Alumni celebrated for excellence in nursing

The School of Nursing Alumni Society Board named the 2025 recipients of its annual awards — the Excellence in Practice Award, Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian Award and Rising Star Award. Awardees were honored at the All School Reunion in October.

Excellence in Practice Award
Michael Petty, PhD ‘11, MS ‘96

Described as a trailblazer and practice pioneer, Michael Petty is passionate about raising the standard of nursing care wherever he serves. The focus areas of Petty’s practice have been thoracic disease, heart and liver failure, transplant, as well as mechanical circulatory support. His practice is and has been at the edge of transplant and highly complex life-saving implanted devices. Over time, Petty has built his highly technical clinical expertise as he followed technological advances, interpreted new findings, translated the science into practice-relevant interventions, and brought the latest research to bear on clinical practice. He shares his extensive specialized knowledge at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, as well as nationally and locally at meetings of professional organizations, and international meetings across Europe.

Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian Award
Katie Huffling, DNP ‘21

A highly sought-after and globally recognized leader in environmental health, Katie Huffling is focused on advancing the nursing profession to lead on environmental health globally. She serves as the executive director of Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments and is chair-elect for the Environmental and Public Health Expert Panel of the American Academy of Nursing. She is regularly tapped to speak to nurses and other groups nationally and internationally. In 2024, she was invited to speak to White House staff about the threats to health that are caused by climate change. Her talk underscored the importance of nursing leadership in addressing climate change and other environmental disruptions. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated exemplary leadership in the environmental health and nursing field — making a global impact.

Rising Star Award
Darcey McCampbell, MN ‘17

A civic health advocate, Darcey McCampbell embodies professional integrity, visionary leadership and unwavering advocacy for patients and the nursing profession. McCampbell currently serves as a nurse manager of the Community Clinical Outreach Team at M Health Fairview, leading a team of over 30 nurses. McCampbell also serves as a sexual assault nurse examiner. One letter of support stated, “in a field that demands both clinical excellence and emotional resilience, Darcey stands out as a beacon of integrity and inspiration.” As a 2024 Vot-ER Fellow, McCampbell co-led one of the program’s first nurse-led groups, engaging many Minnesota nurses in civic health programming and voter engagement. McCampbell was one of the original voices behind #NurseTheVote, a campaign that started in the fellowship program and has since become a national movement for nurse-led civic engagement. McCampbell is a fellow in the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing’s Pathway to PhD program.