of the Akshar Foundation, an innovative world-changing educational system in Assam, India. Her work within the UN System, representing the International Council of Nurses (ICN) includes Civil Society leadership in appointed and elected positions in UN DGC and ECOSOC (Department of Global Communication and the Economic and Social Council). A former Director of the Global Executive Committee and member of Substantive Committees, Dr. Shaw is a thought leader on the Steering Committee, Working Group on Education for Global Citizenship, an innovation collaboration of General Assembly Member States, ECOSOC and DGC. Dr. Shaw currently serves as Chair, NGO Committee on Mental Health, Inc. and Chair, NGO Committee on Education, Learning and Literacy (NGO CELL). She is a frequent presenter at UN Civil Society Conferences and as a Moderator at DPI/DGC Briefings and programs, including the 2020 World Health Day event celebrating the work of nurses and midwives, reminding world leaders of the critical role they play in keeping the world and its population healthy. She has developed yearly CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) Parallel Events and programs since 2008. Shaw is the author of peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters focusing on the art and science of resilience and healing, global health and nursing, and collaborative, reciprocal mentorship. She holds appointments at Long Island University, the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, and the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. She enjoys a global clinical/consultation practice in Sea Cliff, NY centering on community, child, adolescent, and adult mental health and survivors of trauma, conflict, bereavement, and crisis.
Kelaine Haas, PhD
Haas is a seasoned academic administrator and educator with extensive experience in strategic leadership, curriculum development, and student success. She has held key leadership roles at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, particularly within the School of Nursing and the Medical School, where her work has significantly influenced institutional growth and innovation in education. As the Administrative Director at the University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing, Kelaine facilitates strategic initiatives and operations throughout the organization. In collaboration with the Dean, Haas plays a pivotal role in strategic planning, aligning resources, and ensuring the timely execution of key initiatives. A key component of Haas’s leadership is her ability to manage complex initiatives and coordinate multiple stakeholders across the school, university, and community. She serves as a vital liaison between senior leadership, faculty, students, and external stakeholders, ensuring that strategic goals are communicated clearly and executed effectively. Kelaine holds a Ph.D. in Genetics, Cellular Biology, and Development from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. in Biology from Wake Forest University.
Ex-Officio
Connie White Delaney, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP
Delaney serves as Professor & Dean, School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, and is the Knowledge Generation Lead for the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. She served as Associate Director of the Clinical Translational Science Institute –Biomedical Informatics, and Acting Director of the Institute for Health Informatics (IHI) in the Academic Health Center from 2010-2015. She serves as an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Nursing at the University of Iceland, where she received the Doctor Scientiae Curationis Honoris Causa (Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing) in 2011. Delaney was an inaugural appointee to the USA Health Information Technology Policy Committee, Office of the National Coordinator, and Office of the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She is an active researcher in data and information technology standards for nursing and health care. She is past-president of FNINR and past Vice-Chair of CGFNS, Inc. She holds a BSN with majors in nursing and mathematics, MA in Nursing, Ph.D. Educational Administration and Computer Applications, postdoctoral study in nursing & medical informatics, and graduate study in integrative health & healing.