HONOREES

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  Mary Breckinridge,

  Founder, Frontier Nursing Service

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  Mary Breckinridge,

  Founder, Frontier Nursing Service

  The late Mary Breckinridge, Founder Frontier Nursing Service. Mary Breckinridge was born in 1881 in Memphis. She attended the St. Luke’s school of nursing, and in 1910, graduated with a degree in nursing.

  Mrs. Breckinridge joined the American Committee for Devastated France following the end of World War I. While in Europe, she became acquainted with the nurse-midwives in France and Great Britain and thought, with their training, she could meet the problem of medical care for mothers and babies in rural America.

  Upon completing her work in France, Mrs. Breckinridge studied midwifery at the British Hospital for Mothers and Babies in London and spent some time with the Highlands and Islands Medical and Nursing Service in Scotland to observe the kind of decentralized health care that would become the model for the Frontier Nursing Service. After the war, she studied Public Health Nursing at Columbia University. She formulated two goals: improving the health of children and pioneering a system of rural health care that could serve as a model for systems serving the most remote regions of the world.

  In 1925, Mrs. Breckinridge came to Southeastern Kentucky to complete her goals by establishing the FNS. The Service was a decentralized health care system with the hospital at the center and the outpost/nursing clinics located within a five-mile ride on horseback. These centers were staffed by nurse-midwives, who held clinics, made rounds on horseback providing home care, and went to the homes to attend births. They served an average of 250 families per outpost. They also held immunization clinics at one-room schools and provided advice regarding sanitization of wells and outhouses.

  The health care system established by Mrs. Breckinridge worked so well that that there was an immediate decrease in infant and maternal mortality. By 1958, the FNS nurse-midwives had attended over 10,000 births. All maternal and infant outcome statistics for the Service’s first 30 years of operation (1925-1954) were better than for the country as a whole. The biggest differences were in the maternal mortality rate (9.1 per 10,000 births for FNS, compared with 34 per 10,000 births for the United States as a whole) and low birth weight (3.8 percent for FNS, compared with 7.6 percent for the country).

  When World War II began in 1939, a number of the British staff wished to return to their homes as soon as they could be released. Under wartime conditions, it was not possible to continue sending American nurses to Britain for midwifery training, so the FNS put into immediate operation a graduate school of midwifery. The Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery admitted its first class in November 1939, and has been in continuous operation since that time.

  Graduates have practiced their profession all over the United States and in many developing countries. In the late 1960s, as health care options became more complex, Frontier established a broader-based education necessary for nurses to be able to provide comprehensive primary care to all family members. At this time, Frontier developed the first certificate program to prepare family nurse practitioners (FNP). In 1970, the name of the school was changed to the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing  to reflect the addition of the FNP program. In 2011, the name changed to Frontier Nursing University to reflect the graduate level Master’s and Doctoral program offered.

  The Service developed by Mrs. Breckinridge has provided excellent care to the people of Eastern Kentucky for over 80 years as well, as graduating nearly 4,000 nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who serve all over the world.

   

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  Mary Frazier Vaughan,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

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  Mary Frazier Vaughan,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

  Mary Frazier Vaughan is a member of the Bluegrass Committee. This dynamic group of women work tirelessly on behalf of Frontier to host an annual luncheon, represent the University at many community events, and spread the word about the mission and work of Frontier.  Thanks to their dedication, FNU has received generous contributions to support scholarships for Kentucky students.

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  Cindy Harpring,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

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  Cindy Harpring,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

   Cindy Harpring is a member of the Bluegrass Committee.  This dynamic group of women work tirelessly on behalf of Frontier to host an annual luncheon, represent the University at many community events, and spread the word about the mission and work of Frontier.  Thanks to their dedication, FNU has received generous contributions to support scholarships for Kentucky students.

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  Martha Copeland,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

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  Martha Copeland,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

   Martha Copeland is a member of the Bluegrass Committee. This dynamic group of women work tirelessly on behalf of Frontier to host an annual luncheon, represent the University at many community events, and spread the word about the mission and work of Frontier.  Thanks to their dedication, FNU has received generous contributions to support scholarships for Kentucky students.

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  Vicki Tobin,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

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  Vicki Tobin,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

   Vicki Tobin is a member of the Bluegrass Committee. This dynamic group of women work tirelessly on behalf of Frontier to host an annual luncheon, represent the University at many community events, and spread the word about the mission and work of Frontier.  Thanks to their dedication, FNU has received generous contributions to support scholarships for Kentucky students.

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  Selma Owens,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

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  Selma Owens,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

  Selma Owens is a member of the Bluegrass Committee.  This dynamic group of women work tirelessly on behalf of Frontier to host an annual luncheon, represent the University at many community events, and spread the word about the mission and work of Frontier.  Thanks to their dedication, FNU has received generous contributions to support scholarships for Kentucky students.

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  Ann Evans,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

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  Ann Evans,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

  Ann Evans is a member of the Bluegrass Committee.  This dynamic group of women work tirelessly on behalf of Frontier to host an annual luncheon, represent the University at many community events, and spread the word about the mission and work of Frontier.  Thanks to their dedication, FNU has received generous contributions to support scholarships for Kentucky students.

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  HELEN RENTCH,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

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  HELEN RENTCH,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

   Helen Rentch is a member of the Bluegrass Committee. This dynamic group of women work tirelessly on behalf of Frontier to host an annual luncheon, represent the University at many community events, and spread the word about the mission and work of Frontier.  Thanks to their dedication, FNU has received generous contributions to support scholarships for Kentucky students.

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  Lindy Karns,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

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  Lindy Karns,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

   Lindy Karns is a member of the Bluegrass Committee. This dynamic group of women work tirelessly on behalf of Frontier to host an annual luncheon, represent the University at many community events, and spread the word about the mission and work of Frontier.  Thanks to their dedication, FNU has received generous contributions to support scholarships for Kentucky students.

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  Linda Roach,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

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  Linda Roach,

  Member, Bluegrass Committee

  Linda Roach is a part of the Bluegrass Committee.  This dynamic group of women work tirelessly on behalf of Frontier to host an annual luncheon, represent the University at many community events, and spread the word about the mission and work of Frontier.  Thanks to their dedication, FNU has received generous contributions to support scholarships for Kentucky students.

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  Katie Isaac,

  FNU Preceptor

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  Katie Isaac,

  FNU Preceptor

  Katie Isaac is a 1980 graduate of Frontier Nursing University and currently practices as a certified nurse-midwife with Women’s Care of the Bluegrass in Frankfort, Ky. She not only exemplifies the midwifery model of care for thousands of families, but she also continues to groom the next generation of nurse-midwives through her clinical preceptorship of Frontier student nurse-midwives.

