New Hampshire Nursing News - December 2020

Page 4 • New Hampshire Nursing News December 2020, January, February 2021
NHNA 2020 Election Results
The New Hampshire Nurses Association (NHNA) held
the annual elections for volunteer positions on the Board
of Directors, Commissions and Task Forces. A call for
nominations was issued in July 2020 via an e-flash to
members. In addition to the call for nominations, NHNA
Board members on the Nominations & Elections subcommittee
were also tasked with identifying members
who possess the requisite skills to serve the Association,
particularly for Board positions. Interested members were
able to use the many resources on volunteer opportunities
available on the NHNA website. Fifteen members filed an
Intent-to-Serve form.
The electronic ballot, using Association Voting election
management software, was emailed to 1,275 NHNA
members of record in August 2020. Nine paper ballots
were mailed to members without an email address on
file. All emailed ballots were automatically re-sent to
non-openers several days later. A second email server,
Mail Chimp, was used for members who had previously
unsubscribed to the Constant Contact email service.
Weekly e-flashes were sent out August and September
2020, reminding members to vote.
Ninety members voted electronically, one member voted
via paper ballot. All names and membership ID’s were
confirmed by two NHNA members to ensure all ballots
were appropriately cast. The NHNA Board Secretary
verified the list of voters as valid and representing a quorum
of at least 5% as specified by the NHNA bylaws (91/1,286
= 7%).
President-Elect
Holly McCormack, MSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer of
Cottage Hospital, was elected as President Elect. Holly
expressed her desire to serve by stating, “The NHNA
provides a voice to the nurses in the state of New
Hampshire. As a Chief Nursing Officer, I feel I provide
a voice to the nurses of my organization. I find the two
positions to require similar characteristics: Professionalism,
role modeling, organization and sometimes out of the box
thinking. When I take on a role, I tend to "go all in." I feel
that would be a positive impact for the association. I also
feel that I could really expand my own knowledge base.
This would positively impact my organization and help to
make me a more well-rounded leader.”
Secretary
Lyndsay Goss, MSN, RN, Nursing Faculty Lead at Southern
New Hampshire University, and currently the Chair of the
Commission on Nursing Practice, was elected to serve
as Board Secretary. Lyndsay described her interest in the
role: “I would like to serve to gain a greater understanding
of the organization, to continue to support and advocate
for nurses throughout the state, and to grow as part of my
own professional growth. The three innate characteristics
that make me a good fit for this role is that I am organized,
responsible, and reliable. I have experience taking minutes/
notes for a variety of committees and teams throughout my
career.” Lyndsay served as Chair of the CNP for the past
two years.
Director at Large
Pamela Kallmerten’s, PhD(c), DNP, RN, CNL, second
term as Board Secretary ended on December 31, 2020.
Wanting to continue her service, Kallmerten was elected
to the Director at Large position vacated by Carmen
Petrin. Kallmerten wrote: “Professionalism necessitates
service to others and as such I believe every nurse should
provide service to the community whether it be at the
local, state, regional or national level. I have 30 years'
experience as a NH nurse and 20 years' experience as a
NH nurse educator. I will use my experiences and support
the mission of NHNA through collaboration with board
leadership and members.”
Commission on Government Affairs (CGA)
CGA welcomed three new members. Representative
Polly Campion, MSN, RN has been serving as the CGA
Legislative Liaison for the past few years, providing
members with valuable insights as to the inner workings
of the New Hampshire legislature. She retired from her
legislative service at the end of 2020. Elected to the CGA
she stated “I'd like to continue on the CGA to provide
continuity, especially until another nurse legislator is able to
participate.”
Marsha Davidson, BSN, RN, practices as a staff nurse on
a medical-surgical unit at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical
Center. She attended the CGA’s Legislative Advocacy
Training in 2019 and was bitten by the advocacy bug.
“I am realizing the importance of being involved in the
legislative, government process. As nurses we bring a
unique perspective regarding the health and wellbeing of
our community members. Our voice needs to be heard,”
remarked Davidson.
Marcy Doyle, DNP, MHS, MS, RN, CN, serves as the
Clinical and Quality Improvement Director at the Institute
for Health Policy and Practice at the University of New
Hampshire. In her Intent-to-Serve, Doyle stated, “Currently
I teach graduate level Health Policy at UNH, which
has advanced my knowledge of the legislative process,
evaluating proposed legislation, and recommending
appropriate action.”
Commission on Nursing Practice (CNP)
Erika Corbett and Bonnie Crumley Aybar were elected
to the Commission on Nursing Practice (CNP). Erika
Corbett RN works in infection Control at Hannah Dunston
Healthcare and desired “to bring awareness to workplace
safety and the impact of COVID 19 on Nurses in NH. I
want to be an advocate for fellow nurses. I am also looking
for more volunteer opportunities.”
Bonnie Crumley Aybar, MS, RN formerly at the New
Hampshire Board of Nursing, practices at the VA in
Manchester. She brings her experience in peri-operative
nursing and “experience in reviewing and evaluating
practice questions for NH Board of Nursing for three years.”
Commission on Continuing Education (CCE)
Ashley Ponce, MSN, RN, practices nursing education
for Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association. “I am a
nurse educator and have recently completed a masters in
nurse education… and worked on curriculum development