2010 News
5 NOVEMBER 2010
CGFNS International Chief Executive Officer Barbara Nichols announces retirement
Capping her distinguished career in nursing and organizational leadership, Barbara L. Nichols, DHL, MS, RN, FAAN, announced her retirement today from CGFNS International. Nichols has served as the organization’s CEO for 12 years and has led CGFNS through a period of securing authorization from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to conduct visa credentials assessment certifications for health care workers seeking an occupational visa to work in the United States. Other accomplishments include the launch of the International Centre on Nurse Migration in partnership with the International Council of Nurses (ICN), and the implementation of a technology-based solution for online applications and assessment services.
Her retirement is effective 30 June 2011, though she will continue to be available to CGFNS’s new leadership through 2011 as needed.
During her tenure, Dr Nichols has presided over many major accomplishments, designed to meet the vision and goals of CGFNS, including implementation of the organization’s name change — changing from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools to CGFNS International — to better reflect the global significance of CGFNS’s work.
Under Dr Nichols’s stewardship, CGFNS has fulfilled its leadership role as a global resource for knowledge and fairness pertaining to the ethical recruitment of foreign-educated health care professionals and protection of the health care consumer. Throughout her career, Dr Nichols has been recognized for her role in teaching and mentoring nurses of color and her passion for social justice for immigrating nurses and women.
“We are extremely grateful for Dr Nichols’s commitment and passion to the nursing and health care professional community, the vision to embrace technology and open new doors globally, and her insistence on forging partnerships with global educational, regulatory and professional institutions whose relationships will serve the organization well into the future. We wish her all the best in this new phase of her life,” said CGFNS President Carol Bradley, MSN, RN, CENP.
Prior to joining CGFNS, Dr Nichols served as President of the American Nurses Association, Professor of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Milwaukee Colleges of Nursing, Director of Nursing for the Wisconsin Area Health Education Center System and Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing. She also is a former member of the International Council of Nursing Board of Directors.
She is currently a member of the Nursing Faculty, Excelsior College, Albany, New York and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Board of Directors and Conformity Assessment Policy Committee.
She has consulted on numerous global projects and is the recipient of many awards including five honorary doctorates and the American Academy of Nursing’s Living Legends award for her leadership and sustained contributions to the nursing profession.
A virtual guest book has been created where co-workers and colleagues can send Barbara a note of congratulations on her many accomplishments. Donations to the ICN Girl-Child Fund at www.icn.ch/vmchk/Donations.html would be appreciated in lieu of gifts.
For additional information or inquiries please contact: Petula L. Wilson, PHR, Director of Human Resources at hrmngr@cgfns.org.