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  Kate Ireland,

  Courier, 1951, FNS Board of Directors

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  Kate Ireland,

  Courier, 1951, FNS Board of Directors

  The late Kate Ireland first served as a courier for the Frontier Nursing Service in the 1950s, following a family tradition of helping FNS. Her grandmother was a donor and her mother was chairman of the Cleveland, Ohio committee.  Kate’s sister also served as a courier.  In Miss Ireland’s biography, “Full Speed Ahead: With a Twinkle in Her Eye,” she surmises that “Going to Kentucky had always been in the cards for me.”

  Ms. Ireland served as courier during the summers of 1951-1954 and as a part-time courier from 1959-1960. She volunteered as Director of Volunteers for FNS from 1961-1975. She was elected to the FNS Board of Governors in 1963 and served in various capacities on the Board until her death.  In 1967, Ms. Ireland was named Chairman of the Development Committee; in 1968, she was elected Vice Chairman; and in 1975, elected National Chairman of the Board of Governors, a post she held until 1992.  In 1997 she was named National Honorary Chairman.

  One of Miss Ireland’s many accomplishments is the creation of the Community-Based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program in 1989 with Kitty Ernst and Ruth Beeman. The Kate Ireland Scholarship, endowed by Ms. Ireland, continues to award scholarships to students annually. In 2014, Ms.  Ireland was posthumously awarded the first ever “Unbridled Spirit” award.

   

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  Damara Jenkins,

  FNU Preceptor

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  Damara Jenkins,

  FNU Preceptor

  Damara Jenkins, CNM, is an alumnus of Frontier and was part of Class 48. She practices at Woman Care in Indiana . Woman Care is a collaborative environment with three nurse-midwives and three OB/GYNs working together to serve the local area. One unique thing about Woman Care, is that more than 50% of the patients at this practice are from Louisville, Ky., although the practice is located in Indiana. At WomanCare the CNMs attend approximately 500 births each year at the local partner hospital.

  Ms. Jenkins is not only following the mission of Frontier by providing midwifery care through her regular job duties, but she is also serving as a preceptor for FNU midwifery students. In addition, she is very involved in a group – Friends of the Birth Center -that is trying to establish a birth center in Louisville.

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  Elsie Maier Wilson,

  Former Dean, FNU

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  Elsie Maier Wilson,

  Former Dean, FNU

  Elsie Maier Wilson is a 1963 graduate of the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery.  She served as a district nurse for the Frontier Nursing Service for 16 years. Wilson is a former dean of the Frontier School from 1977-1978.  Wilson has remained involved with Frontier, visiting most recently for the 2013 Homecoming Weekend in Hyden.

   

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  Helen Browne,

  Former Assistant Director, FNS

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  Helen Browne,

  Former Assistant Director, FNS

  Helen Browne, known affectionately as “Brownie”, Miss Browne came to Frontier Nursing Service as a young nurse-midwife on July 28, 1938. In her early years, she served as a district nurse-midwife and was appointed Supervisor of the Hyden Hospital during World War II. In 1947, Brownie was named Assistant Director of FNS. Upon the death of Mary Breckinridge, Brownie was unanimously elected Director on May 18, 1965. She served in that capacity for 11 years until her retirement from the Service in 1975. Under her leadership, the Mary Breckinridge Hospital was built and the FNS educational program was expanded to combine family nursing and nurse-midwifery into an integrated curriculum.

   

• The Thompson Charitable Foundation,

  FNU Supporter

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  The Thompson Charitable Foundation,

  FNU Supporter

  The Thompson Charitable Foundation of Knoxville, Tenn. supports organizations serving specific counties within Eastern Kentucky including Leslie County, home to Frontier Nursing University.

  Established by B. Ray Thompson,  the Thompson Charitable Foundation has funded annual capital needs to carry out the work of Frontier.  This has included critical maintenance projects for the historic properties, expansions and renovations on the Hyden and Wendover campuses, and various equipment needs.  The support of the Thompson Charitable Foundation for more than 20 years has made it possible to continue hosting 1,000+ students annually on campus.

   

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  Jan Stalder,

  Mentor, FNU Supporting Achievement in Graduate Education program

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  Jan Stalder,

  Mentor, FNU Supporting Achievement in Graduate Education program

  Jan Stalder is a 2011 graduate of the family nurse practitioner Class 53.  As a search and rescue nurse, Ms. Stalder has witnessed the aftermath of the nation’s most devastating tragedies, including the 9/11 attacks, the Columbia Space Shuttle recovery and Hurricane Katrina.

  Ms. Stalder is a charter member of Texas Task Force 1, one of 28 national search and rescue teams coordinated by FEMA. These elite FEMA teams can be dispatched in the wake of earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, plane crashes and other catastrophes.

  In 1995, she started her own company, REO Rescue & Safety, Inc., providing specialized training in rescue and safety for fire/rescue personnel in municipalities and industry. Today, in addition to working as a family nurse practitioner in a family practice in McKinney, Texas, Ms. Stalder serves as a firefighter and paramedic. She is also a founding member of Texas 4 DMAT (a federal disaster medical assistance team), having served as a supervisory nurse manager with that team at Ground Zero.

  Ms. Stalder has served as a mentor in the University’s Supporting Achievement in Graduate Education program and was recognized with Frontier’s Nurse Practitioner Leadership Award during the 2011 commencement ceremony. She also is serving as the first president of the Frontier Nursing Honor Society. A

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  Betty Brown,

  Member, FNU Leadership Council

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  Betty Brown,

  Member, FNU Leadership Council

  Betty Brown served as a Courier in 1950. Ms. Brown has volunteered as past chair of the Louisville, Ky. Committee and continues to assist with the annual Louisville luncheon.  She also serves on the Frontier Nursing University Leadership Council.  As a member of the Leadership Council, Ms. Brown is helping to reach the University’s $10 million fundraising goal for the permanent endowment.

• Ellen Bayard,

  Member, Courier Advisory Council

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  Ellen Bayard,

  Member, Courier Advisory Council

  Ellen Bayard served as a Frontier Nursing Service Courier in 1968.  Since that time, her generous annual contributions have helped to further the mission and work of Frontier.  In addition to her financial commitment, Ms. Bayard has volunteered her time and talents as a member of the Courier Advisory Council.

