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Karen Drenkard has been announced as the George Mason University School of Nursing Acting Divisional Dean.
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Drenkard, a George Mason School of Nursing alumna (PhD '06), boasts an impressive career as a leader in nursing education and health care innovation across academic, clinical, and organizational settings.
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As Acting Divisional Dean, Drenkard's expertise will further the School of Nursing's mission to produce nursing leaders who will contribute to the health of all populations through innovative and impactful research, practice, and service.
The College of Public Health welcomes Karen Drenkard, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN as its new Acting Divisional Dean of the School of Nursing. A George Mason alum (PhD ’06), Drenkard brings exceptional leadership, national recognition, and deep expertise across academic nursing, clinical practice, health care innovation, and strategic program development. As President of Drenkard Healthcare Consulting, LLC, she has guided large integrated health care systems, schools of nursing, technology companies, and national organizations in strategic planning, academic–practice partnership development, quality management, and leadership advancement.
"Dr. Drenkard's distinguished career and transformative leadership in nursing education and health care innovation will help advance key initiatives in the School of Nursing. We welcome her vast expertise and visionary approach, which are well-aligned with our mission to advance health and well-being through education and innovation,” said Dean of the College of Public Health Melissa Perry.
Most recently, Drenkard served as professor and associate dean of clinical practice and community engagement at The George Washington University School of Nursing, where she led major clinical initiatives, including the school’s COVID-19 response efforts. Her prior leadership includes a decade as Chief Nurse at Inova Health System, as well as executive roles at GetWell and the American Nurses Credentialing Center, where she served as Executive Director of the Magnet Recognition® Program.
Drenkard is recognized nationally for her transformative leadership and service. She currently chairs the Inova Alexandria Hospital Board Quality and Safety Committee and serves on the boards of the American Organization for Nurse Leaders, the Northern Virginia Workforce Investment Board, and the Watson Caring Science Institute. She is also a member of the Dean’s Advisory Councils for the Indiana University School of Nursing and Russell Sage College, and serves as visiting faculty at the UCSF School of Nursing.
Her thought leadership extends across the country through hundreds of keynote presentations and her extensive faculty work with the UCSF Leadership Institute, where she teaches executive sessions on strategic planning, succession planning, and the integration of human caring into leadership practice. She has also developed comprehensive leadership modules for major health care organizations, spanning executive presence, business planning, financial management, career mapping, and media engagement.
A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the National Academies of Practice, Drenkard earned her PhD in nursing administration, policy, and ethics from George Mason University and is both a Wharton Nurse Executive Fellow and a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow.