Overview

The NC Center on the Workforce for Health (Center) is proud to announce the launch of the Nursing Workforce Coordinating Council (NWCC), a statewide, nurse-led group of nursing leaders, educators, employers, healthcare executives, researchers, and representatives from key state agencies.

Building on the state’s rich history of nursing workforce leadership, it is nurse-centric, community-informed, and coordinates action on statewide priorities. The NWCC will play an essential role in shaping the future of North Carolina’s nursing workforce by guiding strategy, informing policy, and advancing collaborative solutions to meet the needs of our communities. The NWCC drives the Center’s role as North Carolina’s representative to the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers.

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Purpose & Role

The NWCC was established to guide the Center’s efforts in addressing nursing workforce challenges and advancing the recommendations of the NCIOM Task Force on the Future of the Nursing Workforce (Time for Action: Securing A Strong Nursing Workforce for North Carolina), the Caregiving Workforce Strategic Leadership Council (Investing in North Carolina’s Caregiving Workforce), and NC Health Talent Alliance.

The Center on the Workforce for Health should engage an advisory council to provide data, guidance, and best practices concerning efforts to address the nursing workforce crisis, provide critical perspectives from key interested parties, and decrease duplication of efforts. Representatives of the council should include nursing educators from community college and university settings, nurses with experience in a variety of health care settings, employers of nurses, and representatives of nursing associations and the Future of Nursing Action Coalition.

Strategy 18.3 from NCIOM “Time for Action” report on the Future of the Nursing Workforce

 NWCC members provide expertise in the following areas:

• Strategic Alignment: Enhance visibility of efforts across various partner groups and ensure coordination to deepen impact on shared priorities.
• Data Review and Application: Offering insight into nursing-related data, trends, and workforce metrics, and helping interpret findings for actionable use at the state level.  
• Thought Leadership: Championing nursing education, research, innovation, and clinical excellence across all communities, settings, and populations. Identify issues concerning nursing professionals that need further study.  
• Action Teams: Providing leadership to action teams that will implement strategies to develop and stabilize the nursing workforce.

Membership & Structure

The NWCC includes 26 members, with 12 seats reserved for designated nursing stakeholders and 14 seats open to applicants who hold key positions and roles in nursing. Members serve three-year terms, with no limit on the number of terms. Meetings are held quarterly, virtually, to ensure broad participation across the state.

Current Membership

Seat	Name	Affiliation
Center on the Workforce for Health	Jill Forcina	NC Center on the Workforce for Health
State Agency	Sarah Bourland	NC DHHS
State Agency	Crystal Tillman	NC Board of Nursing
State Agency	Katie Fitzpatrick	NC AHEC
State Agency	Lindsay Novacek	NC DHHS Div. of Public Health
State Agency	Melissa Leeds	NC DPI
Organization that represents nurses	Tina Gordon	NC Nurses Association
Organization that represents nurses	Dawn Tetterton	NC Organization of Nurse Leaders
Organization that represents nurses	Catherine Sevier	NC Future of Nursing Action Coalition
Organization that represents educators of nurses	Debra Barksdale	NC Council of Higher Education in Nursing
Organization that represents educators of nurses	Kent Dickerson	North Carolina Conference of Directors of Associate Degree and Practical Nursing Programs
Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research	Catherine Moore	Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
Nurses from Employers	Daria Kring	Novant Health
Nurses from Employers	Nicole Kolacz	UNC Health Rex
Nurses from Employers	Leslie Mason	Advocate Health
Nurses from Employers	Heather Voyles	Cleveland County Health Department
Nurses from Employers	Tameca Brown	Charter One
Educator of Nurses	Pamela Edwards	Campbell University
Educator of Nurses	Rebecca Turpin	Appalachian State University
Educator of Nurses	Christy Swinson	Fayetteville State University
Educator of Nurses	Holly Myers	Davidson-Davie Community College
Educator of Nurses	Crystal Way	Central Carolina Community College
Educator of Nurses	Thompson Forbes	East Carolina University
Nurse Researcher	Cheryl Jones	University of North Carolina Chapel Hill