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  Cherry Wunderlich,

  Former Courier

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  Cherry Wunderlich,

  Former Courier

  Cherry Wunderlich served as a Frontier Nursing Service Courier in 1965. She has remained involved in the work of FNU through her work with the Washington, D.C. Committee and her annual donations to support the mission.  Ms. Wunderlich was presented a Mary Breckinridge Society “Continuing the Vision” pin at the 2014 Washington, D.C. Luncheon in recognition for her commitment to building the FNU Endowment.

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  Joyce Wiechmann,

  Member, FNU National Nursing Council

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  Joyce Wiechmann,

  Member, FNU National Nursing Council

  Joyce Wiechmann is a 1968 graduate from the nurse-midwifery program.  Ms. Wiechmann was instrumental in the establishment of a midwifery service within the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She  is now retired, resides in Alabama, and is a member of the FNU National Nursing Council.

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  Julia Breckinridge Davis,

  Former FNS Courier

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  Julia Breckinridge Davis,

  Former FNS Courier

  Julia Breckinridge Davis served as a Frontier Nursing Service Courier in 1968. Ms. Davis is the daughter of the late Colonel James Thomson Breckinridge, who was a nephew of Mary Breckinridge.  Ms. Davis has remained actively involved with Frontier since her time as a Courier and hosts an annual tea in her hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C. to bring together Frontier alumni and donors.

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  Doris Reid,

  Author, Saddlebags Full of Memories

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  Doris Reid,

  Author, Saddlebags Full of Memories

  Doris Reid graduated from the Frontier  Graduate School of Midwifery in 1943. Mrs. Reid wrote the book,“Saddlebags Full of Memories”, which was a collection of stories of her midwifery experiences while at FNS. This book was the basis of a recent novel written by her niece, C. Margo Mowbray, called  “An Answering Flame”. When Reid returned to her home state in the 1950’s, she was Northern Michigan’s only certified midwife.

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  Sandra Schreiber,

  Chair, Louisville Committee

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  Sandra Schreiber,

  Chair, Louisville Committee

  Sandra Schreiber served as a Courier in 1957. She currently serves as Chair of the Louisville, Ky. Committee and is a member of the Frontier Nursing University Leadership Council.  As a member of the Leadership Council, Ms. Schreiber is helping to reach the University’s $10 million fundraising goal for the permanent endowment.

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  Karen Watt,

  FNU Graduate

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  Karen Watt,

  FNU Graduate

  Karen Watt is a graduate of nurse-midwifery Class 7. She started several practices in states with significant barriers to practice. Ms. Watt connects the FNU community wherever she goes. In recognition of her outstanding work, she received the Texas Rural Health Preceptor of the year award.

• Lois Cheston,

  Member, FNU Boston Committee

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  Lois Cheston,

  Member, FNU Boston Committee

  Lois Cheston is a former Frontier Nursing Service Courier, FNU Trustee and active member of the FNU Boston Committee. Her passion and commitment for the mission have supported the growth and success of FNU.  Mrs. Cheston is recognized as a Patron in the Mary Breckinridge Society for her commitment to the endowment campaign.

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  Mardi Perry,

  Founder, Mardi Perry Scholarship Fund

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  Mardi Perry,

  Founder, Mardi Perry Scholarship Fund

  Mardi Perry served as a Courier at the Frontier Nursing Service in 1938 soon after graduation from Vassar College. She was a member of the Board of Governors from 1972 until 1989. Ms. Perry was also a member of the FNS Boston Committee and the founder of the Frontier Nursing University Mardi Perry Scholarship Fund. The Mardi Cottage on the FNU Campus was built through a gift from Ms. Perry.

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  Carolyn Gregory,

  Member, Courier Advisory Council

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  Carolyn Gregory,

  Member, Courier Advisory Council

  Carolyn Gregory served as a Frontier Nursing Service Courier in 1947.  She has remained dedicated to helping further the mission since that time through her financial contributions and volunteer work.  Most recently, Ms. Gregory volunteered her time and expertise as a member of the Courier Advisory Council.

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  JEAN FEE,

  Mentor, FNU Courier Program

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  JEAN FEE,

  Mentor, FNU Courier Program

  Jean Fee is a 1959 Graduate of the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery. Currently, she shares her stories of her time as a Frontier Nurse to students during their Frontier Bound Orientation. She also is a host and mentor for the FNU Courier Program. Fee was awarded the honorary Doctor of Nursing Practice degree by Frontier Nursing University in 2013.

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  Mike Rust,

  Vice-Chair, FNU Board of Directors

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  Mike Rust,

  Vice-Chair, FNU Board of Directors

  Mike Rust has served on the Frontier Nursing University Board of Directors since 2002 and currently serves as Vice-Chair. He is President of the Kentucky Hospital Association. Mr. Rust is recognized as a Patron in the Mary Breckinridge Society for his support of the FNU Endowment.

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  Nancy Hines,

  FNU Board of Directors

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  Nancy Hines,

  FNU Board of Directors

  Nancy Hines has served as a member of the Frontier Board of Directors since 1986. She is a retired office manager for a local branch of the Social Security Administration. She views being on the Board as an important community service because of the worldwide influence on midwifery training and women’s healthcare.

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  Ruth Watson Lubic, CNM, Ed.D...,

  Founder, Developing Families Center

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  Ruth Watson Lubic, CNM, Ed.D...,

  Founder, Developing Families Center

  Ruth Watson Lubic is a nurse-midwife and applied anthropologist who has championed personalized care during pregnancy and childbirth for all women, particularly those in low-income neighborhoods.  Dr. Lubic has received honorary degrees and special recognitions from ten universities including Frontier,and is the first nurse to have received a MacArthur Fellowship.

  She served as an Expert Consultant to the HHS Assistant Secretary for Health in Washington, is a charter member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine and, in 2001, received the Academy’s prestigious Lienhard Award. Also in 2001, the American Academy of Nursing, named her a Living Legend. The American College of Nurse-Midwives honored her with its highest recognition, the Hattie Hemschemeyer Award.  She has been made an Honorary Member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society.  In 2006, the American Public Health Association conferred its Martha May Eliot Award.

  At an international Strengthening Midwifery Symposium held in Washington, D.C. in 2010, and sponsored by eight international organizations, including the United Nations Population Fund and the International Confederation of Midwives, Dr. Lubic was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

  Currently, Dr. Lubic serves as Founder of the Developing Families Center, an innovative, collaborative service including the Family Health and Birth Center and Early Childhood Development services in Washington, DC .  The service is designed to improve the health and quality of life of all childbearing and childrearing families, including those of low income, who suffer high rates of infant and maternal peri-natal morbidity and mortality.  This model has attracted much attention, both in the United States and abroad and is featured in the Institute of Medicine’s Report, “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (2010)”.

