ANIA National Candidates

James Finley, MBA, BSN, RN

Clinical Nurse Informaticist III, Sutter Health

Biographical Statement

I started my Nursing in the San Francisco Bay Area and initially my chosen career path was adult Critical Care and Emergency Nursing. I progressed quickly into Nursing Management and worked as a Nurse Manager in both of these specialties and then a Director of Nursing. While I was a Director, I was asked to be the clinical sponsor for the hospital's first clinical information system/electronic health record. Once I understood the role, I was hooked and realized I discovered my calling and niche with Clinical Informatics. While in graduate school I took a career diversion into professional consulting, and I spent over 25 years in that field specializing in EHR implementations, training and education, and interim clinical management.

In 2023 I stepped into my full-time role as the Clinical Nurse Informaticist at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital. In my role, 1 am the on-site informaticist supporting all clinical staff and physicians in their use of our EHR and other systems that interact with direct clinical care. I support and evaluate the use of the EHR in all the workflows. I also support and manage system wide projects for system enhancements and clinical documentation redesign. And of course, I am recognized as the expert to write and run reports from the EHR for the managers and leaders.

I previously served on the ANIA Board of Director. I was a Regional Director, then the Treasurer and then served in the cycle of President-elect and President. Additionally, I was the Education Chair for two ANIA annual conferences. I am currently a member of the Bay Area Nursing Informatics Association.

Candidate Statement

I have been a Registered Nurse now for 40 years and 1 realize how fortunate l am to have fallen into my career path of Nursing and Clinical Informatics. Over the course of my career, I have worked and provided leadership in almost all areas of Informatics - from system selections, multiple large EHR implementations, large scale training, system optimizations, and on-going system maintenance and optimization. Being an informaticists is a unique role to be at the forefront and bedside with other clinical colleagues as technology is integrated into direct care to make a difference in how we care for patients and improve the patient and clinician experience.

Over my career, I have seen Nursing Informatics grow from an emerging area of interest for nurses into a full-body area of knowledge and a specialty. It has been an exciting period to learn and contribute to the practice of Informatics. I recognize now that the need for Informatics is growing even more important technology advances at such a rapid pace. ANIA is the professional organization for Nursing and we are at the forefront to continue to grow the practice and performance of Nursing Informaticists.

In the early 2000s I was on the ANIA Board for over 6 years serving in many roles including the cycle of the President's role for three years. I also had the privilege to chair the education committee and plan two National ANIA conferences.

After my last role on the Board, I recognized that it was time to pass the baton to the near group of emerging Nursing leaders to continue the advancement of ANIA. I am proud to have continued my membership and watched the growth and maturity that has happened with ANIA. A professional organization needs experienced and mature leaders to continue their growth, and I bring deep experience in the field and organizational leadership to my role as a prospective Regional Director.

Thank you, ANIA Members, for this opportunity to be considered for the ANIA Board of Directors. It would be an honor to once again serve in a leadership role with this important organization.

Lulette Infante, MSN, RN, AMB-BC, CPHQ, FINE

Quality & Safety Nurse Consultant, Kaiser Permanente

Biographical Statement

Lulette Infante brings over 30 years of clinical, research, informatics, and leadership experience to her work in nursing informatics and quality improvement. Prior to her current role, she spent 25 years at Northwell Health, where she was a founding member of the health system's Pediatric Kidney Transplant program and most recently serving as the Pediatric Quality and Informatics Lead for 25 ambulatory practices across the NY metropolitan area. Today, as a Quality Nurse Consultant at Kaiser Permanente, she drives performance improvement initiatives, data analysis, and stakeholder engagement that inform decision-making and deliver measurable cost savings, while leading cross-functional teams on quality, accreditation, risk, and regulatory work, pioneering data dashboards and analytics, and developing staff training programs that strengthen patient safety across the medical center and its ambulatory practices.

Lulette holds a BS in Nursing from Adelphi University and an MS in Nursing Informatics from Walden University, along with board certifications as a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CHQ) and in Ambulatory Nursing (AMB-BC). She is an inaugural Fellow in Nursing Economics (FINE) and plans to sit for the ANC Nursing Informatics board certification (NI-BC) exam early next year.

Her ANIA leadership experience spans two chapters: she served on the Education Committee for ANIA NY Tristate, and within the ANIA Northern California Chapter, she served two years as Vice President before being elected President, a role she currently holds. She is also a current member of the Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL) DEIAA Committee and ANIA 2027 Conference Planning Committee.

