Marci Resnicoff – President
Deb Shields – Past President
Rose Hosler – Treasurer
James Welch – Secretary
Shannon Gauvin – Director at Large
Caroline Ortiz – Director at Large
Keri Darby – Director at Large
Grissel Hernandez – Director at Large
Deborah Carr – Director at Large
Margaret Erickson – CEO
Donna Modica – Dir. Social Media, Outreach, and Community Engagement
Piper Abernathy – Office Administrator
Board of Directors Login
Marci Resnicoff, MSN, RN, AHN-BC®, HWNC-BC®, SGAHN
President
Marci Resnicoff has been serving on the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corp. Board of Directors for the past three years, and is honored to deepen her service to the organization and holistic nursing by becoming the President of the board. She is also an active member and a past Board of Directors’ member of the American Holistic Nurses Association. Marci spent approximately four years helping to build the Lerner Health Promotion-Integrative Health Department at NYU-Langone Hospital-Brooklyn and is now helping to expand its reach across the NYU Langone Health-enterprise, as a way to support staff learning healthy ways to manage and process the stressful challenges of being healthcare workers. She holds a master’s degree in advanced holistic nursing and is board-certified as a holistic nurse and a health and wellness nurse coach. In addition, she is a Reiki Master Teacher and has presented and taught mindfulness, guided imagery and other forms of meditation and wellness, and also has a certificate in nutrition therapy. Marci has experience using mind-body therapies for over 25 years and has over ten years of patient care nursing experience at NYU-Langone Hospital – Brooklyn.
marci.resnicoff@gmail.com
Deb Shields, PhD, RN,
CCRN, QTTT, AHN-BC®,SGAHN
Past President
Deb Shields has served on the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation Board of Directors as President. Dr. Shields began her career in the School of Nursing at Capital University in 1980. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the American Holistic Nurses Association Holistic Nurse of the Year. She has already been recognized as a Central Ohio Nursing Legend and has indeed led a life dedicated to the advancement
of holistic nursing. She is a nurse icon.
Rose Hosler BSN, RN, HNB-BC®, HWNC-BC®
Treasurer
Rose Hosler received her BSN from Cleveland State University. She is a board-certified holistic nurse and health and wellness nurse coach. Her vast experience in the surgical intensive care unit, emergency department, PACU (Post Anesthetic Care Unit), and private duty have served her well as she has integrated holistic practice in her journey. She is also certified in clinical aromatherapy, reiki, and in clinical acupressure. Rose has published in the journal of Pain Management Nursing, Consult QD, and American Nurse Today. She currently works at Cleveland Clinic and is the Healing Service Coordinator, providing support for patients, families, and staff. She provides emotional and crisis support through Code Lavenders.
She supports magnet, co-chairs the workplace violence committee and is an instructor in WELLE(education-based program for workplace safety) raising awareness for healthcare safety and practice. Rose is a resource and facilitator for the Emerge Stronger peer support program. She was A board member for AHNCC from 2017-2023. She received the Holistic Nurse of the Year award in 2019, and in 2023 was recognized with the DAISY award. She speaks locally and nationally on holistic nursing, holistic health, stress management and wellbeing. She currrently is the Cleveland chapter president for AHNA. Rose values and is amazed by the impact touch, compassionate listening, and presence has on a person’s well-being. She is grateful to be at the bedside with staff and patients, hear their story and support their healing.
rosehosler@aol.com
James Welch, RN, HNB-BC®, BLS, SGAHN
Secretary
Jim began his career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia fresh out of college with a degree in Life Sciences. Upon returning to the United States he entered the Nursing School his mother had attended. He worked as a Head Nurse at the Philadelphia VA then was hired by the State of Delaware to coordinate AIDS/HIV activities. He spent the next 20 years as the AIDS Coordinator working to improve prevention, care and treatment for persons with HIV infection. He then was tapped to create a Healthcare Bureau within the Department of Correction to improve the mental and physical health for those incarcerated. During his time at the State Jim worked to incorporate mindfulness, healthy diet, exercise and wellness in those he advocated for. He began his Holistic Nursing journey with Seeds and Bridges in February of 1997 completing work for his Holistic Certification in 1999 when he received his Holistic Nurse Certification from AHNCC. His current practice includes creating space for healing and growth using practices such as ritual, singing, sweat ceremonies, spiritual mentorship, and more. Currently he also is a Court Appointed Monitor for Jails with emphasis on improving the physical and mental health of those incarcerated in jails and prisons. Jim is part of the AHNA practice committee where he has served as chair. Jim lives with his husband of 43 years and 4 dogs on 89 acres of sacred woods.
