My fellow alumni:

My term as the School of Nursing Alumni Association president soon ends. What a privilege it has been to serve you during an important transitional period at our School! We are fortunate to be graduates of a program that strives for and maintains high standards and is led by the best in our profession.

Over the past three years, your Association leaders made a concerted effort to encourage more alumni engagement. While the pandemic made that challenging, it also got us “thinking outside the box.” To that end, we now have a new Instagram account (@uvanursingalumni), a Facebook page, and access to a LinkedIn group (UVA School of Nursing Alumni, Students, & Friends), all of which we hope you’ll follow. We developed a new rubric to standardize nominee requirements and ease some of the burden felt by their faculty nominators. We simplified the qualification and application process for the Tabitha S. Grier Medical Assistance Fund, hoping that more nursing alumni struggling to pay medical expenses would apply. And we’re also working to support more continuing education and networking opportunities through the School and its Alumni and Development Office. We celebrated the leadership of former dean Pam Cipriano and welcomed our seventh dean Marianne Baernholdt.

Reunions are great, but they only come around once every five years. I hope you, my fellow alumni, will consistently support the School of Nursing by participating in school activities, volunteering for events and committees, offering financial support, and nominating a fellow alumn for an award.

-Sandy Reed-Bryant, Nursing Alumni Council President

Reunions are great, but they only come around once every five years. I hope you, my fellow alumni, will consistently support the School of Nursing by participating in School activities, volunteering for events and committees, offering financial support, and nominating a fellow alum for an award.

With our members’ enthusiasm, thoughtfulness, and commitment, I feel good about the Association’s future, and you should, too. With incoming Association president Joshua James (BSN ’05) and vice president Sarah Covall (BSN ’09, MSN ’14), your Council is poised to do great things!

Special thanks to Ashley Dierson (BSN ’06), Allyson Bakewell (BSN ’81), Sarah Covall, Tanita Woodson Adu (BSN ’97), Thornton Beale (BSN ’10, MSN ’16), Ashley Dennis (BSN ’06), Megan Gosnell (BSN ’12, MSN ’16, DNP ’17), Jennifer Hutchinson (BSN ’97, MSN ’02, PhD ’16) Josh James, Emily Keenan (BSN ’05), Alicia McCarthy (BSN ’09), Shannon McDonald (BSN ’16), Elizabeth Mikula (BSN ’05), and development director Erik Williams for their invaluable support and encouragement along this journey. It took all of us working together to get this far!

In gratitude,

Sandy Reed-Bryant (BSN ’78, MSN ’86)
Williamsburg, VA

Class News & Notes

Reunions 2023

When you’re back on Grounds for Reunions this summer, Please join us for these School of Nursing-specific celebrations

UVA Reunions June 2-4, 2023
Classes of 1993, 1988, 1983, 1978, 1973, and the Thomas Jefferson Society

Saturday, June 3, 2023
50^th Reunion and Thomas Jefferson Society Luncheon
Rotunda Dome Room, 12-1:30 p.m.
Come together with fellow School of Nursing alumni from the Class of 1973 and the Thomas Jefferson Society for a special luncheon in honor of your 50^th reunion.

Saturday, June 3, 2023
School of Nursing Reception
Pavilion VIII, Lower Garden (rain location: McLeod Hall lobby), 3-5 p.m.
Join fellow nursing alumni at this casual reception and meet the School’s 7^th dean, Marianne Baernholdt.

UVA Reunions June 9-11, 2023
Classes of 2018, 2013, 2008, 2003, and 1998

Saturday, June 10, 2023
School of Nursing Luncheon
McLeod Hall Patio (rain location: McLeod Hall lobby), 12-1:30 p.m.
Join your fellow alumni, faculty, and friends and meet the School’s 7^th dean, Marianne Baernholdt.

Call for Volunteers

The Alumni Council seeks committee members, and we’d love your input! With a new, more flexible committee structure, many volunteer roles will fit your schedule—whether you have just a little time to give or a lot! Just email us—nursing-alumni@virginia.edu—and we’ll tell you more.

Recognizing Outstanding Alumni

Each year, the School of Nursing Alumni Association honors individual alumni for contributions to the nursing profession and their communities. Nominations for the 2023 awards are now open through August 25, 2023. Additional information and the nomination form are online.

Welcome Ruth Cassell and Avanna Griffith

We’re thrilled to welcome two new members to our School of Nursing Alumni and Development Office team. Ruth Cassell, associate director of development—who most recently served as director of operations at Bradley Free Clinic in Roanoke, VA—has led nonprofits and institutions of higher learning focused on health and education. In her new role, Ruth will engage alumni and friends around the needs of the School of Nursing in support of our students, faculty, and research.

Before joining us, Avanna Griffith—assistant director for strategic alumni engagement for nursing—worked as an advancement coordinator for direct marketing for UVA’s Office of Engagement and as an access associate at UVA Health. In her new role, Avanna will lead engagement activities for the School of Nursing’s alumni constituencies and work to broaden our alumni outreach.