Nancy Reese named new director of nursing at Carthage
Prof. Reese comes to Carthage after 14 years at Resurrection University in Oak Brook, Ill. There, she served in various academic positions, including professor, assistant dean of curricular initiatives, and interim dean of nursing. She has specialties of community health and medical surgical nursing in neurology, and she has expertise in nursing ethics, evidence-based practice, and healthcare policy.
Ministry has also played a big part in Prof. Reese’s life. She was certified as a lay minister and parish nurse, and she led over 20 service missions around the world and participated in two — delivering medical, dental, optical, and spiritual care to people in need.
“I am thrilled that Prof. Reese is taking the helm of our excellent Nursing Program,” says President John Swallow. “She will ably lead the expansion of the program’s reach and impact to meet the educational and health needs of the region.”
“I am so excited to join the nursing faculty. The Carthage team of nurse educators are dedicated to best outcomes for students and patients. They demonstrate excellence and compassion,” says Prof. Reese. “I am honored to collaborate with this team as we continue to shine the light of excellence into the future of nursing.”
Prof. Reese received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1996 from Concordia Chicago/West Suburban College of Nursing. At Concordia University Wisconsin, she earned a Master of Science in Nursing with an emphasis on nursing education in 2007 and a Doctor of Nursing Practice in leadership and administration in 2014.
“Prof. Reese comes to Carthage with extensive experience in a program that grew dramatically over the last decade,” says Provost David Timmerman. “We are very fortunate to have an extremely strong nursing faculty and now also to have Prof. Reese as our director.”
The Nursing Program at Carthage is dedicated to teaching students clinical reasoning processes, how to apply those processes to concepts important in delivering nursing care, and how to address healthcare needs across the lifespan and continuum of care to improve health care outcomes.
In fall 2020, the College expanded the department with the launch of the RN-to-BSN Program, which provides registered nurses the opportunity to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in as few as 16 months.
“Carthage has a long-standing legacy as a college. The Nursing Program is contributing to this legacy,” says Prof. Reese. “I look forward to creating deeper roots with our clinical partners, community, and our global society.”
Prof. Reese starts her position as the new director of nursing at Carthage in Aug. 2021.