Karen Tomajan, RN, MS, CNAA-BC is currently serving her second term as ONA President.  She is currently employed by INTEGRIS HEALTH as the Nursing Quality Manager.  She is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Beta Delta Chapter, the Association of           Rehabilitation Nurses and the National Nursing Staff Development Organization.

This is an exciting time to be a nurse.  Now more than ever, nurses are pivotal to the future of the health care system. The challenges facing healthcare – workforce shortage, work environment, patient safety and access to care – require a strong professional association.   I believe financial stability of the association, collaboration among nursing organizations and visibility of ONA and our members at the state and national level are ways of achieving this goal

Linda Lyons Coyle, RN, MSN is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Tulsa Community College and Adjunct Nursing Instructor University of Oklahoma Tulsa.  She has been active in Region 2 and has served as its representative to the ONA Board.  She is a member of the OSU Ethics and Aging Committee, is a Legal nurse consultant, a production crew nurse, and Faculty Advisor to the Tulsa Community College Student Nurses Association. 

Kimberly Moner Anderson, RN, MSN  is the Director of Medicine Specialties at OU Medical Center. 

 “Nursing is full of diversity within our own network and the population that we service. With that, we must be highly motivated and energized utilizing our skills to address people with many varying degrees of illnesses. In our day to day work we are faced with many challenges that require a diverse set of skills to handle these concerns. When addressing those concerns we must remain noble in our mission, to continue to have compassion and make great strides to make a difference. One issue that ONA faces today is the decreasing number of nursing faculty positions. The average age of retirement for a nurse is 55 years of age. There aren’t attractive incentives to make a younger person want to go into the teaching profession. The salaries are not economically feasible based on today’s economy and there is much competition for clinical sites to educate students. Nursing as a profession needs to speak with one strong voice at the Local, State and National level. It needs to form a strong political movement that can effectively lobby Washington D.C. The State Nursing Organization will have to campaign to increase its membership hence its funding. The compensation of nursing educators at all levels will have to be restructured to make it attractive to young educators.”

Patricia Muller Smith RN, MA, EdD is a Consultant, Smith and Associates.  She has been active with ANA, ONA, AONE, OONE, and Sigma Theta Tau. She also is on the Advisory Board at Rogers State, Okmulgee Tech, as well as the Ronald McDonald House.

The profession of nursing is once again at a crossroads in its development. More than ever, the need for qualified professional nurses is being demonstrated as the population ages and requires more from the health care community. Nurses have the unique skills and compassionate approach that will best serve the needs of patients. The continuing struggle to match the growing needs with fewer resources will challenge the individual practitioner as well as the profession. Unique solutions and on going education will a key to facing the many challenges and can best be accomplished through a strong organization that can speak for the nurses in Oklahoma

Angie Kamermayer, MS, RNC, CNS is the Administrative Director of Patient Care Services at  INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center,

Barbara Smith, RN, MPH, M.Ed is a  Nurse Manager, School Health Consultan with tOklahoma State Department of Health Maternal and Child Health Service, Oklahoma

I am very interested in political issues facing the field of nursing and patient’s rights. The work of the ONA-PAC supports candidates and legislation that promotes all levels of nursing practice, advocates for patient rights, advocates for nursing higher education, provides leadership and direction that increases the recognition of the powerful voice of nurses statewide. The PAC Director works closely with GAC, ONA Board of Directors, ONA Executive Director and contract  to help the organization speak with one voice on nursing policy.”