2026 FAONL Spotlight: Joan O'Hanlon Curry

What motivated you to apply for the FAONL designation?
After more than 20 years of leading across academic medical centers and national nursing organizations, I wanted to be part of a community of leaders who are genuinely committed to moving the profession forward and to have the body of work I've built recognized at that level. My involvement with AONL, through Advocacy Days, national conference presentations, and contributing to the Nurse Leaders in Advocacy group, made the FAONL designation feel like the natural next step. It was a way to formalize that commitment, deepen those connections, and strengthen my ability to help other nurses grow into the leaders our profession needs.

How has being an FAONL designee impacted your leadership journey and leadership style?
Earning the FAONL designation has reinforced something I've always believed: that leadership isn't about a title or an institution; it's about the broader influence you have on the profession over time. It has pushed me to think more expansively about the impact I can have beyond my own organization or specialty area, and given me the confidence to keep stepping into new spaces. It has also deepened my commitment to mentoring others, because I feel a real responsibility to invest in the next generation of nurse leaders, just as this community has invested in me.

What value have you received by achieving your FAONL designation?
Honestly, the greatest value has been the people. The colleagues I've met through AONL have become friends, mentors, collaborators, and sounding boards in ways I didn't fully anticipate. Professionally, the designation has added credibility to my research and scholarship, particularly my work on political astuteness as a leadership competency, and has opened doors for broader dissemination of that work. On a personal level, it's been a genuine affirmation that a career spent leading through change, developing others, and pushing the profession forward has actually made a difference.

What advice would you give to someone working towards achieving FAONL status?
Be intentional about documenting your leadership impact; outcomes, innovations, and the ways your work has reached beyond your own walls, because the application asks you to tell a cohesive story, not just list accomplishments. Invest in relationships through AONL and its affiliates, because the community you build along the way is as valuable as any formal credential. And give yourself permission to see your full leadership journey as worthy. The experiences that shaped you, the teams you stabilized, the programs you built, it all counts.