MEET THE CANDIDATES

It is a great honor to speak to you today as a candidate for the Director position on the Sigma International Board.  My name is Laura Van Auker, and I am excited to continue working with Sigma on a Global Level. Since my induction into Sigma over 2 decades, I have held most chapter positions. I am completing my final second term as North America Region 1 Coordinator, a large region encompassing the western areas of Canada and the US.  This membership on the Sigma Global Leadership team has complimented my personal global engagement over 3 decades as a Nurse Practitioner volunteer in Central America but most extensively in Africa promoting the nursing and APRN role working in rural mobile medical camps. As a clinically practicing Family Nurse Practitioner for over 4 decades, in the past decade I have enjoyed teaching the next gen of RNs and NPs.  This has also provided me research opportunities with presentations at Sigma conferences. I love continually learning, specially completing the Sigma Institute of Global Nursing Leadership Program in 2018.  I am deeply committed with Sigma to achieving the UN -SDGs and recently was selected to present on Health Impacts of Climate Change at the UN Academic Climate conference in Nairobi with my Sigma nursing colleagues from the University of Nairobi.  This is a rich collaboration that has grown out of networking at Sigma events.   

Most importantly, it is incumbent upon the Sigma Board director to provide real business and leadership skills to responsibly navigate the challenges of an international business and non-profit.  While I bring broad nursing experience, most importantly I have extensive experience in governmental leadership as an elected board official, public health clinical manager with budgetary and within academia with a $12.5 million dollar grant portfolio.  For 30 years as a Nurse Entrepreneur, I owned, managed and trained in my nursing education business providing nursing CEU, and physical assessments skills courses.  As Director, I bring a strong broad skillset to fulfill the business role but also as a “nurse’s nurse” supporting nursing voices from a broad range of practice settings and global nursing experiences, promoting your needs and your viewpoints.   

In closing, Sigma like most non-profit organizations faces significant challenges in finances, retention and recruitment of nurses. It is a time where experience matters and where leadership must be courageous.  I believe I can provide this as we address the serious business at hand. My peers describe me as passionate, eternally committed to advancing nursing and that I bring boundless energy that recruits others to the mission.  Most importantly, Sigma is my chosen place to offer my precious time, talent and resources.  I hope you will join me in your own commitment to Sigma’s mission and vision, supporting nurses around the world and making it a better place, one patient at a time. I hope you will honor me with your vote as the Sigma Board Director. Thank you.