jamescwelchrn@gmail.com
Shannon Gauvin, DHA, RN, AHN-BC®
Director at Large
Dr. Gauvin has been a nurse for 25 years. She earned her ADN from CMMC School of Nursing, her BS in nursing from USM, and her Master’s in nursing with a dual concentration in nursing education and management from the University of Phoenix. She completed her research doctorate in 2016 in Health Administration. Her research was The Effect of Simulation on Critical Thinking in Associate Degree Nursing Students: A quantitative research study. She has been certified as an advanced holistic Nurse since 2021.
Dr. Gauvin serves as the Director of Nursing for the UMA nursing program. She has served as an education member of the Maine State Board of Nursing since 2017, and sits on the Board of Directors for MaineGeneral Community Care. She was awarded the Agnes E. Flaherty Nurse Leadership Award in 2022, the University of Maine at Augusta College of Professional Studies Meritorious Award for 2023, and led the University of Maine Augusta to the selection of the Institution of Excellence in Holistic Nursing Education Award for 2022.
Caroline E. Ortiz, PhD, MPH, RN, NC-BC®
Director at Large
Caroline E. Ortiz is an associate professor at Pacific College of Health and Science’s Holistic Nursing Program, an adjunct senior lecturer at California Institute of Integral Studies’ Integrative Health Studies Program, and a board-certified nurse coach. She develops presentations and curricula on holistic health for various audiences, contributes to integrative health research, and created a Spanish-language guided meditation library for Belleruth Naperstek’s Health Journeys, now accessible through Hay House. She volunteers with the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and the Integrative Health Project internationally. Caroline apprentices in Mesoamerican curanderismo (traditional healing system), and her research interests include enduring traditional and holistic healing practices from Mexico in the U.S.
Caroline earned a BSN from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX, a dual Master of Science degree in Advanced Public Health Nursing (MSN) and Urban Public Health (MPH) from the City University of New York’s Hunter College, New York, NY, and a PhD in Nursing Education from Villanova University, Villanova, PA. She completed the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program and maintains board-certification as a nurse coach (NC-BC) through the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation.
Keri Darby, MSN, RN, AHN-BC®, SGAHN
Director at Large
Keri Darby is a holistic nurse that specializes in system wide implementation of Whole Healthcare. Keri’s career began at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center in 2005 and has held a wide variety of nursing positions. Keri earned her Master’s Degree in Nursing with a concentration in Nursing Education from Wilkes University in 2009. In early 2014, Keri accepted a position as an RN Whole Health Consultant with the Office of Patient Centered Care & Cultural Transformation. Keri is board certified in Advanced Holistic Nursing and is a certified Green Belt in Lean Healthcare and a Change Management Practitioner. In June 2021, Keri was inducted into the Global Academy of Holistic Nursing as a Distinguished Scholar.
klesf24@gmail.com
Grissel Hernandez, Ph.D., MPH, RN, HNB-BC®, NPD-BC, SGAHN
Director at Large
Grissel Hernandez is the Executive Director at Stanford Health Care Center for Education and Professional Development (CEPD) in Stanford, California. Grissel coordinates the systematic integration of Watson Caring Science into leadership, education, praxis, and research at Stanford Health Care. She has over 20 years of Nursing Administration and Nursing Professional Development experience in ANCC Magnet and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award designated organizations. She served as an Appraiser for the ANCC Pathways to Excellence and Nursing Continuing Professional Development Accreditation Programs. Grissel is a Watson Caring Science Institute (WCSI) Faculty Associate and a founding member of Regional Caritas Consortiums in NY/NJ/PA.
