Nominated 2013
Connie graduated from Berlin High School in 1965 and went on to receive her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UW Madison. She continued her education receiving a MSN at DePaul University, EdD from Northwestern Illinois Univ., Physical Assessment program at Loyola University School of Medicine, Labor Management program at Univ. of San Francisco School of Business, and Executive MBA from Harvard.
She has made a career of being a Nurse Professor at several universities; Dean at the Medical College of Wisconsin; Entrepreneur; and Corporate Executive. In 2013 Connie listed her present career as the Founder and CEO of Best on Board which assists hospitals and health systems with human resource issues and Chairman of the Board of DeVry Inc. she was the founding executive director of C-Change, a national organization focused on the eradication of cancer.
As a nursing and education advocate, she has received numerous prestigious achievement awards and positions. These include being honored in Who’s Who in American Women; International Who’s Who in Education; Outstanding Achievement Award in Healthcare Management, Women’s Health Executives Network; member of the Governing Council of American Academy of Nursing; and Senior Scholar in Residence for the Institute of Medicine, just to name a few.
Connie is also one of the most prolific scholars in the field, with more than 200 publications and several research programs to her credit. She served as editor of Nursing Economic$ for 18 years. She is a continuous inspiration for nurses, health careers and business entrepreneurship.
Connie inspires BHS students with these words: With a solid BHS education, hard work, and refusing to give up – Success is a Certainty!