ADULT LEARNERS - Villanova University

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTSMeet Two Members of the Board of ConsultorsThe College of Nursing’s Board ofConsultors is comprised of successfulleaders in a variety of arenas,including health care, education, businessand nonprofits. Each member, with anaffinity for the endeavors of the Collegeand Villanova nurses, brings a rich contextto his or her advisory role.In this issue, we feature three membersof the board. Here are profiles of twoalumnae who enthusiastically support theirCollege: Margaret “Meg” Robins Garrett’72 B.S.N., M.Ed., J.D. and ChristinaLarson Kelly ’74 B.S.N., M.S.N., CFP ® .See page 25 for a profile on board memberPamela Cembrook and her husband, John,who are parents of Villanovans and haveestablished a new scholarship for Nursing.Margaret “Meg” Robins Garrett ’72 B.S.N.,M.Ed., J.D. is senior counsel and seniordirector of Risk Management for the JohnsHopkins Health System’s Legal Departmentin Baltimore. While she puts to useher master’s degree in education fromThe Citadel and her law degree from theUniversity of Maryland, it is her dedicationto patients and their safety, nurturedat Villanova, that drives her career. HerNursing education serves her well in herrole. “At Villanova I was taught to listento my patient and I learned to multitask.They taught me to be organized,” she says.“The Nursing faculty led us to believe thatwe could do anything we aspired to do. Ilearned to be passionate about patients;we learned patient safety before the IOM[Institute of Medicine] report. At Hopkins,I have the ability to lead an organization toprovide the safest care for our patients.”Garrett’s professional motivation ismaking a difference in health care, andthat has her circling back to Villanova.When invited to serve on the Board ofConsultors in 2010, she was happy toaccept. She recalls comments from severalnursing executives who have said “Youcan always tell a Villanova nurse fromother nurses,” adding, “It all comes backto values and virtues.” For Garrett, thatMargaret “Meg” Robins Garrett ’72 B.S.N.,M.Ed., J.D.is the core of the nursing education here.“The most valuable part of my educationwas how Villanova Nursing instilled valuesand virtues into all aspects of our collegeexperience,” she offers. “Villanova alwaystaught students to think about the patientas a whole,” nurturing “students who wereempathic and respected both patientsand clinicians. The faculty taught us to‘think outside the box,’ before academiaembraced the concept.”Garrett cherishes the Villanova Nursingtradition and helps support it through heradvisory capacity on the board. “I wantVillanova Nursing to excel. I am so proudof the programs Dean Fitzpatrick and herfaculty have developed,” she explains. Thattradition ultimately makes Garrett’s jobeasier, fulfilling the goal of having patientsafety at the forefront of all providers’minds and making sure that the nursingprogram “stays ahead of health-care reform.”It is no surprise that Garrett, a loyal,longtime basketball fan, comes from aVillanova family. Two brothers, a nieceand a nephew are also alumni, as is heryoungest of four children, Erin ’07 VSB,who plans to attend this June’s AlumniReunion Weekend with her mother. TheCollege of Nursing is the magnet drawingGarrett back. “I am so proud to be a Villanovanurse,” she notes. “I am proud to be amember of the Board of Consultors. I wantto do whatever I can to assist VillanovaNursing to move forward with the nursingneeds of the patient population and tonever forget its Augustinian roots.”Christina Larson Kelly ’74 B.S.N., M.S.N.,CFP ® is a nurse concerned about health—financial health. In the course of hercareer, her observations about nursing ledher to become president of Larson FinancialPlanning Inc. in Winchester, Mass.“For over 30 years I worked in nursingadministrative positions in several Bostonteaching hospitals,” Larson Kelly notes.“Using the assessment skills Villanovainstilled in me, I realized that in additionto taking care of patients, there wasa need for nurses to take care of themselves.Their financial health was one areathat needed serious attention but thereweren’t resources available to assist them.”Building on her teaching and administrativeknowledge, plus her master’s degreein nursing from Boston University, in1992 Larson Kelly added to her portfolioa Certified Financial Planning certificatefrom Northeastern University.“I transitioned my skills of taking careof patients and developing systems totaking care of the nurses who work in thesystems. In my current role I help nursesachieve their financial goals because I havean understanding of the work they do, the‘language’ they speak, and I understandthe stresses and joys of a modern nursingcareer,” she offers. Larson Kelly brought herexpertise to campus by presenting “ReducingStress Through Financial Health” forthe Nursing Alumni Association’s continuingeducation event held during the June2011 Alumni Reunion Weekend. She alsoeducates Nursing students on financialissues like benefit packages.In 2010, Larson Kelly was invited tojoin the Board of Consultors. Reflectingon defining moments in her life, sherealizes that one key opportunity was herVillanova Nursing education. She recalls14 Villanova Nursing | Spring 2012