She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare and Spanish in 1993 from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Public Health in Community Health Sciences from UCLA in 1995, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. She completed her Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in 2020. Her qualitative research study aimed to describe and understand the lived experience of nurse leaders practicing within the Watson Caring Science framework (aka. Caritas Coaches®), creating a caring, healing environment for staff. Grissel completed the Integrative Healing Arts Certificate Program from Birch Tree for Health Care Transformation in 2005 and the Caritas Coach Education Program from WCSI in 2011. She is board-certified in Nursing Professional Development and Holistic Nursing. Grissel was inducted as a Scholar to the Global Academy of Holistic Nursing in 2021. She is currently completing a post-Doctoral program in Caring Science with Dr. Jean Watson and Advanced Couse in Implementation Science at the Stanford School of Medicine Center for Improvement. Grissel is an active member of the Stanford Health Care LatinX and Allies Employee Resource Group (ERG), Equality, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (EEDISJ) Committee of the American Holistic Nursing Credentialing Center (AHNCC) and board member of the International Association of Human Caring (IAHC) and Watson Caring Science Institute (WCSI).
Deborah Carr, PhD
Director at Large
Deborah Carr is A&S Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Boston University, and director of BU’s Center for Innovation in Social Science. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1997. Dr. Carr has held faculty positions at University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, and Rutgers University. Her research focuses on aging, stress, psychosocial influences on health over the life course, and end-of-life issues. Her book Golden Years: Social Inequalities in Later Life (2019, Russell Sage) received the 2020 Kalish Innovative Publication Award from the Gerontological Society of America. She is co-editor (with Kenneth Ferraro) of the Handbook of Aging & the Social Sciences, 9th ed. (2021, Elsevier). Her latest book, Aging in America, was published by University of California Press in February 2023. Carr is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2024. She received the 2022 Matilda White Riley Distinguished Scholar Award and the 2023 Mentoring Award from the American Sociological Association’s section on Aging & Life Course. She was editor-in-chief of Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences for the 2015-2020 term, and editor-in-chief of Journal of Health & Social Behavior for the 2023-25 term. Her research has been funded by National Institutes of Health, RRF Foundation on Aging, Borchard Foundation, Templeton Foundation, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Carr is a strong proponent of public scholarship, and enjoys speaking to the general public about issues related to aging, health, stress and families. Recent media appearances include CNN, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, PBS, and Forbes. She has served on the Boards of professional organizations including Population Association of America and community organizations including the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association.
Margaret Erickson, PhD, RN, CNS, APHN-BC®, SGAHN
CEO
Margaret Erickson has been the CEO of the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation since May 2000. She has practiced holistic nursing for 38 years and has worked with different populations in various settings, including, but no® limited to Adult Health, ICU, Newborn Nursery, Labor and Delivery, Mental Health, Long Term Care, and Case Management. She has also taught holistic nursing courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels at the University of Texas at Austin and Tennessee State University. Margaret has researched, published and presented in holistic nursing and health and is a member of the AHNA Health Advocacy committee. For any questions regarding re-certification or AHNCC program endorsement please feel free to email us at
ahncc@flash.net or call 512-528-9210.
Donna Modica
Director Engagement & Connections
Donna Modica started her career in the mental health field. She promoted health and wellness by marketing different programs available for both consumers and professionals. She has created workshops for local social workers and counselors and maintained websites for many county websites. Donna comes to us from Cleveland Clinic where she promoted nursing through marketing and building connections and relationships with different stakeholders. Donna helped nurses retain their Magnet status by creating programs that enhanced the quality of their jobs. She has extensive experience in graphic and web design and has done social media; helping multiple organizations highlight the work they do and increasing their public visibility.
connections@ahncc.org
Piper Abernathy
Office Administrator
Piper Abernathy Office Administrator, AHNCC
Piper Abernathy serves as the Office Administrator for the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC), bringing over 20 years of experience living and working in the state of Kansas. As part of a proud military family. Piper values resilience, adaptability, and service—principles that also inform her work ethic. With a strong background in office administration and client-facing roles, she ensures that daily operations run smoothly and efficiently.Piper manages certification, recertification and communication for new and existing certificants.
Outside the office, Piper is involved in many different musical settings. She deeply appreciates the role music plays in connection, healing, and overall well-being.
info@ahncc.org
