Radical System Transformation

PhD

Chief Executive Officer, Career Education Colleges and Universities

Dr. Jason Altmire is the chief executive officer of Career Education Colleges and Universities, the national trade association representing America’s private postsecondary career schools. He has been a senior executive for two multibillion-dollar companies and served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served on the higher education subcommittee from 2007 to 2013.

A prolific public speaker and commentator, Altmire authored a best-selling book about political polarization and has been a frequent guest on national television news programs and a regular opinion contributor to various national media outlets. He has been profiled in nearly every major newspaper in the country and is a member of the U.S. Speaker Program at the U.S. Department of State, which designates American public speakers to represent their country at official overseas engagements.

Altmire chairs the board of advisors at the Center for Effective Lawmaking, a collaborative project of the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He also serves as board chair at Jacksonville University’s Public Policy Institute and is an adjunct professor at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Altmire earned his doctorate in business administration from the University of Florida, his master’s degree in health administration from George Washington University, and his bachelor’s in political science from Florida State University.

PhD, MBA, RN, FADLN, FANOL, FAAN

Senior Vice President of Equity and Engagement, American Nurses Association

Dr. Katie Boston-Leary is the senior vice president of equity and engagement at the American Nurses Association, addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging (DEIAB), and workforce challenges within the profession. Boston-Leary is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and the School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She sits on numerous boards and national committees in nursing and health care and is an editorial advisory board member with Nursing Management, Nursing 2025, OADN, and ACHE. Boston-Leary leads the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing Forum and organized ANA’s inaugural Equity Summit in Washington, D.C.

Boston-Leary is a 2024 ICN Global Nurse Leaders Institute scholar and was previously identified by Health Leaders Media as “One of Five Chief Nursing Officers Changing Health Care.” She also won the ICABA TD Bank 2023 Woman of Impact Award, the 2024 Spectrum Circle Award for Innovation in Health, and the 2025 National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) President’s Trailblazer Award. Boston-Leary was inducted as a distinguished fellow at the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing with the NBNA, is a fellow with American Organization of Nursing Leadership (AONL), the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), and the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She was recently named as an honored listee in Marquis Who’s Who in America.

Boston-Leary authored two chapters in The Sage Encyclopedia of Multicultural Counseling, Social Justice, and Advocacy, the first encyclopedia focused on racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. She was also featured in the award-winning documentary film Everybody’s Work, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Boston-Leary recently coauthored a Sigma published book titled Harmony by Design, Navigating Work and Life in Healthcare.

She has conducted research on care-delivery models, time allocation, nurses’ well-being, racism, and civilized oppression in nursing with Quint Studer, Joslin Insight, and McKinsey. Boston-Leary is a well-known speaker internationally with many publications, podcasts, and national outlets, namely CNBC, The New York Times, Cheddar TV, Axios, Beckers, Forbes, Bloomberg News, and on NBC’s Today Show. She completed her PhD at Walden University in health services, obtained a dual degree MBA and MHA from the University of Maryland Global Campus, and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Bowie State University in Maryland. She is a board-certified nurse executive and obtained a nurse executive leadership certificate from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

PhD

Vice President, AI Strategy & Application, Nightingale Education Group

Samuel Clarke has spent over a decade working in education as a PhD-trained professor at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology, and learning innovation. He currently serves as the vice president of AI strategy at Nightingale College, where he leads the design and implementation of AI-driven systems to transform how education is delivered, assessed, and personalized. He earned his PhD in business administration from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Alongside his work in higher education, Clarke also contributes to the broader education ecosystem through Precision Ed AI, an education technology initiative focused on using artificial intelligence to personalize learning. This work supports efforts to move education beyond one-size-fits-all models toward systems that adapt to each learner’s pace, strengths, and goals, and it informs his approach to designing more effective and humane learning systems.

In addition to his work in education and AI, Clarke has helped support and scale ventures in software, health benefits, and consumer finance. He remains deeply interested in how technology can expand, rather than replace human potential.

DrPH

Vice President, The Professional Nursing Validation Company

Dr. Tim Cunningham is an internationally known keynote speaker and expert on healthcare professional well-being. As vice president of business development for the Professional Nursing Validation Company, Cunningham works with interprofessional teams to promote systemic well-being for healthcare professionals, university staff, researchers, students, and communities. He also serves on the board of directors of Clowns Without Borders, a nonprofit dedicated to alleviating suffering through laughter.