   

• Susan Graham,

  Sponsor, Mary Breckinridge Society

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  Susan Graham,

  Sponsor, Mary Breckinridge Society

  Susan Graham, M.D. is a member of the extended Breckinridge family and resides in Rochester, N.Y., where she practices as a cardiologist. Dr. Graham currently serves on Frontier’s Leadership Council. She is recognized as a Sponsor of the Mary Breckinridge Society for her commitment to the $10 million endowment campaign. Dr. Graham has remained involved with the Breckinridge family, attending the tri-annual family reunions, including the 2011 Breckinridge Family Reunion which took place in Kentucky.

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  Ken Tuggle,

  FNU Board of Directors

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  Ken Tuggle,

  FNU Board of Directors

  Ken Tuggle graduated from Yale College (BA 1962) and George Washington University Law School (JD 1968) and returned to Louisville to practice law. He clerked for a Federal Judge and served as an Assistant United States Attorney before entering private practice with Brown Todd & Heyburn, a predecessor of Frost Brown Todd, in 1972. He practiced at Frost Brown Todd until his retirement on December 31, 2012. From 1975 until his retirement, he provided legal services for Frontier Nursing Service and subsidiary companies including the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, Inc., now the separate Frontier Nursing University, Inc. He participated actively on the Boards of Directors of all of these companies. He is an active member of the Frontier Nursing University Board today. Mr. Tuggle has been listed in every edition of Best Lawyers in America since its inception more than 35 years ago. He is President of Pacific Century Institute, Inc. He and his wife, Catherine S. live on an 87 acre farm in Waddy, Kentucky.

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  Betty Lester,

  Former FNS Field Supervisor

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  Betty Lester,

  Former FNS Field Supervisor

  The late Betty Lester was the last surviving nurse-midwife recruited by Mary Breckinridge in the early years of the Frontier Nursing Service. Her childhood dream of becoming a nurse-midwife and her desire to provide healthcare to people in rural areas was realized in 1928 when she learned of the FNS from a classmate at the General Lying-In Hospital/Nurse-Midwifery School in England. She immediately applied and, after some additional training, came to Kentucky to join Mrs. Breckinridge as America’s 13th nurse-midwife.

  Her early work with FNS as Field Supervisor for the district nursing clinics sent her traveling on horseback throughout the 700 square-mile FNS service area. She continued in that position until 1939 when she went to England to serve her country during World War II, returning to Kentucky at the war’s end.

  During her long career with the Frontier Nursing Service, Betty served in a variety of capacities. Among them – practicing nurse-midwife, district clinic manager for the Betty Lester Clinic at Bob Fork, social service director and hospital superintendent.

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  Susan Stapleton,

  Chair, AABC Research Committee

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  Susan Stapleton,

  Chair, AABC Research Committee

  Susan Stapleton, CNM, DNP, FACNM is a graduate of Frontier’s post-master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program Class 1  Prior to, she had long been involved as faculty and education coordinator in the early years of the pilot Community-Based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program, and as a clinical preceptor for many nurse-midwifery students.

  Dr. Stapleton founded Reading Birth & Women’s Center in Pennsylvania and directed this private nurse-midwifery practice for 25 years, attending births in the birth center, the mothers’ homes and several area hospitals.  She also established a second hospital-based practice in the community.

  Dr. Stapleton has been actively involved in midwifery, and particularly in birth centers, at the national level for most of her career. She has served on the board of directors of the National Association of Childbearing centers (now the American Association of Birth Centers) and the American College of Nurse-Midwives.  She serves as Chair of the AABC Research committee, was instrumental in the development of the AABC online Perinatal Data Registry and has been a strong advocate of the importance of ongoing data collection for birth centers and midwifery.

   

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  Lisa B. Uncles,

  FNU Graduate

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  Lisa B. Uncles,

  FNU Graduate

  Lisa B. Uncles, MSN, CNM, is an alumnus of Frontier and was part of Class 30. She currently practices in the group practice, SPPS Metropolitan OB/GYN in Baltimore. Ms. Uncles attends births at the Family Childbirth and Children’s Center at Mercy Medical Center. Mercy Medical Center was named one of the Best Places to Have a Baby in the Baltimore area. Mercy’s Family Childbirth and Children’s Center offers access to a supportive and caring clinical team as well as advanced technologies and alternative birthing methods.

  Prior to her current practice, Ms. Uncles also worked with the Developing Families Center in Washington, D.C.  She has numerous awards and is a member of several professional organizations including American College of Nurse Midwives; Golden Key National Honor Society; and Sigma Theta Tau, Honor Society of Nursing, Nu Beta Chapter.

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  Sarah Bacon,

  Co-Chair, New York City Committee

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  Sarah Bacon,

  Co-Chair, New York City Committee

  Sarah Bacon served as a Courier in 1994. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the New York City Committee and has remained a devoted supporter of Frontier Nursing University. Sarah’s memories of her Courier service were used in Unbridled Service where Sarah reflects that the Courier program helps young people make a “quantum leap in maturity.”

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  Jenny Mitchell,

  FNU Graduate

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  Jenny Mitchell,

  FNU Graduate

  Jenny Mitchell is a family nurse practitioner graduate of Class 1939. Ms. Mitchell operates a family clinic and mobile health service in rural Western Colorado, where she offers affordable and, sometimes free, care to many clients who are uninsured or underinsured. She doesn’t turn patients away and serves many poor and elderly residents who have not had access to treatment.

• Georgia Rodes,

  Former FNS Courier

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  Georgia Rodes,

  Former FNS Courier

  Georgia Rodes, a former Frontier Nursing Service Courier, has remained a committed supporter since her days as a Courier.  Rodes has volunteered in various capacities including service on the Leadership Council, involvement with the Bluegrass Committee, and as an Frontier Trustee.

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  Nadene Brunk,

  Founder, Midwives for Haiti

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  Nadene Brunk,

  Founder, Midwives for Haiti

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  Nadene Brunk, CNM is a nurse-midwifery alumnus from Class 8. She founded Midwives for Haiti, a nonprofit that educates Haitian women in prenatal care and skilled birth assistance. Ms. Brunk hopes to reduce maternal and infant mortality in Haiti, which is deemed the most dangerous place in the Western hemisphere to give birth.

