The National Executive Committee is elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held during the ACNN National Conference. Nominations for National Executive Committee positions are called for prior to the AGM. All committee positions become vacant annually and are open to all members for nomination, subject to conditions within the constitution.
The National Executive Committee comprises office-bearers and ordinary members and there may be additional members for specific roles as determined by the Executive.
The National Executive Committee meets face to face two times a year and via teleconference monthly.
A/Professor Karen Walker has been a neonatal nurse for over 20 years and has extensive state, national and international collaborations. She is passionate about improving health outcomes across the lifespan, equitable access to universal health care and education. She is motivated to support nurses, midwives and healthcare workers to improve women's and baby's health and to decrease globally maternal and newborn mortality by improving access to education, supporting, empowering and mentorship. Karen is Vice-President of the Council of International Neonatal Nurses, and a founding member of the Alliance for Global Neonatal Nurses in the USA and works with the WHO and other international groups both in Australia and internationally.
Anndrea is a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner at Redcliffe Maternity Unit. She completed a Master of Nursing Science - nurse practitioner at QUT in 2016. Anndrea has worked in many roles in maternity and neonatal settings and this enables her to have a broad view of neonatal care. The scope of her current role includes, special care nursery, birth suite, maternity ward and outpatient activity. Anndrea's current research interests are IV cannulas in neonates, Neonatal Skin Care, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and Overnight oximetry in neonates.
Samantha is a registered nurse and midwife who has worked as a neonatal nurse for over twenty years. She has worked in several neonatal units around Australia and has held clinical nurse, clinical facilitator and nurse unit manager positions. Samantha is currently working as a neonatal nurse in Hobart and maintains her passion for family centred care. She was an active member of the Queensland Branch of ACNN before taking on the role of assistant treasurer and then treasurer on the ACNN national executive committee.
Shelley has a background in neonatal nursing and currently works as a clinical audit and research clinical nurse specialist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Newborn Care in Sydney. She was founding editor from 1998 and for the first six years of Neonatal, Paediatric and Child Health Nursing and continues to work as a freelance editor. Her particular interests revolve around developmentally supportive care for the preterm neonate, the psychological aspects of preterm infants within families, family centred care and professional aspects of neonatal nursing. Shelley is currently a PhD candidate at the Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sydney.
Amy is an English trained nurse who worked in Leicester and London before moving to Australia in 2004. Amy worked as a transport nurse for NETS, Victoria before moving to Townsville in 2007 and undertaking her Nurse Practitioner training, becoming endorsed in 2010. Amy has been an active member within ACNN and is the assistant secretary and involved in the NNP and LRC special interest groups. She is the chair of the NNP Methods group within COINN, looking to explore the diversity of the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) role globally.
Linda has clinical experience and qualifications in Adult Intensive Care and Neonatal Intensive Care. Linda's research focuses on postgraduate education of Registered Nurses and its impact on nursing care as well as on retention of nurses in the industry. She has an interest in simulation and neonatal skin. Linda is amember of The Honour Society of Nursing Sigma Theta Tau International-Phi Delta Chapter at Large and a collaborator in the Education, Simulation and Scholarship.
Cassie is a Registered Nurse who has developed her career as a Neonatal Nurse at Monash Children's Hospital in Melbourne. Cassie completed her Post Graduate Degree in Neonatal Intensive Care in 2017. She works closely with Canon Australia to maintain her 'Capture Kit' project, utilizing the magic of photography to increasing connections between infants and parents in the NICU. Cassie is enjoying her role as Social Media Committee Chair and is excited to engage in our many social media platforms to promote ACNN's core values and to reach a wider community of neonatal nurses.
Jane is the Nursing Unit Manager with the NSW Newborn and paediatric Emergency Transport Service (NETS) in Sydney. She has extensive retrieval experience and qualifications in neonatal and paediatric nursing. She holds a midwifery qualification and a Master of Clinical Nursing, paediatrics. As a manager and clinician her passion is around providing excellent neonatal & paediatric retrieval care nationally. She is a member of the Australian & New Zealand neonatal and paediatric Emergency retrieval services group (ANZPERS). Jane is an honorary life member of ACNN and currently as an ACNN executive committee ordinary member, holds the portfolio of conference coordinator.
Jennifer has been working with neonates after completing the neonatal intensive care course at The Royal Canberra Hospital. She has worked in neonatal units in London and around Australia. She has held clinical nurse educator, clinical nurse consultant, and nurse unit manager roles. Jennifer has been an active supporter of neonatal nursing through her roles on ANN (NSW) and ANNA. She is currently an executive member of the ACNN National Committee. Her current role is nurse researcher/trial coordinator of the PLUSS trial at the Royal Women's Hospital. She is lucky to work with a team of researchers whose goal is "to make the babies better".