The headline-grabbing numbers are astounding:

Since the early 2010s, Bill Conway and his late wife, Joanne, have given just under $50 million to support nurses at UVA School of Nursing and a total of more than $300 million to nursing programs across the country. 

In 2020, the couple made the largest gift in the School’s history to support BSN transfer students, expand RN to BSN program teaching sites to Richmond and Fairfax, and enlarge the Mary Morton Parsons Clinical Simulation Learning Center. Earlier gifts supported the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) master's degree program—a fast-track to nursing program for individuals from outside the profession—and established the Conway Scholars program. A 2022 commitment provided even more support to CNL and PhD students planning careers in leadership and academia. 

“Our goal of supporting the School of Nursing is two-fold,” Bill Conway said when announcing the couple’s first CNL gift. “To enable greater access to a quality education and address the critical nursing shortage." 

“I credit the Conways for the reason that I’m able to be a nurse . . .[The scholarship] “gave me the hope and support to take that leap of faith and jump into the career that was really calling to me.”

CNL graduate and DNP student Frankie Allen, a pediatric nurse at UVA Health and a Conway Scholar

The Conways haven’t just increased nursing student numbers, though; they’ve meaningfully changed the lives of those who’ve received their scholarships and ultimately improved the lives of countless people who benefit from their care. 

Opening Doors 

Third-year BSN student Melany Gonzales enrolled at UVA preparing for medical school, but decided to transfer into nursing, which offered her the relationships and experiences she sought. Her experiences since have paved the way for her new job on a postpartum pediatrics unit at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., which she’ll begin after graduating in 2025, and position her well to return to school to become a nurse practitioner, her ultimate goal.  

“Every day offers an opportunity to learn something new,” Gonzales said. “[Postpartum] patients are going through such a huge change in their lives. I like being able to create a safe space for them to ask questions and voice their concerns.” 

Every day feels like an adventure, she added—an adventure brought to her by the Conways’ largesse. 

“They made it possible for me to go to such a prestigious four-year institution and to accomplish my dreams of becoming an RN,” Gonzales said.  

“They made it possible for me to go to such a prestigious four-year institution and to accomplish my dreams of becoming an RN."

BSN student and Conway Scholar Melany Gonzales

Developing Leaders 

UVA’s CNL program—Virginia’s first—turned 20 in 2025, and, since its founding, has graduated more than 600 new nurses who’ve gone on to become leaders in the profession. Among them is Frankie Allen (COL ’18, MSN ’21), a prototypical CNL graduate, and just the type the Conways aimed to bring into nursing.  

Allen, a Detroit native, earned a biology degree and planned to become a researcher, but soon had a change of heart.  

“Research didn’t have the appeal I thought it did,” Allen said. “I was really missing that human connection.” 

Even though she “felt called” to nursing, it was a tough leap to make. “It was a pretty scary choice to quit my full-time job and benefits and go back to school as part of UVA’s CNL program,” she said. That’s where the Conway Scholar program came in. 

“I credit the Conways for the reason that I’m able to be a nurse,” Allen said. The scholarship “gave me the hope and support to take that leap of faith and jump into the career that was really calling to me.” 

Now a pediatric ICU nurse at UVA Health and a DNP student, Allen said the CNL program prepared her to think critically about complex diseases. “I still learn new things every week, which is amazing three-and-a-half years into my nursing career,” she said. Earning a DNP, will not only help her become a pediatric nurse practitioner, it’s revealed in her a penchant for education—and a path to pay it forward.  

“I love teaching and mentoring,” said Allen. “The School is really a special environment to learn in. I hope to support the education of other nurses the way that I was supported.” 

Honoring Joanne Conway 

Joanne Conway, who died in 2024, initially suggested to her husband that their philanthropy make entering nursing more affordable. A one-time scholarship recipient herself, she was inspired to support aspiring nurses after meeting a waitress who revealed that she was struggling to pay for her degree. 

To honor the Conways' shared commitment to nursing at UVA, Bill Conway established the Joanne Barkett Conway Student Success Fund. It provides micro-grants to students experiencing temporary financial hardships or emergencies by supporting initiatives such as a new graduate student coaching program and a food pantry. To demonstrate the community’s appreciation, the School will unveil the new Joanne Barkett Conway Nursing Student Commons in fall 2025, a revitalized space in McLeod Hall that offers a gathering space for nursing students and their colleagues from across Grounds. 

It's a fitting place for Gonzales, Allen, and the broader School and University communities to frequent and draw inspiration from. 

“To know the faculty and the Conways believe in me and are looking forward to me graduating and giving back to our community, that motivates me,” Gonzales said. 

“Every day I get to use my hands to do good, and that’s only possible because the Conways believed in the value of bringing more people into nursing,” Allen said.  

READ MORE ABOUT THE CONWAYS' WORK AT UVA

• $14M gift increases educational access, addresses nurse and nurse faculty shortages 
• Transfers Transformed (VNL, 2022)
• 1,000 reasons to celebrate (Pulse, 2020)
• Expanding spaces, expanded opportunities (VNL, 2020)
• The Conways' gifts: By the numbers (VNL 2018)