  After traveling to Haiti in 2003 as part of a medical team, Ms. Brunk witnessed first-hand the lack of resources and skilled care for pregnant women. Determined to provide a long term solution, she formed a small team of volunteer midwives and medical professionals and soon returned to Haiti. At the request of a Haitian community leader, Ms. Brunk established a culturally appropriate training program for Haitian nurses in Hinche.

  With few resources, the first class of nine students held class outdoors with nothing more than a blackboard under a tree. Equipment was donated. Ms. Brunk and the other volunteers traveled in a truck that was held together with wire and duct tape.

  Midwives For Haiti became a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2006. The hospital from which the team works – St. Therese – is said to be decades past its useful life, but it is adequately staffed by 16 Skilled Birth Attendants, all graduates of the Midwives For Haiti program. In 2013, the SBAs and students attended over 2,100 births at the hospital. In 2015, the seventh class of SBAs will graduate.

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  Anne Wasson,

  Former Member, FNS Board of Governers

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  Anne Wasson,

  Former Member, FNS Board of Governers

  The late Dr. Anne Wasson came to the Frontier Nursing Service in 1969 as a volunteer. In 1970, she moved to Kentucky and became Chief of Clinical Services. She served as Interim Director of FNS from 1981-1982, served as interim Dean of the Frontier School from 1981-1983, and became a member of the FNS Board of Governors in 1983. Dr. Wasson eventually led the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing Alumni Association and oversaw the beautiful gardens at Wendover. Dr. Wasson died in 2001.

   

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  Shirley Pollard-Ramsey,

  Clinical Director, Surgery On Sunday

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  Shirley Pollard-Ramsey,

  Clinical Director, Surgery On Sunday

  Shirley Pollard-Ramsey is a graduate of the post-master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Class 2.  She is the Clinical Director for Surgery On Sunday, a Lexington, Ky.-based, non-profit organization.  Surgery on Sunday provides essential outpatient surgical services for free to income-eligible individuals and families who do not have health insurance and are not eligible for federal or state assistance. Ms. Pollard-Ramsey  was named Clinical Director of Surgery On Sunday in October 2011. Her doctoral studies at FNU focused on delivery of healthcare to the underserved, specifically Rural Americans.

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  John Foley,

  FNU Board of Directors

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  John Foley,

  FNU Board of Directors

  John Foley has served on the Frontier Nursing University Board of Directors since 1988 and currently serves as Treasurer.  He is President and CEO at Pine Mountain Lumber Company in Lexington, Ky. Mr. Foley is recognized as a Patron in the Mary Breckinridge Society for his support of the FNU Endowment.

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  Hannah Mitchell,

  Graduate, Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery

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  Hannah Mitchell,

  Graduate, Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery

  The late Hannah Mitchell was the very first graduate of the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery. Ms. Mitchell was born in 1907 and graduated from the midwifery program in 1940.

  Ms. Mitchell went on to a career with the Georgia Department of Public Health. While there, she was technical advisor for the documentary, “All My Babies,” which won the Flaherty Citation, the equivalent of an Oscar award for its genre. The instructional film is still used today throughout the world to train midwives. Ms. Mitchell died in October 2000 at the age of 93.

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  The Berea College Appalachian Fund,

  FNU Supporter

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  The Berea College Appalachian Fund,

  FNU Supporter

  The Berea College Appalachian Fund supports organizations working to improve the health, education and general welfare of people living in the Appalachian Mountains and surrounding areas.  For nearly 50 years, the Frontier Nursing Service and Frontier Nursing University have benefited from support from the Berea College Appalachian fund.  This support has included more than $100,000 in scholarships for students living in and planning to work as nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners in Appalachian counties of Kentucky. These graduates continue to greatly improve the lives in the communities they serve.

   

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  Carol Banghart,

  Former Dean, Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery

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  Carol Banghart,

  Former Dean, Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery

  Carolyn Banghart was a graduate of the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery in 1955. She served as Dean of the School from 1958-64 and also from 1967-69. She was instrumental in the formation of  Family Nurse Practitioner Program.

• Annette Jones,

  FNU Graduate

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  Annette Jones,

  FNU Graduate

  Annette Jones is a graduate of nurse-midwifery Class 2.  She is currently a nurse-midwife at Kerr County OB-GYN Associates in Kerrville, Texas. Ms. Jones was successful in getting privileges to work in the community hospital, where she serves underserved women and trains countless students. She precepted two Frontier nurse-midwifery students (Niessa Meier, Class 55 and Jodi Baker, Class 79) who are now her partners in practice.

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  City of Hyden,

  Home of FNU

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  City of Hyden,

  Home of FNU

  City of Hyden. Hyden, KY.is the county seat of Leslie County, was founded in 1878 and named for State Senator John Hyden. Due to its inaccessibility, Mrs. Breckinridge felt that Hyden would be the perfect place to start her demonstration project of the Frontier Nursing Service. She felt that if the work could be done there, it could be duplicated anywhere else in the United Stated with less effort. The campus of Frontier Nursing University is located on a narrow bench of Thousandsticks Mountain above Hyden.

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  Peter Breckinridge Coffin,

  Ambassador, Mary Breckinridge Society

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  Peter Breckinridge Coffin,

  Ambassador, Mary Breckinridge Society

  Peter Breckinridge Coffin is a member of the extended Breckinridge family and has supported Frontier Nursing Service and Frontier Nursing University for many years. He currently serves on the Leadership Council for FNU and is recognized as an Ambassador of the Mary Breckinridge Society for his commitment to the $10 million endowment campaign.

  Mr. Coffin is the founder and President of Breckinridge Capital Advisors, Inc., a Boston-based investment advisor. Breckinridge Capital Advisors sponsored FNU as an underwriter of the 75th Anniversary.

  In 2012, Mr. Coffin and his wife Abby began an annual tradition of hosting a Kentucky Derby Party in Boston.  This popular event draws many existing and new supporters to learn about the mission and achievements of FNU.

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  LouAnne Roberts,

  Co-Chair, New York City Committee

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  LouAnne Roberts,

  Co-Chair, New York City Committee

  LouAnne Roberts served as a Courier in 2001. She is currently the Co-Chair of the New York City Committee and a member of the Courier Advisory Council.  As a member of the advisory council, LouAnne is helping to shape the current Courier program. She participated in Courier Bound orientation in 2013 to help welcome the new class of Couriers.

