We're honoring dedicated nurses from the community who exemplify excellence in leadership, advocacy, and patient care at VNF's annual Gala!

Please note that self-nominations are not accepted.
To ensure a broad and unbiased perspective, we encourage nominations to come from individuals who can speak to the nominee’s contributions and impact from an external viewpoint.

Nominate a nurse!

The next Leadership Excellence Awards cycle will be in 2027!
Don't miss the opportunity to nominate a nurse from your organization or facility for VNF's Leadership Excellence awards!

Award Categories
Direct Patient Care Leader - Patient Safety
(We will be recognizing 5 exceptional nurses.)
These awards are for direct care nurses in ALL practice settings. We kindly ask that nurse managers or directors not be nominated for this category. Recognizes frontline nurse leaders with an exceptional commitment to patient safety. Nominees will demonstrate an impact on patient safety through attention to detail, a questioning attitude, and the courage to speak up and advocate. 

Direct Patient Care Leader - Patient Experience
(We will be recognizing 5 exceptional nurses.)
These awards are for direct care nurses in ALL practice settings. We kindly ask that nurse managers or directors not be nominated for this category. Recognizes frontline nurse leaders that demonstrates a commitment to serving patients with excellence. Nominees will demonstrate an impact on the patient experience through compassionate care, effective communication, and an attitude focused on exceeding expectations. 

Public Health Nurse
(We will be recognizing 5 exceptional nurses.)
Recognizes public health nurses’ contributions to public health nursing practice within their organization, community, region, state, nation, or globally by providing leadership in professional organizations, demonstrating outstanding public health nursing performance, or other accomplishments relating to public health nursing.

Nurse Manager/Director
Recognizes nurse leaders serving in a management role that demonstrate excellent management skills, advocacy and action to improve the patient care environment. Nominees should be presently employed in the field of nursing administration. 

Chief Nursing Officer
Recognizes nurse leaders serving in an administrative capacity that demonstrate advocacy, vision, and collaboration to improve patient care and the nursing workplace. Nominees should be presently employed as a chief nursing officer in a hospital, ambulatory care, and other health care settings.

Chief Nursing Executive
Recognizes exceptional nurse leaders serving as the top nursing executive in a health system or corporation.  This award recognizes outstanding leadership, dedication, and innovation, and celebrates those who have made significant contributions to elevating patient care and organizational success within the healthcare landscape.

Nurse Executive (Non-CNE/CNO) New!
Recognizes nurse leaders serving in an executive administrative capacity that demonstrate advocacy, vision, and collaboration to improve patient care and the nursing workplace.

Nursing School Dean/Director
Recognizes nurse leaders serving in an educational administrative capacity that demonstrate advocacy, vision, and collaboration to improve patient care and the nursing workplace. Nominees should presently be employed as a dean or director of state-approved and nationally-accredited school of nursing.

Nurse Educator
This award recognizes nurses for their commitment to the advancement of nursing knowledge. Nominees should presently be employed in a nurse educator position.

Nurse Researcher
Recognizes nurses for significant research activities that positively affect nursing practice. Nominees should demonstrate recent involvement in research endeavors related to nursing.

Nursing Informatics
Recognizes a nurse who has made a significant impact on the care of patients and the discipline of nursing by successfully integrating nursing, its information and knowledge, with management of information and communication technologies.

Public/State Government Service
Recognizes nurses working within state government for their exemplary dedication to public service; and outstanding contributions to governance, community welfare, and impactful societal change.

Award Criteria
Leadership Excellence Awards are based on the premise that a nurse leader enhances the self-image of professional nursing, has a positive value orientation and promotes the professional development of self and others as evidenced by maintaining competence in nursing and responding to challenges with innovative approaches.

To be eligible, in addition to any criteria listed in the category descriptions, the nominee must:

• Be licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
  
• Be employed in the Commonwealth of Virginia or Washington, D.C.
• Demonstrate a history of elevating the nursing profession through leadership, innovation, and professional engagement; show respect for human dignity and individual uniqueness; and actively contribute to the growth, mentorship, and development of self and others.
  
• Be available to receive the award the evening of the event.

Nomination Instructions
Nominations are invited from nurses and friends of nursing across the Commonwealth of Virginia. All nominations MUST BE submitted via our online portal and should include the following:

• Completed online form
• Supporting narrative that addresses criteria (500 word maximum)
• One letter of support (Should be written by someone other than person submitting narrative)
  
• Nominee’s curriculum vitae

Nominations Deadline
The nomination period opens on March 31, 2025 and closes on July 31, 2025. 

Awards Selection and Presentation
The VNF Leadership Awards selection committee conducted a review of all nominations received and winners will be announced at the VNF Gala on November 15, 2025 at the Renaissance Portsmouth-Norfolk Waterfront Hotel.

download/print this info!   Nominate a nurse!

