New Jersey League for Nursing

President's Message

Message from Our NJLN President

Donna M. Penn, DNP, RN, CNE, NEA-BC

Director, Holy Name, Sister Claire Tynan School of Nursing

NJLN President, March 2024 – 2026

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer—it is certainly going by quickly! I wanted to take a moment to share some exciting league milestones and upcoming events that our NJLN board of directors and committees are working on for you. We remain dedicated to supporting the key attributes that fulfill our mission to promote excellence in nursing education to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce.

I am thrilled to announce the relaunch of our NJLN website and the introduction of our secure member portal. This initiative reflects NJLN’s ongoing commitment to enhancing our interaction and communication with our valued members and supporters. The new secure portal login is designed to empower members to manage all aspects of their membership seamlessly. This includes accessing your contact information, making changes, easily renewing your membership dues, obtaining your membership card, and much more.

In the coming weeks, we will continue to enrich our new website and member portal with additional content and features. We invite you to stay connected and visit regularly for updates. For those not yet part of the NJLN, there has never been a better time to join than now. Supporting nursing education is crucial, and we invite you to become a member and part of the NJLN nursing community working to advance the profession in New Jersey together. 

I have spotlighted below some of our key programs and initiatives that are currently underway. You may find more details regarding each of these areas on our website.

  • Our two scholarship programs are open and are accepting applications now. I am honored to share that the NJLN is once again presenting the Dr. Maureen Sullivan Foley Memorial Scholarship awards in the amount of $100,000! This is a key milestone, marking our fifth consecutive year that we are presenting these scholarships. The awards are made possible through a grant by the Community Health Connections Foundation, Inc. and administered through the NJLN to those pursuing their BSN, MSN, or doctoral degrees. 
  • We proudly continue to provide our NJLN Scholarship Awards in the amount of $1,000 each. This program allows us to support nursing students at all levels of education, from LPN programs through doctoral degrees. We thank all of our incredible donors and supporters for continuing to exceed our ability to deliver these awards each year.
  • We understand the importance of recognition and are pleased to announce that for the third year, we are partnering with the DAISY Foundation to present the NJLN DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurse Educators. Nominations are now open.
  • Continuing with the theme of recognition, consider nominating a deserving nurse for our prestigious 2024 NJLN Nurse Recognition Program. This program honors nurses across all aspects of the profession.
  • All of our scholarship and recognition program awardees will be celebrated during our 2024 NJLN Nurse Recognition and Scholarship Awards Event on Friday, November 1 at the Pines Manor in Edison, so mark your calendars to join us. Ticket and sponsor information will be shared soon.
  • And it is not too early to Save the Date for our 2025 NJLN Convention and Pre-Convention on March 26 – 27, at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City! The call for abstracts will be sent out shortly.

In closing, I want to highlight an important change to ensure our members have reviewed the recent press release from the National League for Nursing (NLN) about the exciting transition from the Constituent League approach to the new Alliance of Leagues for Nursing, which will take effect on January 1, 2025. Our mission and focus will remain unchanged and aligned with the NLN.

I am also pleased to share and congratulate our Program Director, Susan Chandler, who will represent the NJLN in her role on the inaugural Executive Committee for this new Alliance of Leagues for Nursing as their Secretary. This is an excellent opportunity to share best practices, partner more deeply with other nursing leagues across the country, leverage learning, and collaborate more effectively. We look forward to this next step as we evolve to further meet the needs of our state as a professional nursing organization.

I hope you feel as proud as I do about being a member of the NJLN as you read the many areas I mentioned above, including our new website and member portal. We could not achieve this without the participation, feedback, and support of our members.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, and on behalf of the NJLN Board of Directors, thank you for continuing to be part of the NJLN!

Sincerely,