From her professional soccer career to her dedication to pediatrics, this nurse is GOALS all around! Elyse Shelger MSN, RN, PHN, CCRN, NE-BC is a nursing supervisor who understands the importance of self-prioritization and self-preservation in nursing. An advocate for nurses and patients alike, Elyse shares her philosophy of leading with positive intent to combat widespread nurse burnout.

Marcia Proto, M.Ed., CAS, has decades of experience in not only healthcare, but nursing leadership and education, and her career shows an exceptional dedication to the nursing profession. She started in healthcare in the early 90s, as manager of education services at the Connecticut Hospital Association, jumped into capital campaigns, and has served as the executive director of the Connecticut League for Nursing from 2004 to today, with a two-year leave to work in regional sales management at the National League for Nursing. Marcia is also an entrepreneur, and has offered healthcare consulting expertise as part of her business, Marcia Proto Consulting, LLC, since 1996. Connect with Marcia on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marcia-proto-a5809311.

After experiencing subpar healthcare outcomes as a child from encounters with the healthcare system, Dr. Nicole Thomas made it her life’s mission to utilize her clinical knowledge and expertise to positively impact the lives of all receipts of the healthcare system. She is the founder and principal consultant of Impact Nurse Consulting, a healthcare consulting firm founded in 2015 that provides innovative and quality-based solutions that lead to high-quality patient health outcomes for healthcare organizations globally. She has led in her roles as a nurse-leader, associate director, and educator for various fortune 500 companies in the area of medical & clinical operations. In addition, Dr. Thomas led a fortune 7 managed care organization in developing, implementing, and evaluating clinical programs during the transition of Louisiana Medicaid to a managed care system. She is also the author of the best-selling book “In Health On Purpose: Awakening Your True Calling In The Healthcare Profession” which was #6 in the professional development category on Amazon. She is also the co-founder of the #1 nursing development platform, The Nurse Power Network, that helps nurses find, operate, & dominate in their nurse power which has helped over 20,000 nurses and counting. Learn more at NicoleThomasINC.com.

Paule Valery Joseph, PH.D. MS, FNP-BC, BSN, RN, FAAN is a leader and a compassionate and forward-thinking scientist. She is committed to contributing to society through innovative discoveries, inventions, and scientific research in chemosensation and metabolic diseases. She is the founding strategic advisor for the Smell and Taste Association of North America and the co-founder of the Global Consortium of Chemosensory Research. She has more than 15 years of clinical nursing, research, and academic experience, and currently works in multiple leadership roles at the National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Program. She is also a dedicated philanthropist, and serves as the chief operating officer of health and heritage at the Amazing Grace Children’s Foundation in Ghana, West Africa.