Cunningham’s professional journey began in the performing arts, including theater, clowning, dance, and acrobatics. He performed on international stages for nearly a decade as a professional actor. His experiences then led him to join Clowns Without Borders in 2003.

A transformative experience working as a clown in a pediatric hospital in pre-earthquake Haiti inspired Cunningham to pursue nursing. He earned his CNL from the University of Virginia in 2009 and worked as an emergency/trauma nurse at UVA Health, Children’s National Medical Center, and New York-Presbyterian. In 2016, he completed his doctorate in public health at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Cunningham is former vice president and cochief well-being officer for Emory Healthcare, where he built Emory’s inaugural office of wellness and focused on systematic change to support the mental, physical, and professional health of 35,000 employees.

Cunningham has coauthored three books on nurse self-care and well-being, plus a children’s book about resilience in the face of Ebola.

RN

Director, Regulatory & Legislative Strategy, Nightingale Education Group

Blake Halladay, RN, is a nurse leader and policy strategist focused on modernizing healthcare regulation to better reflect today’s workforce realities. With experience at the intersection of clinical practice, legislative strategy, and regulatory reform, Halladay has worked to identify how outdated rules and structural barriers contribute to clinician burnout and workforce shortages.

Through frontline research, advocacy, and cross-sector collaboration, Halladay brings a unique perspective to policy conversations, bridging the gap between what happens at the bedside with decisions made in judicial courtrooms and legislative hearings. Passionate about aligning regulation with evidence, Halladay challenges systems to evolve so healthcare professionals can practice to the full extent of their education and training.

At TEDx, Halladay explores how well-intended but antiquated regulations have been quietly hurting the healthcare workforce for decades and what it will take to change course.

Ed.M.

Product Manager, Academic and Innovative Technology, Nightingale Innovations

Kris Hsu is an award-winning immersive producer and director, specializing in educational virtual reality (VR). With roots in both entertainment and learning sciences, he has led creative and technical teams to design more than 30 VR learning experiences for Fortune 100 clients, with projects premiering at the Emmys, Tribeca, Sundance, and the Peabody Awards. He has worked on VR projects at Sony Pictures and the Emmy-winning Fable Studio and produced a VR film that world-premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Hsu holds a master’s degree in education (learning design and technology) from Harvard University and bachelor’s degree in cognitive science and film studies from UC Berkeley. He now leads Nightingale Education Group’s first-ever VR team, designing immersive learning experiences that build clinical judgment and emotional readiness.

PhD, RN, CNE

President, Nightingale Innovations

Dr. Juliet Kolde is a visionary nursing education leader dedicated to increasing knowledge and practice of nursing within the clinical and educational realms. She is skilled in driving innovative curriculum changes to narrow the gaps in practice-theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion within nursing education.

Kolde currently serves in the role of president of Nightingale Innovations for Nightingale Education Group. Her more than 25 years of nursing experience includes critical care, pediatrics, school nursing, community health, informatics, nursing education and leadership, and nursing curriculum development. She maintains professional memberships in the National League for Nursing (NLN) and Sigma Theta Tau. Kolde lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

PhD

Assistant Vice President, Learner Experience, Nightingale College

Dr. Raye Mahlberg is the assistant vice president for learner experience at Nightingale College and a higher education leader focused on reimagining how institutions support today’s learners. With a PhD in higher education leadership, her work centers on designing human-centered systems that promote access, persistence, and success across diverse learning pathways.

With roles spanning teaching, administration, and systems design, Mahlberg has led initiatives in curriculum development, learner support ecosystems, and educational technology integration, always with the goal of increasing engagement and reducing structural barriers to achievement. She is a strong advocate for inclusive, data-informed approaches that recognize learners as multifaceted individuals, not just learners.

Committed to continuous learning and innovation, Mahlberg’s work challenges institutions to move beyond rigor alone and toward support models that allow more learners to thrive.

BS, EMT

Enterprise Growth Lead at ArborXR

Devin Marble is an XR leader advancing continuous immersive training for workforce readiness in high-stakes environments. He began his career in film and television, learning how to hold attention and communicate complex ideas with clarity. He later served as a paramedic in a high-volume community hospital emergency department in Southern Arizona, where he saw what happens when training meets reality and how competency is built through repetition, not rarity.

Today, as enterprise growth lead at ArborXR, Marble draws on nearly a decade of hands-on XR experience across education, clinical simulation, ecosystem partnerships, and enterprise deployment to help organizations implement immersive learning with credibility, clarity, and lasting impact.