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VNF rotates between two awards cycles:

• Leadership Excellence - presented to nursing leaders in administration, education, entrepreneurship, research, and advocacy, as well as staff nurses and nurse generalists. 
  View our 2025 Award Finalists and Trailblazers!
  View our 2024 Award Winners and Trailblazers!
  

• 40 Under 40 - presented to 40 exceptional rising nursing leaders under age 40 every 3 years. View our 2023 40 Under 40 Award Winners & Trailblazers! 

Benefits for the Award Recipient

• Framed certificate
• 1-year membership in VNA
• Invitation to participate on one of VNA's or VNF's Commission's (focusing on a range of nursing issues), DEI Council, or Mental Health Roundtable.
• Set of "Nurses Change Lives" license plates
• Complimentary registration for an upcoming VNA/VNF conference, during which time they would also be recognized as an award recipient.

Criteria for Student Nomination
The VNA/VNF Future Nurse Leader should be a graduating senior from an undergraduate nursing program who:

• Demonstrates leadership, for example:
• Prepares, motivates, and impacts other students as leaders
• Participates in community activities and gives back to others
• Mentors fellow students
• Promotes activity in nursing organizations
• Creates opportunities for engagement and involvement
• Makes a significant contribution to the overall excellence of the school
• Creates a positive working environment
• Embodies the ethics and values of nursing
• Demonstrates a clear sense of the direction for his/her nursing career
• Will be employed in nursing in Virginia following graduation

  For more information, email Linda McKay at lmckay@virginianurses.com

Nancy Vance Award
The Nancy Vance Award is the Virginia Nurses Foundation's highest honor and is awarded biennially at the Virginia Nurses Foundation Gala. This is the highest award given by VNA and honors and continues the legacy of Nancy Vance’s excellence in service. It is bestowed upon a VNA member who has made significant contributions to our community through their exceptional leadership, sustained dedication and inspiring achievements.

The next Nancy Vance Award will be presented in 2026.

• Learn more about Nancy Vance's exceptional life and career.
• View the list of previous awards winners.

Champion of Nursing & Emerging Leader Awards

The awards are presented annually by the VNF Board to champions of the nursing profession in Virginia. Nominations for this award are submitted by board members.

2025 Chapter Scholarships

Thanks to the continued generosity of the Virginia Nurses Foundation and the support of the Virginia Nurses Association (VNA) chapters, we are proud to announce that $17,000 in scholarships has been awarded to prelicensure nursing students across Virginia! This financial support plays a vital role in helping future nurses advance their education and achieve their dream of becoming registered nurses. For more information, visit the VNA website: Local Chapter Scholarship Information.

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Dr. Vivienne McDaniel Health Equity Scholarship

The Dr. Vivienne McDaniel Health Equity Scholarship has been established to honor Dr. McDaniel, a nursing leader dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the nursing profession and communities throughout the commonwealth. As the inaugural chair of the Virginia Nurses Association & Virginia Nurses Foundation's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council and a former Diversity Ambassador on the VNF Board of Trustees, Dr. McDaniel has tirelessly advocated for equitable healthcare practices both in Virginia and nationwide.

This $2,500 scholarship, which aims to support and inspire advanced degree* nursing students who are committed to promoting diversity and equity in healthcare in Virginia, will be awarded in August 2024.

Dr. McDaniel is the inaugural chair of the VNA & VNF Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council and has recently concluded a five-year term as Diversity Ambassador on the VNF Board of Trustees. She is actively involved in healthcare policy and advocacy in Virginia and nationally, with efforts focused on achieving equity across the continuum of healthcare and nursing.

Dr. McDaniel recently served as the Interim Executive Director of the National Black Nurses Association and has also led the NBNA Central Virginia Chapter as president. In 2022, she was honored with the Leadership in Ethics Award by the American Nurses Association Board of Directors for having demonstrated the highest standards of ethics and leadership in her daily nursing practice.

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Contribute to Scholarships

Lauren Goodloe Nursing Scholarship - The Virginia Nurses Foundation created a scholarship to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Lauren Goodloe and her commitment to nursing and nursing education in Virginia. Click here to donate!

View Other Donor Opportunities

Honor a Nurse Today!

The Virginia Nurses Foundation (VNF) welcomes you to publicly recognize a special nurse in your life by donating to the Nightingale Legacy Fund. This is the perfect opportunity to celebrate a nurse friend, colleague, or family member, or to say thank you to a nurse who has made a difference.  

We will publish the names of honored nurses on our website on the Honor a Nurse Tribute Wall and in our quarterly publication, Virginia Nurses Today.

Additionally, all honorees will receive an email letting them know you wanted to say "Thanks!" Your donation of $10 or more will support the launch of the Nurse Leadership Academy. VNF works to continue programs of support and innovation for nurses and nursing in the commonwealth.

Honor a Nurse Here!