Candidate Statement

Nursing informatics is my beloved specialty, and I have spent over 30 years-across clinical care, research, quality, and informatics leadership- working to advance it, even before I knew its name. From 25 years at Northwell Health, most recently as Quality and Informatics Lead for 25 ambulatory practices, to my current role as a Quality Nurse Consultant at Kaiser Permanente, I have built performance improvement initiatives, pioneered data dashboards and analytics, and led cross-functional teams through influence rather than authority. My BS Nursing from Adelphi University, MS Nursing Informatics from Walden University, CPHQ and AMB-BC certifications, Fellowship in Nursing Economics, and my upcoming NI-BC exam reflect a career built on continuous learning in service of this specialty.

As President of ANIA Northern California Chapter, after two years as VP, I have helped invigorate NCAL by doubling our board membership and leading the chapter to two consecutive Silver Distinguished Chapter Awards, followed by our first-ever Gold Distinguished Chapter Award last year. I'm currently organizing an inaugural nursing innovation Al event in Sacramento, where speakers and vendors are flying in specifically because of relationships I've built and personally nurtured. Alongside this, my earlier work on the Education Committee of ANIA NY Tristate and my current role on the ANIA 2027 Planning Committee have shown me how deeply ANIA's mission, advancing NI through education, research, and practice in all roles and settings, resonates once nurses discover it.

That's the heart of why I'm running: too many nurses still don't know our specialty exists, even as we finally start seeing inaugural CNIO roles emerge, roles most institutions still do not have. I want to help ANIA push for standardized, streamlined reporting structures, with informatics leadership reporting to a CNIO and extending clearly down to staff nursing informaticists, so the role is recognized alongside nurse educators and quality nurses. I also want to broaden how we define this profession, beyond the EHR. This work has many facets, and showing nurses that breadth is how we grow both understanding As a Regional Board of Director, I would bring my talent, my track record of building engaged chapters, and my passion for this work to help ANIA become an organization with a real voice, that can advocate for policies that matter to our specialty, especially in the age of Al, and that equips every nurse t advocate for themselves, their patients, and their communities.

Charla Johnson, DNP, RN, NI-BC, ONC, FNAON

Director, Clinical Information Systems and Nursing Informatics, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System

Biographical Statement

A 38-year nursing career with a pursuit of lifelong learning. My initial licensure as a registered nurse was with a diploma and furthered my education with a baccalaureate, master's in nursing with focus in nursing education, and to a terminal degree of doctor in nursing practice with a focus in nursing leadership and education. In addition, maintain specialty certifications in both orthopaedic nursing and nursing informatics and recognized as a Fellow in the National Association of Orthopedic Nurses (FAON). Previous national board experience on the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses and the Orthopaedic Nurse Certification Board. Currently serves as the Director of Clinical Information Systems and Nursing Informatics at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System across Louisiana and Mississippi. In this role, I am responsible for order transmittal, clinical documentation, promoting interoperability of the electronic health record as well as systemness integration of evidence-based practice and technology into the documentation paths and workflows for clinicians. Roles and contributions within regional and national ANIA leadership include the Inaugural President of the Gulf Coast Chapter of ANIA in 2022- 2023, Immediate Past President (2024), and the Education Chair (2025-26). National committee service with ANIA involves the Research and EBP committee (2024-2026), authorship for the Nursing Informatics Journal, and podium and poster presentations at the annual conferences, as well as served on the Education Planning Committee for the 2025 conference in New Orleans.

Candidate Statement

My career in informatics began in 2018 within a large healthcare system serving Louisiana and Mississippi. In my current role, I manage teams dedicated to the full lifecycle of electronic health records (EHRs) and oversee nursing informatics across a complex clinical environment. Our work supports multiple hospital specialties through upgrades, user support, workflow optimization, and new implementations within and beyond our health system. This experience has strengthened my appreciation for the resources available in large-scale healthcare and the gaps smaller and rural organizations often face. As Director of Clinical Information Systems and Nursing Informatics, I partner with operational stakeholders through a systemness lens to integrate evidence-based practice and technology, including generative Al tools, into clinical documentation and daily workflows. I am responsible for order transmittal, clinical documentation, and EHR interoperability to support HIMSS, quality, and CMS reporting. Over the last three years, I have assisted with implementing rural eligible and critical access hospitals onto our medical record, helping bridge resource gaps, strengthen continuity of care, and improve community health. I also serve as an adjunct professor for Northwestern State University, preparing doctoral students to connect clinical practice, technology, and patient outcomes.