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  Molly Lee,

  Former Dean, Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery

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  Molly Lee,

  Former Dean, Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery

  Molly Lee is a British nurse-midwife who came to the Frontier Nursing Service in 1954 after working for two years as a district nurse with the Canadian Red Cross in British Columbia. Nearly the whole time with Frontier, Ms. Lee was involved with training nurses to become midwives. She served as Dean of the Frontier School from 1969-1977. In 1971, when Betty Lester retired, Ms. Lee became the senior member of the nurse-midwifery staff. Molly Lee retired in 1984.

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  Dorothy Buck,

  Former Dean, Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery

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  Dorothy Buck,

  Former Dean, Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery

  The late Dorothy Buck started as a nurse for the Frontier Nursing Service in January 1928 and, then at her own expense, went to England in September 1928 to take graduate training as a midwife. She returned to Kentucky in May 1929 and served as a “floater” and as a District Nurse at various outpost centers. Later, Ms. Buck was made First Assistant Director and Dean of the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery and held these posts until her death in 1949. She is one of two nurse-midwives buried at Wendover.

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  Tracy Ryan,

  Owner, Mountain Midwifery Center

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  Tracy Ryan,

  Owner, Mountain Midwifery Center

  Tracy Ryan is a nurse-midwifery alumnus of Class 28. She opened the first birth center in Colorado – Mountain Midwifery Center, Inc. in 2005.  Mountain Midwifery has since become one of the largest freestanding birth centers in the country. The center has also served as a valuable clinical site for many Frontier students.  Tracy currently practices as a nurse-midwife at Denver Health Medical Center.

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  Elizabeth Kramer,

  Ambassador, Mary Breckinridge Society

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  Elizabeth Kramer,

  Ambassador, Mary Breckinridge Society

  Elizabeth Kramer grew up in Hyden and currently resides in Lexington, Ky.  Her roots in Hyden run deep. The City of Hyden is named for Mrs. Kramer’s great-grandfather, John Hyden. Mrs. Kramer is a volunteer on FNU’s Leadership Council, which supports the Endowment Campaign. She was instrumental in securing a gift from the Kentucky Mountain Club that established an endowed scholarship for Eastern Kentucky students. She has funded lead gifts to the endowment growth and is recognized as an Ambassador of the Mary Breckinridge Society.

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  Jane Leigh Powell,

  FNU Board of Directors

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  Jane Leigh Powell,

  FNU Board of Directors

  Jane Leigh Powell has had strong ties to the Frontier Nursing Service much of her life. Ms. Powell was a courier for FNS in her youth and has worked tirelessly for Frontier for nearly 40 years. She has served on the Board of Directors since 1977 and is a member of the Mary Breckinridge Society for her commitment to the endowment campaign.

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  Susanne Preston Wilson Grandin,

  FNU Supporter, Grandin Family Foundation

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  Susanne Preston Wilson Grandin,

  FNU Supporter, Grandin Family Foundation

  Susanne Preston Wilson Grandin was a cousin of Marvin Breckinridge Patterson and Mary Breckinridge.  Mrs. Grandin became involved with the Frontier Nursing Service through her involvement with the Frontier Boston Committee in the 1950s. She remained a devoted volunteer and supporter for more than 40 years.

  The Grandin family established the Susanne P.W. Grandin Scholarship at FNU in memory of their mother. The Grandin children include John Grandin (Anne), Ned Grandin (Deborah) and Preston Grandin (Susie).  The family continues to make annual contributions through the Grandin Family Foundation in order to grow the scholarship and provide support for students.

   

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  The Van Sloun Foundation,

  FNU Supporter

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  The Van Sloun Foundation,

  FNU Supporter

  The Van Sloun Foundation of Westport Point, Mass. has been supporting the work of Frontier Nursing University for more than 25 years.  The Van Sloun family has shown great interest in the work and region, and has visited Kentucky to see first-hand the impact of their giving.  Funding from the Foundation has supported scholarships, renovation of the chapel’s stained glass window, and growth of the endowment.  To provide impactful giving into the future, the Van Sloun family is current working to fund an endowed scholarship which will be awarded annually to Frontier students.

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  Marvin Breckinridge Patterson,

  Former Member, FNS Board of Directors

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  Marvin Breckinridge Patterson,

  Former Member, FNS Board of Directors

  The late Marvin Breckinridge Patterson  is a cousin of Mary Breckinridge. She served as the first Courier for the Frontier Nursing Service in 1928. Through the suggestion of Mrs. Breckinridge, Patterson produced the 1931 FNS silent film, The Forgotten Frontier.  She also served on the Board of Directors for FNS for many years and hosted several Derby parties as a fundraiser for Frontier at her Washington, D.C. Home.  Mrs. Patterson died in 2002.

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  Marian Leibold,

  Chair of the FNU Cincinnati Committee

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  Marian Leibold,

  Chair of the FNU Cincinnati Committee

  Marian Leibold served as a Courier in 1977 and has continued to volunteer in various capacities since that time.  She currently serves on the Courier Program Advisory Council and as Chair of the FNU Cincinnati Committee. As Chair, Ms. Leibold hosts an annual dinner in Cincinnati for Frontier Couriers, alumni, donors and others interested in hearing about FNU.

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  Marion McCartney,

  FNU Board of Directors

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  Marion McCartney,

  FNU Board of Directors

  Marion McCartney has served on the Frontier Nursing University Board of Directors since 2002 and currently serves as Secretary.  She is a certified nurse-midwife and a leader in the nurse-midwifery field.She has served as the Director of Professional Services at the American College of Nurse-Midwives, has had 24 years of clinical experience as a nurse-midwife in private practice, and has served as the President of the American Association of Birth Centers. Ms McCartney has been clinical faculty to midwifery, medical and nursing students and has been a speaker at national meetings on primary health care for childbearing families. She is a co-author of the book, “The Midwife’s Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth.”

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  Mary Ethel Wooton,

  Member, Hyden City Council

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  Mary Ethel Wooton,

  Member, Hyden City Council

  Mary Ethel Wooton is a native of Leslie County and a Frontier Nursing Service baby, delivered by nurse-midwife Helen Browne. She is a former member of the FNS Board of Governors. As a current member of the Hyden City Council, Wooton coordinates several community projects with Frontier Nursing University.

