2025 AONL Annual Report
2025 AONL Annual Report
Message from AONL CEO Claire Zangerle
If 2025 felt like it moved quickly, it’s because it did. While this is a common pace for nurse leaders, the rapid change challenged us all. At AONL, the year proved to be a defining chapter. Amid a constantly shifting health care and policy landscape, our organization continued to adapt and advance. We grew membership. We strengthened internal processes. And, the sense of community among nurse leaders reached new heights.
The urgency to advance sustainable workforce solutions was undeniable. AONL played a critical role in elevating the national conversation around workforce challenges. The release of the AONL Workforce Compendium 2.0 marked a major milestone, providing a practical roadmap for supporting the nursing workforce now and in the years ahead. Through new research and reporting, we are equipping nurse leaders with tools to identify burnout earlier and improve early-career retention, grounded not in platitudes or theory, but in meaningful, data-driven results.
Nurse leaders are not waiting for what comes next, you are shaping it. Our job is to ensure AONL is positioned to support and elevate your leadership. This year, we strengthened our governance structures and brought new transparency to member-led groups. That means more opportunities and clearer pathways to lead within AONL and a stronger foundation for building the community nurse leaders need.
In the fall, AONL collaborated with the Chartis Center for Burnout Solutions to take a hard look at the realities facing nurse leaders. Through our national Insights Study, nurse leaders across the country spoke candidly about burnout, workforce strain and system-level challenges. These insights are powerful. They highlight where we intend to sharpen our focus, where we seek to redirect our energy and where we will double down on what matters most—making real impact for our members.
At AONL, we remain committed to being an organization that meaningfully serves each of you. Our members are the foundation of everything we do. The accomplishments detailed in the following pages of this Annual Report represent the collective effort of the AONL Board of Directors, hundreds of volunteers across member-led groups and our dedicated AONL staff. This is your work, your leadership, your impact.
YOU are the voice of nursing leadership.
Claire Zangerle, DNP, RN, FAONL, FAAN
Chief Executive Officer, AONL
Chief Nurse Executive, SVP, AHA