My nursing career spans more than thirty-eight years, marked by continuous growth, achievement, and commitment to advancing the profession. Active involvement in professional nursing organizations and volunteer service has shaped my leadership journey and reinforced the value of association membership for personal and professional growth. Since 2019, my engagement with the American Nursing Informatics Association (ANIA) has been pivotal. I founded the ANIA Gulf Coast Chapter in 2022 and served as its inaugural Chapter President. I also coordinated the 2024 and 2025 virtual symposiums to expand education, support, and networking. My national ANIA service includes the Research and Evidence-Based Practice Committee (2024–2026), the 2025 Education Planning Committee, authorship for the Nursing Informatics Journal, and podium and poster presentations at annual conferences. My prior national board service includes the Orthopaedic Nurse Certification Board as Director, Vice President, and President; the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses as Director, President-elect, and President; Movement is Life Executive Board; the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance Healthcare Advisory Provider Panel; and the PCORI OPTIONS Professional Stakeholder Advisory Board. I am running to serve ANIA as a Director because my experience, collaborative leadership style, and commitment to nursing informatics can be a valuable resource to the organization and its membership.

Orlando Scott, MSN, CPHIMS, CTT+, VCTT+

Clinical Use Expert Instructional Designer, Philips Healthcare

Biographical Statement

I hold a Post-Graduate Certificate in Health Care Informatics from Capella University, a MSN in Nursing Education from Western Governors University, a BSN from Georgia State University, and the CPHIMS certification from HIMSS. This educational foundation has shaped my professional focus on nursing informatics, clinical education, technology adoption, and the use of health information systems to support safe, efficient, and evidence-informed care. I currently serve as an Instructional Designer and Clinical Use Expert for Hospital Patient Monitoring at Philips Healthcare. In this role, I design, develop, and deliver education for clinical and technical audiences, support new product introductions, create and update learning resources, and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen understanding of patient monitoring products, solutions and data flow. My responsibilities also include applying nursing education, informatics, clinical consulting, and workflow knowledge to help translate product capabilities into practical education that supports adoption and effective clinical use. My ANIA involvement includes serving as President of the Georgia ANIA Chapter through the end of 2026, where I support chapter leadership development, professional engagement, and educational programming for nursing informatics professionals. I also serve as a member of the Southeast Education Committee and the ANIA National Education Committee. In 2025, I served on the ANIA Leadership Succession Committee. I have served as an abstract content reviewer for the past two years for session selection at the ANIA National Conference. In addition, I have contributed to ANIA through national presentations focused on chapter leadership, clinical consulting, and innovative education for nursing informatics professionals.

Candidate Statement

I am honored to seek the position of Regional Director for the ANIA Board of Directors. My commitment to ANIA's mission-to advance nursing informatics through education, research, and practice in all roles and settings-is reflected in my service at the chapter, regional, and national levels. As a leader within the Georgia ANIA Chapter, I have helped support chapter operations, member engagement, and strategic activities that contributed to the chapter achieving distinguished chapter status for three consecutive years. I have also participated on the Southeast Education Committee, a collaborative group of chapter leaders across the Southeast who support one another's chapters by developing and providing continuing education credited events for our members.

These experiences have strengthened my ability to communicate consistently with chapter leaders, support regional and chapter events, promote engagement, and serve as a constructive liaison between local chapters and the national organization. At the national level, I have served on the Leadership Succession Committee and the Education Committee, giving me valuable insight into ANIA's governance, member development, and educational priorities. I have also contributed as a national conference presenter and abstract reviewer, supporting ANIA's commitment to professional learning, scholarship, and dissemination of best practices in nursing informatics. In addition, I participated in a committee to revise the criteria for selecting the Distinguished Chapter Award, reinforcing the importance of clear standards, chapter support, and recognition of excellence.