MBA

Founder & CEO, Clasp

Tess Michaels is the founder and CEO of Clasp, a mission-driven, venture-backed FinTech company tackling critical healthcare talent shortages by bridging the gap between education and employment. Michaels founded Clasp from a student-first perspective during her MBA at Harvard Business School.

A serial entrepreneur, Michaels successfully exited her previous company while completing her BS and BA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to founding Clasp, she worked in healthcare investment banking at Goldman Sachs and private equity at Vista Equity Partners.

Michaels has been recognized in Forbes’  “30 Under 30” in education. Clasp also was selected as one of 18 of the most promising healthcare start-ups in 2025 by Business Insider.

PhD

President, Nightingale College

Dr. Jeffrey Olsen currently serves as the president of Nightingale College in Utah. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in instructional technology and learning sciences from Utah State University, a Master of Science degree in instructional design and technology from Western Illinois University, and a Master of Arts degree in secondary social studies education with teacher certification from Pacific Lutheran University in Washington. His undergraduate education was completed at Brigham Young University in Utah.

Olsen has more than 20 years of experience in educational settings, including public schools, Research 1 universities, regional healthcare system education, nonprofit universities, and for-profit university environments.

DNEd(hc), MBA, RN

Chief Executive Officer, Nightingale Education Group

Mikhail Shneyder is the founder and chief executive officer of Nightingale Education Group, an impact-driven company focused on innovative healthcare workforce development across entire professional continua, from certificate programs to graduate studies to reskilling and upskilling through continuing education. From 2012 until 2023, Shneyder served as the first president of Nightingale College, a higher learning institution dedicated to closing education equity gaps and expanding geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic access to the nursing profession, creating thousands of new nurses throughout the United States.

A visionary leader and a registered nurse for nearly 30 years, Shneyder has a wealth of experience in postsecondary education for health professions and healthcare delivery services alike. He is a published academic author, conference speaker, and guest lecturer, specializing in strategy, organization development, systems evolvement, leadership, and management.

Shneyder holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. In 2024, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in nurse education leadership and innovation.

MBA, SHRM-SCP

Chief Collaborator Experience Officer, Nightingale Education Group

Mike Sorensen is the chief collaborator experience officer at Nightingale Education Group, where he leads strategy focused on culture, engagement, and the collaborator experience. He is passionate about implementing solutions that help organizations build strong, lasting relationships with their people and believes that world-class workplaces are created through intentional, strategic, people-centered practices.

Throughout his career, Sorensen has focused on building cultures that engage employees, develop leaders, and empower individuals to solve meaningful problems.

Sorensen holds an MBA from the University of Utah and serves on the board of a nonprofit supporting children’s education. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family and traveling. His happy place is eating tacos al pastor in Mexico City.

MBA

Chief Growth Officer, Nightingale Education Group

Jonathan Tanner is the chief growth officer at Nightingale Education Group, where he helps advance the organization’s mission to close health equity gaps by elevating education and employment systems that prepare a skilled and representative nursing workforce. Tanner oversees growth strategies across the Group’s portfolio — including Nightingale College, Innovations, Solutions, and continuing education divisions — ensuring alignment between impactful mission and measurable outcomes.

Before his current role, he served in leadership roles across admissions and marketing at Nightingale College, helping scale the institution’s reach and impact since its founding. As a strategic growth and marketing executive for more than a decade, Tanner founded and led digital strategy ventures, bringing entrepreneurial insight to brand building, digital engagement, and strategic communications.

Tanner’s leadership is defined by a commitment to mission-oriented growth, a collaborative culture, and the creation of systems that unlock opportunities for learners and professionals alike. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in biology.

PhD, RN, MA, FAAN, FIAHSI, FACMI

Associate Professor, The Data Science Institute at Columbia, Columbia University

Fifteen years ago, Max Topaz was a bedside nurse when a young mother was admitted to his unit. She had gone to the emergency room days earlier with exhaustion, nausea, and jaw pain. They told her it was stress and sent her home. Two days later, her heart gave out. Her children stood at the edge of her bed, waiting for her to come home. She did not come home.

The research showing that women’s heart attacks look different has been published for years. The knowledge existed; it reached her too late. That moment sent Topaz to the University of Pennsylvania for his PhD and to Harvard Medical School for advanced research training.

He now serves as an associate professor of nursing and data science at Columbia University and as a senior scientist at VNS Health, America’s largest nonprofit home healthcare organization. He studies why medical discoveries take 17 years to reach patients and whether AI can safely compress that to 17 seconds. His work has attracted over $25 million in research funding and produced more than 200 peer-reviewed publications.