Alumni Awards

Distinguished Service Award

Kimberly Marcum-Mercier, '18

Kimberly Marcum-Mercier is the founder and vice-chair of Sarah’s House, a pediatric respite care facility that will serve as a home-like environment for children and young adults to provide respite for caregivers.

Sarah’s House was birthed out of the loss of her daughter, Sarah, who died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 16. A part of her work in opening this facility was advocating for and winning the passage of House Bill 303, or “Sarah’s Law” in 2012. She shared, “Having Sarah’s Law in place will allow anyone in the State of Ohio to open a pediatric respite care facility such as Sarah House.”

Mrs. Marcum-Mercier graduated with her bachelor’s degree in nursing in May 2018 on the 20th anniversary of her daughter’s passing.

Mrs. Marcum-Mercier is married and lives with her husband Bob in the Colerain Township area. Even though they had the unfortunate loss of Sarah at age 16 to childhood cancer, they have raised her other children to adulthood and have adorable grandchildren. 

Graduate of the Last Decade Award

Evan Hingsbergen, '15

Evan Hingsbergen, as a junior in the nursing program at Miami University, began a student nurse externship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. This would be the start of his eventual career as a registered nurse at Cincinnati Children’s in the Specialty Resource Center. At Cincinnati Children’s, he has worked in every care environment in the hospital including the ICUs, acute care units, emergency room, and between hospital campuses.

Last year, he graduated with a Master of Science in the Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track from the University in Cincinnati. He recently passed the Nurse Practitioner certification exam with plans to continue his work at Cincinnati Children’s as a Nurse Practitioner. In his personal life, he is married to Catherine, has a daughter, Rosemary, and has a son on the way.

When accepting the award, Mr. Hingsbergen shared, “I am grateful to Miami University Nursing for helping me build a strong foundation as a nurse and am looking forward to building on this foundation as a nurse practitioner.”

Distinguished Alumni Award

Dr. Brooke Flinders, '94, '03

Dr. Brooke A. Flinders is Chair and Associate Professor of the Department of Nursing within the College of Liberal Arts and Applied Science at Miami University, where she received both her Associate and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees. She completed her Master in Science of Nursing at Frontier School of Midwifery Family Nursing in 2006, and earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Frontier Nursing University in 2016.

Over the past 15 years, Dr. Flinders has dedicated her time to serving as a nurse educator and leader. She was primary author and Co-PI of a $2.1 million Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2010-2015), which served over 1,600 teens across southwestern Ohio using a service-learning model in partnership with the YWCA Hamilton.

Dr. Flinders leads a stellar team of nursing faculty and staff. One member remarked, “Brooke is one of the most genuine, driven, compassionate individuals I’ve ever met. She leads by example and is always ten steps ahead of everyone else”. Under Dr. Flinders’ leadership, since 2017, the Nursing program has expanded to offer the BSN in Oxford, doubling enrollment, opened the nursing innovation hub, a state-of-the-art teaching and simulation facility on Miami University’s Hamilton campus, and contributed to a shared vision for the Clinical Health Science and Wellness building, opening in 2023 in Oxford.

Dr. Flinders recently received the news that she will be promoted to Full Professor, effective July. 2022. She is married to her husband of 26 years, Jason Flinders. They have three children; Brody, a 2021 Miami Regionals graduate, Ben, a member of this year’s graduating nursing class from Oxford, and Eleanor, a Sophomore at Kings High School.

Founders Award

Jackie Webb, '96, '17

Jackie Webb, ever the consummate cheerleader for Miami University Regionals, has over twenty years of diversified experience in administrative positions, interacting with community members, alumni, current and prospective students, faculty, and staff. As a magna cum laude graduate of Miami University’s College of Liberal Arts and Applied Science’s Department of Commerce with a degree in business, Mrs. Webb has a proven track record in project management, professional communication, and administrative-support skills.

This high level of work was exemplified in her work with the annual Nursing Alumni Dinner. Mrs. Webb worked closely with Regionals alumni staff to coordinate and execute this event for many years. Her efforts have touched hundreds of graduating nursing students and alumni. Her care in working with staff and faculty to ensure a successful event has been noted by many, particularly members of the Department of Nursing. A faculty member recently shared that, “Jackie has been a friend of Nursing — going the extra mile in helping organize events such as the alumni dinner, stethoscope ceremony, and many other things. She is always cheerful, helpful, and gracious.”

