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Barry Alum Named CEO of the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing

Jan 25, 2023

Barry Nursing Grad Earns National Post The Organization for Associate Degree Nursing — the voice of more than 1,100 associate degree nursing programs around the country—has named Barry graduate Dr. Rick García its next CEO. 

Where can a Ph.D. in Nursing from Barry take you? All the way to the C-suite, if you like.

Case in point: School of Nursing alum Dr. Rick García, Ph.D., RN, CCM, FAAOHN, FAADN, who has been named Chief Executive Officer of the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN). García’s move to the organization—which represents more than 1,100 associate degree nursing programs around the country—marks a major step in his career-long devotion to nursing education.

Since earning his Ph.D. in Nursing with a minor in Nursing Education in 2014, García has become a leader in the nursing education field, holding faculty positions at the School of Nursing at Georgetown University and New York University’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing, while also serving as Director of Nursing Education for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Most recently, as Vice President of Nursing, Regulation, and Program Expansion for Unitek Learning, he worked to increase the nursing workforce in education deserts, focusing on bridging gaps between practice needs and regulatory boards.

The position at OADN is a natural fit for García, whose educational journey began with an Associate Degree in Nursing from Miami-Dade Community College. His personal experience navigating the ADN pipeline makes him all the more appreciative of OADN’s advocacy for associate degree nursing programs and their important contributions to the nation’s workforce. “My goal,” García says, “is to amplify OADN’s longtime mission of serving as the national voice and a pivotal resource for community college nursing education and the associate degree pathway.”

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