April 2012

Of all the AANA offices the Vice President duties appear pretty vague, assuming nothing happens to the President-elect, what do you hope to accomplish as Vice President ?

Karen Eisberner - As AANA Vice President, I will assist the organization in achieving its collective goals, not only in promoting our profession and practice, but also in opening doors to greater opportunity.  I will strive to bring both new and old members together to communicate on topics that are relevant to the future success of our association.  We encourage members to become involved, but I also believe we need to solicit those members that possess qualities that are valued and invite them to participate, fostering mentorship, and succession planning. I will work to keep the profession relevant and competitive through strategic thinking and planning. Through the aforementioned processes, I will work to improve organizational effectiveness of state associations and foster a culture of trust and membership involvement. 

On April 16, 2012 Ira P. Gunn was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. The day was very special and the full miltary honors ceremony proved very moving.

For the first time in it's history the AANA adjourned the Monday afternoon session early to enable CRNAs from across the country to pay final tribute to Ira P. Gunn CRNA, MLN,FAAN.

Ira's close friends & family, with support from AANA & NBCRNA, provided a memorable event followed by a reception at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial.

This video offers a glimpse of the service.

Why are you running for AANA office?

Jay Horowitz - Simply put I believe I can do good, effective work as both an advocate for the members within the boardroom and as a leader of the association in the public domain.

I have spent the last 25 years as a passionate advocate for the members outside traditional leadership roles via grassroots efforts, trips to Park Ridge, attendance at board meetings, and as an author of pro CRNA pieces that have reached hundreds of thousands of readers; even within the walls of the White House.

I have been encouraged by many past and present leaders of AANA to “step up my game” in a more formalized fashion. I respect their opinions and honor their service by running for office at this time.

Every AANA President enters office with a focus or particular area of interest which they hope to advance. What will be your focus?

Steve Alves - I have been listening to the members and understand clearly that many do not value their membership to the AANA.  I want to change this and I believe this will be the most important exercise that I will be actively engaged in over the next few years.  One of the most essential and game-changing actions we can take is to improve our communication with the members. I believe President Malina, with our newer updated web site platform has begun to make some progress.  Although very few have taken advantage of the blog site on the aana.com website, I predict this will change over time.