Distinguished Service Award

Tami Adams

A native of Hamilton who grew up in Fairfield, Tami Adams began as a communications major at Miami in 1979, transferring to Eastern Kentucky University in 1981 where she completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a dual major Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1984. She later returned to the classroom to earn her Master’s in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati in 1993, and then continued at Northern Kentucky University where she received her post-graduate Adult Nurse Practitioner Certificate in 2013. She has 36 years in nursing experience with a wide array of positions and responsibilities. Among her many accomplishments she developed a free medical clinic that was embedded in a homeless shelter, and which then expanded into a free clinic serving the community. In addition, she launched a drug repository to provide free medications to the uninsured. Tami is the Clinical Placement Coordinator for the department, and in addition teaches Population Health clinicals. Her first contact with Miami students was while she was working in a community organization, precepting students in their population health clinicals. “I was impressed with the faculty’s compassion and dedication to improving the lives of others,’ she recalls. “The students were engaged and demonstrated core nursing values and were great ambassadors for Miami University nursing.”

Recent Graduate Award

Michael Glass, '14

Michael Glass grew up in a Navy family where his father served as a Corpsman for 25 years, which sparked an early interest in health care for Michael. He began as a pre-med major in college but switched to engineering after taking a position at a local power plant where he trained in control room operations and participated in the recovery work after hurricanes Ivan and Katrina. 

After marrying his childhood sweetheart, their jobs kept them separated between Florida and Ohio until her health condition led him to relocate to Cincinnati. It was observing the care of nurses with both his wife as well as his grandmother in her final days that led Michael to begin his nursing student career. 

He admits having a family, working side jobs while attending class was difficult, but he would not have had it any other way. While a student he coached sports, took piano lessons, volunteered in his wife’s first grade classroom, and with his family volunteered in soup kitchens, and collected and distributed donations for the homeless.

As a student he served on the Student Advisory Council and Nursing Student Association, in which he became the Chair and President, respectively, during his senior year. He won a Student Nurse Externship with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, where he confirmed a passion for working with pediatrics. This led to a PCA job and later a position with the Specialty Resource Unit where he spent two years orienting to all units of the hospital but developed a liking for Emergency Medicine and now is a part of the Emergency Department at Children’s Liberty Campus. 

During his time with Children’s he has worked on projects to improve patient satisfaction when being admitted from the ED, is the Practice Co-Chair, helped create a pandemic response for his ED, and is currently Co-Lead in the recruitment sub-group of the Patient Service Diversity Collaboration. Although Michael enjoys being able to be of service in direct care, he truly enjoys teaching nursing students and new grads.

Michael volunteered to orient new graduates and several years ago began teaching clinicals. His teaching style, theories and philosophies center around helping the student to be excited to be in the hospital and developing a trust with students, so they are comfortable in engaging in learning. He believes this is the opportunity to develop the student in a way that they positively develop the next generations of nurses. Another of Michael’s firm beliefs is the need to change the experience of the nurse to that of not only caring for patients but caring for one another and learning to take better care of ourselves. 

Distinguished Alumni Award

Jennifer Skinner, '91

Since October 2018, Jennifer Skinner MSN, NEA-BC, RN, has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive for TriHealth. She entered nursing because of her sister who lived with some disabilities. Her sister needed someone to speak up on her behalf, just as all nurses are expected to give each of their patients a trusted voice. 

Jenny received her nursing diploma from the Bethesda Hospital School of Nursing, and then earned her BSN from Miami. She also holds a Master of Science in Nursing Administration from Xavier University. Prior her current role, Jenny had a successful 15 year tenure as Senior Director of Organizational Effectiveness for Tri-Health, during which time she became a key contributor to organizational transformation.

In 2015 she was a part of the White House Upskill America Summit where she joined other leading educators, technology and innovators to strategize approach and adoption of initiatives to expand economic opportunity for American workers. The following year she participated in The White House Healthcare Employer Roundtable on Building a Skilled Workforce, joining select healthcare employers and thought leaders providing feedback on challenges to build a skilled workforce and share best practices. 