   

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  EUNICE K.M. ERNST, RN, CNM, MPH, DSc (HON),

  Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery

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  EUNICE K.M. ERNST, RN, CNM, MPH, DSc (HON),

  Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery

  Kitty Ernst is a certified nurse-midwife, a graduate of the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery (now Frontier Nursing University) and holds a Bachelor’s degree in education and a Master’s Degree in Public Health. For a half century she has been a pioneer in both the field of midwifery and in developing the best care possible for families in pregnancy and birth.  An early president and active member of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, she conducted the first wave of accreditation for nurse-midwifery education programs and developed the first “What is a Nurse-Midwife?” brochure.  As a practitioner, she served families in capacities ranging from public health nurse-midwife in the mountains of Kentucky to the home birth service of Maternity Center Association in New York City and directed the nurse-midwifery education program at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

  While starting her own family she began working as a parent educator, teaching some of the first childbirth education groups of the International Childbirth Education Association.  As a field consultant for Maternity Center Association committed to innovation for the sake of healthy families, she developed family-centered maternity care provided by an obstetrician nurse-midwife team at the Salvation Army Booth Maternity Center in Philadelphia.  She designed a project to develop and evaluate a program of Self-Care/Self Help Education Initiated in Childbirth and assisted in planning and implementation of the demonstration Childbearing Center at Childbirth Connection.  She was co-founder of the National association of Childbearing Centers and led the way by inspiring and coaching the many birth centers that followed.

  She conducted a national on-site survey of freestanding birth centers and provided consultation for First National Collaborative Study of Freestanding Birth Centers.  As Director of the National Association of Childbearing Centers (NACC) she continued to be a leader in the effort to bring birth centers into the mainstream of health care delivery and helped to institute the Commission for Accreditation of Freestanding Birth Centers.  During this time she also served a term as Vice President of ACNM.  During the 1980’s Kitty became concerned about two issues: the small number of nurse-midwives being educated each year and the fact that the majority of nurse-midwives being educated in large tertiary care centers and the lack of out of hospital experience these graduates were having. To address these issues, she led the design and implementation of the first distance education program for nurse-midwives. This program was later adopted by the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing. Kitty occupies the first endowed chair in the profession, the Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery.  She is recipient of awards such as the Martha Mae Elliot Award for Exceptional Health Service to Mothers and Children from the American Public Health Association, The Hattie Hemschemeyer Award from the American College of Nurse Midwives, and the Childbirth Connection Medal for Distinguished Service.

  She has traveled nationally to most of our states and abroad to Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Russia and Haiti to provide consultation and workshops on the midwifery model of care in birth centers.

   

• Catherine Parisi,

  FNU Preceptor and Graduate

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  Catherine Parisi,

  FNU Preceptor and Graduate

  Catherine Parisi is a graduate of nurse-midwifery Class 5.  She is currently a Certified Nurse-Midwife at the Connecticut Childbirth and Women’s Center. Ms. Parisi has precepted many Frontier midwifery students, and three of the certified nurse-midwives working at the birth center are FNU graduates.

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  Mary Wilson Neel,

  Former FNS Courier, FNU Supporter

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  Mary Wilson Neel,

  Former FNS Courier, FNU Supporter

  Mary Wilson Neel was born in 1918 in San Mateo, Calif. and grew up in Washington, D.C.  Through her connections with the Graham family, who are relatives of Mary Breckinridge, Mrs. Neel learned of the Frontier Nursing Service Courier program.

  Mrs. Neel’s love of horses and sense for adventure brought her to southeastern Kentucky in the 1930’s to work as a volunteer Courier.  After her service as a Courier, Mrs. Neel married, raised five children and continued her lifelong value of volunteering with worthy non-profit organizations.  She worked as a “candy striper” for her local hospital for many years and also served on the National Board for the Metropolitan Opera.

  Mrs. Neel also passed on her philanthropic tendencies to her children. Her daughter, Wendy Ellsworth, followed in her footsteps and served as a Courier for FNS.  Mrs. Neel and her children continue to support Frontier and other non-profit organizations through the Neel Foundation, which was established by their father in 1961 and has contributed to Frontier every year since.

  Most recently, the Neel Foundation pledged $5,000 towards the Mary Wilson Neel Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship, which will ultimately total $10,000, will remain permanently invested in the FNU Endowment Fund.  Annual growth of the fund will provide scholarships to current FNU students each year.

   

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  Barbara and Donald Jonas,

  Founders of the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence

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  Barbara and Donald Jonas,

  Founders of the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence

  Barbara and Donald Jonas are noted art collectors who decided to increase their giving during their lifetimes by auctioning off 15 of their valuable abstract, expressionist artworks 2005. The $44 million in proceeds seeded the Barbara and Donald Jonas Family Fund.

  Barbara, a psychiatric social worker and psychotherapist, and Donald, a leading retail executive, sought appropriate beneficiaries for their new fund. They identified the nursing shortage—and its profound impact on the healthcare of individuals and communities—as an area of particular philanthropic need. In early 2006, the couple established the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence, a first-of-its-kind philanthropic program dedicated to advancing the nursing profession in New York City.

  The Jonas Center partnered with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to establish the Jonas Scholars program. This program provides scholarships to nurses pursuing doctoral education and seeks to increase the number of advanced practice nurses and midwives, as well as increase the number of faculty available to teach the next generation of nurse leaders.  Frontier Nursing University is honored to have hosted two Jonas Scholars in 2012-2013 and to have four Jonas Scholars for the 2014-2015 term.

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  Patsy Lawrence,

  Former Chair, Boston Committee

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  Patsy Lawrence,

  Former Chair, Boston Committee

  Patsy Lawrence served as a Courier in 1946.  She served as long-time chairperson of the Boston Committee, stepping down in 2013. Ms. Lawrence’s daughter, Fran Lawrence Keene, also served as an FNS Courier. Patsy was a great source of information for the book Unbridled Service.  Her father is the source of the now famous quote that Patsy “grew up six years in six weeks” after serving as a Frontier Courier.

   

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  Lees Breckinridge Yunits,

  Chair, Boston Committee

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  Lees Breckinridge Yunits,

  Chair, Boston Committee

  Lees Breckinridge Yunits is a great-niece to Mary Breckinridge and current Chair of the Boston Committee. She has been a committed supporter of Frontier Nursing Service and Frontier Nursing University for many years and has shared many family letters that were sent from Ms. Breckinridge.  She not only supports the current mission and work of FNU, but she cherishes the history of the organization and her family’s legacy of support to the work.

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  Virginia McAlister,

  FNU Student

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  Virginia McAlister,

  FNU Student

  The late Virginia “Ginny” McAlister began her journey to become a Frontier midwife shortly before the home birth of her second child in 2011.  In July of 2012, Ms. McAlister was diagnosed with a rare and fast-growing cervical cancer. She went through surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and a multitude of other treatments that forced her to cope with the side effects of chemo and radiation.

