DISTRICT HONOREES

Georgia Nursing, Nov 2004-Jan 2005

District 1

Diane Hinely is manager of Nursing Resources at St. Joseph's/Candler in Savannah, GA. In this position, Diane oversees the Keys float pool (approximately 150 staff), nurse recruiter, staffing office personnel at two hospitals, retention/support coordinator, and clinical educator. She chairs or participates in several hospital-wide or community committees, including Recruitment and Retention, Human Resources, Nursing Council for Excellence, Clinical Partnership with Colleges, GHA Workforce Task Force, and the Teach Academy. One project she was recently involved in was the recruitment of men into nursing using the slogan "Are You Man Enough to be a Nurse?"

Diane has an impressive history with health care, starting in the hospital before event out of high school as a unit clerk in a special pilot project. By the time, she graduated from high school, she knew she wanted to be a nurse. This was in large part due to the influence of her mother who was in LPN school at the time and studied the sciences with Diane right beside her. Her mother continues to work at St. Joseph's/Candler in the Day Surgery area.

Diane has held many challenging positions during her career. She has been a staff nurse in both critical care/ED and urology, nurse manager of a neuroscience unit and a gyn/med-surg unit, nursing orientation coordinator, and director of information services. In addition, she worked for a nursing agency first as an educator and later as the director of contracts. This involved working with a large group of nurses recruited from within and outside of the US. Most recently, Diane was an account executive with Infusion Partners, a regional provider of high-tech intravenous therapies.

When asked about her most important accomplishments, Diane describes her role in the implementation of the first point-of-care computerized documentation system in Savannah at Candler Hospital. This system was in place from 1989 until 1998 and prepared the staff extremely ell for the system that followed.

Diane has been the President of District 1 since 2003. She is best known in District 1 for developing a professional website for the district. Once up and running, Diane has been instrumental in seeing that member learn how to operate the website for ease of updating. Diane has enjoyed the legislative activities that she has been able to participate in with the district and at the state level. She says of this experience, "It's been an eye-opener." She also mentions the networking opportunities and the mentoring of experienced colleagues, such as Dr. Eunice Bell. In addition to GNA, Diane is a member of the Georgia Organization of Nursing Leaders and Sigma Theta Tau.

In her personal life, Diane is an adoring wife and loving mother of two children, both teenagers. She remains in close contact with her family, including parents and siblings, who all live locally. She is a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Her hobbies include gardening and outdoor sports such as boating and swimming.

District 3

Michele McCrary

District 5

The executive board of the 5th District selected Emma Jean Powell to be the Honoree this year because of her many years of outstanding service to the district, the state organization and the national association-all of which ultimately serve nursing as a whole.

Jean's education, employment and volunteer history has also served nursing well. From undergraduate work at GSU and Brenau to a Masters degree in Health Services Administration at St. Francis, she has maintained certification in Med-Surg nursing from ANCC. She started out at Grady and has been employed for 17 years at the VA Hospital here in Atlanta. She has been an AIDS educator for the Red Cross, served on the Dekalb County Community Relations Commission, is a member and officer of Chi Eta Phi Sorority and a member of Sigma Theta Tau. She is a recipient of the Ludie Andrews Award, the Economic and General Welfare Award, and the E&GW Leadership Award-all from GNA. She has been honored with the Profiles in Nursing Award and Soror of the Year Award. Emma Jean has also received notices from her employer at the VA-the Scissors Award, the Nursing Excellence Award and the Partnership Award.

Ms. Powell is the immediate past GNA Vice President and has worked in the Cabinet of Economic and General Welfare, the Cabinet on Governmental Affairs and the Public Relations Committee of the state organization. She has also served the 5th District as chair of the E&GW Committee and as delegate to several Annual Meetings. She has represented the state as delegate to the ANA convention.

Jean Powell has stood up for staff nurses by being very actively involved in work place representation at the VA. She worked with 5th district member and sister VA employee Joyce Beeks'to initiate the Peer Awards Program 16 years ago at the VA. And in 2004 Jean served as a negotiator on the first National Contract for Registered Nurses, the first national agreement ever negotiated solely for nurses.