Governance & Board Leadership
Role-specific conversations for presidents, presidents-elect, board members, and
chief staff officers.
2026 Annual Meeting & Leadership Academy
Thank you for making Louisville unforgettable.
The NOA 2026 Annual Meeting & Leadership Academy is complete. We are grateful to the elected board leaders, staff leaders, speakers, and member organizations who made three days of learning and connection so meaningful.
From governance and strategy conversations to leadership development and peer connection, this gathering was built around the realities of leading a national nursing organization. Thank you for showing up with insight, generosity, and a shared commitment to the future of nursing.
This page preserves the 2026 speakers, program topics, and schedule highlights as a reference for the NOA community.
The next NOA event is the Fall Virtual Summit on Saturday, November 14, 2026. Save the
date. Program and registration details will follow.
2026 Program Recap
Ideas and conversations built for nursing leaders.
The Annual Meeting program brought together structured sessions, workshops, and facilitated peer dialogue for the elected board leaders and staff executives of national nursing organizations.
- Breaking the Cycle: Empowering Leaders to Address Bullying and Incivility
- Legal & Governance: Nonprofit Board Behavior
- AI Ethics in Nursing Organizations
- World Café: Facilitated Peer Dialogue
- Harmony Over Hustle: Sustainable Leadership, Well-Being & Impact
- Diagnose. Design. Deliver.
- Healing the Healers: From Insight to Action
- Critical Roles of Successful Board Members
- AI in Healthcare: Applications, Emerging Technologies & Leadership Considerations
A gathering shaped by the NOA community.
The Annual Meeting created room for practical leadership conversations, shared problem solving, and relationships across national nursing organizations.
Strategy, Workforce & Innovation
Shared approaches to workforce, membership models, partnerships, and advocacy
priorities.
Curated Networking & Community
Opportunities to connect with leaders facing similar challenges and build a trusted
national peer network.
2026 Speaker Faculty
Thank you to our 2026 speakers.
These nationally recognized voices helped make the Annual Meeting a thoughtful, practical, and generous experience for NOA leaders.
Thursday, Aug 13
Renee Thompson
DNP, RN, FAAN, CSP
Breaking the Cycle: Empowering Leaders to Address Bullying and Incivility
Thursday, Aug 13
Nisha Thakker
Tenenbaum Law Group, PLLC
Legal & Governance: Nonprofit Board Behavior
Friday, Aug 14
Sharon Weinstein
MS, RN, CRNI-R, CSP, CVP, FACW, FAAN
Harmony Over Hustle and leadership workshops
Friday, Aug 14
Donna Godfrey
Godfrey Training Associates
Critical Roles of Successful Board Members
Saturday, Aug 15
Matthew Byrne
PhD, RN, CNE
AI in Healthcare: Applications, Emerging Technologies & Leadership Considerations
Schedule Recap
Three days of shared learning in Louisville.
The schedule brought together opening conversations, practical workshops, peer dialogue, and leadership sessions across Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Strategy
Sessions and frameworks built for the leaders of national nursing organizations.
Connection
Cross-specialty conversation across the leadership tier of the profession.
Leadership
Programming designed for elected volunteer boards and senior staff leaders.
Program highlights
Thursday, August 13
- OpeningWelcome and opening remarks
- LeadershipBreaking the Cycle: Empowering Leaders to Address Bullying and Incivility
- GovernanceLegal & Governance: Nonprofit Board Behavior
- DialogueAI Ethics in Nursing Organizations and World Café
Friday, August 14
- KeynoteHarmony Over Hustle: Sustainable Leadership, Well-Being & Impact
- WorkshopDiagnose. Design. Deliver.
- WorkshopHealing the Healers: From Insight to Action
- Board leadershipCritical Roles of Successful Board Members
Saturday, August 15
- CommunityNOA business update
- InnovationAI in Healthcare: Applications, Emerging Technologies & Leadership Considerations
- ClosingClosing remarks and program conclusion
Keep NOA events on your calendar.
The Fall Virtual Summit is the next NOA event. Save Saturday, November 14, 2026.
General Information
NOA is committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for participants and to supporting the leaders of national nursing organizations.
Trusted by the world's leading nursing organizations
40+
National Organizations
800k+
Nurses Represented
1
Unified Voice
NOA is the collaborative hub for elected volunteer leaders and staff executives from national nursing organizations, advancing the future of the profession together.