  Through all of this, Ms. McAlister continued to take classes at Frontier. She was mere hours from finishing her clinical training and graduating from FNU when her health began to decline rapidly.  More than 700 Frontier students petitioned the Frontier administration to award Ms. McAlister an honorary degree. She was presented the Master’s of Science in Nursing Degree Honoris Causa on February 7, 2014 and passed away February 8.

  Thanks to the overwhelming support of Ms. McAlister’s fellow students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends & family, the Virginia McAlister Scholarship has been established at FNU.

   

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  Arbert Asher,

  Baby in the Saddlebag

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  Arbert Asher,

  Baby in the Saddlebag

  The late Arbert Asher was a resident of Hyden, Kentucky, and is the “baby in the saddlebag” that has become an iconic photo telling the story of Frontier Nursing Service. In the early days of Frontier, a nurse-midwife would arrive at the home of a laboring woman with saddlebags full of medical supplies. The small children in the homes began thinking that babies actually came in saddlebags! Infant Arbert Asher was posed for this photo that has come to represent so much more about the legend and impact of the Frontier nurse-midwives on the women and families of the area and of the world.

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  Ruth Newell,

  Former Chair, Washington, D.C. Committee

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  Ruth Newell,

  Former Chair, Washington, D.C. Committee

  The late Ruth Newell was very active with Frontier Nursing Service and Frontier Nursing University for many decades.  She served as Chair of the Washington, D.C. Committee, and, most recently, hosted the 2012 annual Washington, D.C. Committee luncheon at Congressional Country Club. Ms. Newell died in 2012.

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  Holly Powell Kennedy, CNM, Phd, FACNM, FAAN,

  Past President, ACNM

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  Holly Powell Kennedy, CNM, Phd, FACNM, FAAN,

  Past President, ACNM

  Dr. Kennedy is a 1985 graduate of Frontier. Holly came to the Frontier Nursing Service in the summer of 1978 for an internship as a family nurse practitioner student from the Medical College of Georgia.  She then stayed on to work for Frontier Nursing Service in primary care and later enrolled in the midwifery program.

  As an internationally known midwifery researcher and leader Dr. Kennedy is the first person to be appointed as the Varney Professor of Midwifery at Yale in 2009. She came to the position with broad experiences as a clinician, researcher, educator, policymaker and leader in a variety of settings. Collectively these experiences have shaped her current vision of academic and clinical scholarship in US maternal-child health care.

  She is Past-President of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), the professional association representing Certified Nurse-Midwives and Certified Midwives in the US.

  Dr. Kennedy received a diploma in nursing from Miami Valley Hospital School of Nursing, Dayton, Ohio, a bachelor’s degree from Chaminade University, Honolulu, HI, a master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner from the Medical College of Georgia, a certificate of midwifery from the Frontier School of Midwifery & Family Nursing, Hyden, KY and a doctorate in nursing from the University of Rhode Island. She has held academic positions at the University of Rhode Island and most recently at the University of California San Francisco. She holds visiting faculty appointments at King’s College London and the University of Basel, Switzerland.

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  MICHAEL CARTER, DNSc, DNP, FAAN, FNP-BC,

  FNU Board of Directors

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  MICHAEL CARTER, DNSc, DNP, FAAN, FNP-BC,

  FNU Board of Directors

  Dr. Michael Carter is the current Chair of the FNU Board of Directors and is recognized as a Sponsor of the Mary Breckinridge Society for his commitment to the FNU Endowment. Michael Carter obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas. He earned the Doctor of Nursing Science degree from Boston University, post-masters Geriatric Nurse Practitioner and Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Tennessee. He holds national certifications as both a Family Nurse Practitioner and Geriatric Nurse Practitioner; is a Diplomate in Comprehensive Care; a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and a Distinguished Practitioner and Fellow in the National Academies of Practice. He completed a Fellowship in Primary Care Health Policy the United States Public Health Service. Dr. Carter has held a variety of clinical, administrative and academic positions. From 1982 until 2000, he served as Dean and Professor at the College of Nursing, University of Tennessee Health Science Center where he is currently a University Distinguished Professor. He is a Family Nurse Practitioner for the Christian Health Center in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Dr Carter teaches courses in Professional Role Development and Advanced Pathology. He is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, The American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American & Arkansas Nurses Association, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, The American Academy of Nursing, and The National Academies of Practice. In 2013 Dr. Carter traveled to Australia as a Fulbright Fellow and is helping the Australian government and nursing field to introduce the role of Doctor of Nursing Practice to their healthcare system.

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  CHARLES MAHAN, MD,

  FNU Board of Directors

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  CHARLES MAHAN, MD,

  FNU Board of Directors

  Mahan is a University of South Florida Professor Emeritus both in the Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine.  Dr. Mahan served on the FNU Board of Directors for 11 years ending in 2013.

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  RUTH BEEMAN, CNM,

  former Dean of FNU

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  RUTH BEEMAN, CNM,

  former Dean of FNU

  Mrs. Ruth Beeman, former Dean of Frontier Nursing University made major contributions to midwifery and women’s health in her lifetime. She has served as a nurse, midwife, educator, missionary, consultant, administrator, author and an informative leader. As a nurse-midwifery pioneer, her accomplishments to nurse-midwifery include: development of innovative educational programs, advancement of family planning, licensure of lay midwives in Arizona and in promoting nurse-midwifery. Internationally, she made contributions in maternal-child health to the former Belgian Congo, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Virgin Islands, West Africa and Egypt.

  In 1983, Ruth Beeman was recruited to Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, now Frontier Nursing University, to take on the task of assisting the School in staying nationally accredited, recruiting faculty, maintaining funding and establishing an affiliation with an institution of higher learning. Beeman answered the call, moved to Hyden, Kentucky and lived in the Bolton House, named after Frances Payne Bolton. Realizing the importance of the school’s rich heritage and contribution to nurse-midwifery in this country, Beeman, with the help of many of her midwifery and nursing contacts, succeeded in strengthening the modular curriculum to meet the challenges of the growth of the profession in the United States. Later, in a further step into the future, Beeman worked with Kitty Ernst, Kate Ireland, Ruth Lubic, and Joyce Fitzpatrick and consultation from the leading nursing and midwifery educators, to translate that curriculum for the development of the plan for a comprehensive distance learning program for nurse-midwives; the Community-Based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program (CNEP).

  In later years, Mrs. Beeman continued to contribute through her parish nursing work and mentoring Frontier Nursing University doctoral students.   Upon her death in 2012, Mrs. Beeman left a bequest to Frontier Nursing University and is recognized as a Steward of the Mary Breckinridge Society for her contribution to the FNU Endowment.