As we look forward to gathering at the ALSN Conference this September, I have been reflecting on one of the defining strengths of our organization: community. Our conference theme, Strengthening Collaborative Pathways to Shape the Future of Nursing: Leading with Intention and Innovating with Purpose, speaks directly to the power of connection and collaboration that has long distinguished ALSN. Year after year, our conference has served as the premier gathering place where nurse leaders in practice and academe come together to learn, share ideas, build partnerships, and advance the science of nursing leadership. It is through these interactions that we have created a strong, inclusive, and vibrant community that continues to shape and define the field.
For me, the power of this community is deeply personal. I still vividly remember my first ALSN conference, CGEAN at the time, in 2012. I was a budding PhD student, eager to learn and perhaps a little intimidated to be in a room filled with individuals whose work had shaped my thinking and informed my dissertation. I remember being in awe of the speakers and scholars around me, many of whom I had cited numerous times but never imagined I would meet in person. Yet what struck me most was not their accomplishments, but their generosity. They welcomed me into the community, shared their wisdom, offered encouragement, and took me under their wings. Many of those relationships developed into mentorships and friendships that continue to this day. That conference was where I first discovered the power of "finding my people," and I have been coming back ever since.
This year, our community is stronger than ever. As ALSN continues to expand globally, we are building new connections, strengthening existing relationships, and broadening our collective impact across nursing leadership science and graduate education in nursing leadership. Through new international collaborations and growing engagement from colleagues around the world, we are broadening perspectives, strengthening relationships, and creating new opportunities to advance leadership science and graduate education in nursing leadership. Each new connection enriches our collective work and reinforces the idea that we are truly stronger together.
What makes ALSN special is that it is your community, whether through a conversation with a colleague, a formal mentoring relationship, a trusted network of peers helping you troubleshoot operational challenges, a collaboration that grows a program of research, or a collective voice advocating for issues that matter to nursing leadership. As we prepare to gather in September, I encourage everyone, from our rising stars to our living legends, to join us in community and continue cultivating what may be ALSN's greatest superpower. Together, we are stronger. Together, we lead with intention, innovate with purpose, and shape the future of nursing leadership.
Together in leadership,
Heather Nelson-Brantley, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, CNE, FAAN
President, Association for Leadership Science in Nursing
