Diane has been a nurse for 27 years, and nursing was a second career for her. She

spent her first 7 years after college in the health insurance industry and went back

to school while pregnant with her third child. She has her BA degree in biology from

Lafayette College in Easton, PA; her BS in Nursing from York College of Pennsylvania;

and her master’s degree in Nursing Administration and Leadership from Chamberlain

College of Nursing. Although most of her experience has been in the surgical environment, she spent 2

years in the Emergency Department as a SAFE nurse (sexual assault forensic examiner). Throughout the

years, she has also served as an adjunct faculty member at York College of Pennsylvania. She was the

nurse manager of the post anesthesia care unit and short stay unit at WellSpan Health York Hospital in

York, Pennsylvania for almost 10 years and is currently the Director of Surgical Services and Acute Rehab Services

WellSpan Health Ephrata Community Hospital in Ephrata Pennsylvania.

Diane has always been passionate about working with her staff to create healthy and caring work

environments, and it is one of the main motivators in Diane joining Dr. Renee Thompson’s Healthy

Workforce Institute in 2018. On the topics of bullying and incivility, Diane has been a guest presenter at Sigma

Theta Tau’s International conference on Creating Healthy Work Environments, Johns Hopkins Advanced

Nursing Leadership Academy, the Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania’s state conference, and the

Pennsylvania Association of Perianesthesia Nurses state conference. She served on the American Nurses

Association #EndNurseAbuse Professional Issues Panel Advisory Committee. In her own healthcare system,

Diane has conducted workshops on bullying and incivility for over 3,000 staff members and continues to be

the subject expert for her organization. At her former hospital in York, she served on both the hospital-wide

workplace violence committee and the employee engagement committee, specifically addressing the topic

of abusive behavior.

In March of 2022, Diane presented at the AONL conference in San Antonio, Texas. The topic addressed

the need for leadership development, and how she worked with the frontline leaders in her organization to

provide them with the educational tools needed to develop and sustain a professional, compassionate, and

healthy workforce. In 2023 Diane was nominated for the prestigious Nightingale award and in 2024 she won 

the Nightingale award in the Nursing Adminstration: Leader/Manager/Director category.

When Diane served as a nurse manager, she received a wonderful validation of her work she has done with

her own units in creating healthy work environments when she received this message from a nurse she

mentored:

“I had the opportunity to shadow a nurse leader as part of my MSN clinical requirement. On my last day,

she handed me a pin that each of her staff wears on their badges. It reads, “be kind.” It is a reminder to be

respectful, supportive, and kind, while rejecting bullying and workplace violence. Her department embodies

this message. I felt like part of her team from day one. Her nurses, assistants, and secretaries welcomed

me with open arms. I observed teamwork, kindness, compassion, and hard work. I learned many valuable

lessons during the 5 weeks I spent with her. I am so grateful for this experience and will carry this message

into my own practice as a nurse leader. Thank you, Diane.”