Thirty-five individuals and strategic partners are the inaugural recipients of the ENA Foundation’s Emerald Awards, a new honor recognizing those who shaped the organization since its 1991 founding. The group includes 16 advocates, 12 Emergency Nurses Association councils, and seven corporate partners integral to the Foundation's $7 million scholarship legacy.
Foundation Chairperson Kim Russo emphasized that the awards, to be presented at the Emergency Nursing 2026 conference in Phoenix, highlight the donors and leaders who transformed the organization into a pillar of nursing support. Among the honorees is Christine Gisness, a former chair who established the Gisness Advanced Practice Scholarship, and Sigma Theta Tau, a long-term partner that helped launch the Foundation's first joint research grant in 1993.
Since its inception, the 501(c)(3) organization has provided financial aid to over 3,000 nurses to fund degrees and specialized research. The full list of recipients includes:
Vicky Bradley, Mickey Forness, Gordon Lee Gillespie, Michigan ENA Council, Chris Gisness, Minnesota ENA Council, James Hoelz, New Jersey ENA Council, Patricia Kunz Howard, New York ENA Council, Thelma Kuska, Ohio ENA Council, Nancy Mannion, Pennsylvania ENA Council, Peggy McCall, Texas ENA Council, The Oglesby Family, Virginia ENA Council, Stephen O'Neil, Washington ENA Council, Lynne Smith, Academy and Brooks Running, Sally K. Snow, Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing, Jeff Solheim, Hillrom, Joan Somes, NSO, Jackie Taylor-Wynkoop, Sigma Theta Tau, California ENA Council, Stryker, Indiana ENA Council, Teleflex, and Kentucky ENA Council.
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