In October 2018 she became the Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive for TriHealth. In this role she focuses on consistency in the patient experience and ways to standardize nursing care across the system with best practices. She also provides an integral nursing perspective on TriHealth’s system-wide work to adapt the population health model. She continues her research supporting the evolution of nursing care to new settings and/or roles.

Distinguished Service Award

Saundra Smith

After graduating high school, Smith began what is now a 40-year career in administrative support – the last 24 with the Department of Nursing at Miami University.

She started with Miami Nursing in the mid-1990s, shortly after sufering a personal loss in her life. It was during that difficult time when compassionate nurses truly changed her life."Not only were they advocates for my physical care, they truly supported my emotional well-being and positively impacted me forever," Smith said. When the opportunity to work in the Department of Nursing presented itself, she jumped at the chance to learn more about the profession and to pay back some of the kindness shown to her by those special nurses.Smith continues to be inspired by the passion and perseverance of the faculty, staff and students in Nursing at Miami University.

Prior to joining Miami, Smith worked at Ohio Casualty Insurance Company in Hamilton.She then worked for several years in Cincinnati – at GE Aircraft Engines, Procter & Gamble and Cintas Corporation. She greatly enjoys working in the Department of Nursing in various administrative support capacities. Smith has supported three different department chairs, more than 50 full-time faculty, some 120 part-time faculty, and 11 different support staff. Smith is noted for her caring and creative problem solving and critical thinking skills as she runs the day-to-day operations of the department with a can-do attitude.

Recent Graduate Award

Katie Spring Schraub '15

Schraub, a 2015 BSN graduate, is a nurse in the Medical Surgery Unit at Dayton VA Medical Center. Her job is difficult and challenging – she works with newly-diagnosed cancer patients. Schraub absolutely loves working with veterans. She has been on 11 Honor Flights and counting, part of a team that accommodates terminal patients first then works on down the list. She participates in a combination of flights that are completed in one day, and RV trips that last a full three-day weekend.

Miami University Middletown was like a second home to Schraub. She was a popular campus ambassador who greatly enjoyed providing orientation sessions to new cohorts of Chinese students enrolled in Miami's English Language Center at the Middletown campus. Schraub earned a BSN from Miami and is now halfway through a dual master's degree program at Xavier University, working toward her MSN with a focus on forensics and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice. "Going on the Honor flights has been a highlight of my life. It helps ease some souls of Vietnam veterans who did not receive a warm welcome home."

Schraub resides in Trenton, Ohio with her husband, Jacob. The couple is expecting their first child this summer.

Distinguished Alumni Award

Marquita Turner '02

The first in her family to attend college, Turner, a 2002 BSN graduate, currently serves in a dual role that is rare in the health care industry. She is both Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at Atrium Medical Center in Warren County.

Earning a BSN from Miami was the turning point in her career. It provided her with versatility and a broader context that she applies to other areas of the hospital that are similar in principle but have different functions and issues. It opened new doors for her.

As CNO, Turner is responsible for delivery of patient care. She combines her formal education with a personality that always wants to fix what is broken. As COO, equipped with an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan, she is responsible for quality, safety, performance, efficiency and the overall patient experience. The two positions are different but deeply connected.

As a youngster, Turner was always fascinated by medical shows on television and knew early on that she wanted to work in health care. She is a graduate of Edgewood High School in Trenton, Ohio. Turner and her husband, Jeff, reside in Middletown, Ohio. The couple has two children, both Miami graduates. Son Patrick is a pharmacist and daughter Allyson a school teacher. "I feel blessed to have these opportunities to serve in these capacities," Turner said.

Distinguished Service Award

Recent Graduate Award

Distinguished Alumni Award

Distinguished Service Award

Anna Jones Monnett

Recent Graduate Award

Tina Gregory, ADN '07 & B.S. '11

Distinguished Alumni Award

Jackie Phillips, B.S. '04

Distinguished Service Award

Mary Fose ’83, ’93

Angie McLearan ’01, ’12

Distinguished Service Award

Wendy Waters-Connell ’85, ’87

Distinguished Alumni Award

Dr. Gordon Gillespie ’96, ’01

Distinguished Service Award

Dr. Linda Baas ’79

Distinguished Alumni Award

Carolyn Mason

Distinguished Service Award

Beth Birchwell ’82, ’91

Distinguished Alumni Award

Tammy Canapp ’98

Distinguished Alumni Award

Terry Willis ’72