In my professional career, I am an active member of an Informatics Community of Practice that supports team members in their certification journey and explores informatics topics within the medical device industry. This work reflects my commitment to mentoring, knowledge sharing, and applying informatics principles across diverse practice settings. If elected, I would focus on strengthening communication between chapters and the Board, encouraging shared learning across regions, supporting emerging chapter leaders, and helping members see ANIA as a place where their professional growth, service, and expertise are valued. I believe my chapter leadership experience, regional collaboration, national committee service, and sustained engagement in informatics education make me well prepared to serve as Regional Director

Jerri Westphal, DNP, RN, NI-BC, CDH-L

Northern California Regional Director Clinical Informatics, Kaiser Permanente

Biographical Statement

Jerri Westphal, DNP, MSN, RN, NI-BC, CDH-L, holds five nursing degrees, starting with her AASN and ADN from Northland Community & Technical College, BSN from the University of North Dakota, MSN from Chamberlain University, and recently completed her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from San Jose State University. Her DNP project entailed completing the first needs assessment of Al literacy within the nursing informatics community. She is currently the Northern California Regional Director of Clinical Informatics at Kaiser Permanente, where she oversees informatics strategy across 21 medical centers, supporting 29,000+ nurses. She also serves as an adjunct professor of graduate nursing informatics at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Within ANIA, she serves on the NCAL communications committee and contributes to the NorCal ANIA bi-monthly newsletter.

Candidate Statement

I discovered informatics during my BSN program, while already working as a nurse. I remember learning that there was a speciality within nursing that would allow me to merge my love of computer science with my love of nursing practice. I had the opportunity to improve the systems while driving optimal patient outcomes through informatics, and that set the direction for the rest of my career.

Today, that work matters more than ever. Al is moving into nursing practice quickly, and nurses need to be at the table shaping how it is implemented, not adapting to decisions made without them. That requires education at every level, from the bedside nurse learning what a new tool actually does to the informatics leader setting governance for how it gets deployed. Informatics, at its core, is process improvement work. When we integrate informatics best practices and educate our colleagues, we raise the standard for the whole nursing profession.

I bring experience of over 19 years within nursing, nursing education, operations, and informatics. My DNP project was the first needs assessment of Al literacy within the nursing informatics community, which I partnered with ANIA's Research and EBP Committee. As NCAL Regional Director of Clinical Informatics at Kaiser Permanente, I oversee informatics strategy across 21 medical centers supporting more than 29,000 nurses, and I lead Al nursing education initiatives for Kaiser nationally. I also serve as an adjunct professor of graduate nursing informatics at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, where I help prepare the next generation of informatics nurses directly.

Within ANIA, I serve on the NCAL communications committee and contribute to the NorCal ANIA newsletter, which has given me a close view of how ANIA connects national priorities to what members experience at the regional level. As National Regional Director, I would use that view to strengthen the link between regions: identifying where chapters are solving the same problems separately, and building the shared resources and education that let them solve them together. Al literacy is one clear example of a need every region will face, and I want ANIA's members equipped. I would bring practicality to this role, so ANIA's members have the education, research, and support they need to lead in an increasingly technology and Al-driven practice environment.

Julie Luengas, DNP, MBA, RN, NI-BC, FHIMSS

Chapter President - New York Tri-State, Stony Brook Medicine

Biographical Statement

Julie Luengas is a doctorally prepared nurse executive and board-certified informatics leader with more than 25 years of experience advancing enterprise EHR strategy, governance, and digital transformation across complex academic and integrated health systems. As Chief Nursing Informatics Officer at Stony Brook Medicine, she provides strategic oversight for clinical informatics, system optimization, and technology-enabled quality initiatives that strengthen patient safety, enhance clinician experience, and align innovation with organizational priorities. Recognized for building high-performing multidisciplinary teams and establishing robust governance infrastructures, she has led successful enterprise EHR implementations, streamlined clinical documentation, expanded barcode medication administration, integrated eConsent solutions, and advanced regulatory compliance initiatives. Her expertise includes aligning clinical workflow redesign with data strategy to ensure technology solutions are practical, user-centered, and outcome-driven. Previously, Julie held executive informatics leadership roles where she led large-scale optimization initiatives, unified informatics teams to support clinical, operational, and research priorities. Her ability to bridge clinical practice and information technology has consistently improved efficiency, technology adoption, and measurable quality outcomes across inpatient and ambulatory settings. A nationally engaged thought leader, she contributes to professional organizations including the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, American Nursing Informatics Association (Education Taskforce Co-Chair, Chapter President), Friends of the National Library of Medicine (Board of Directors and Gala Chair), and the Alliance for Nursing Informatics. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and maintains Nursing Informatics certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center, reflecting her commitment to advancing nursing leadership, fostering innovation, and shaping the future of digitally enabled healthcare delivery.

Candidate Statement

My experience as a doctorally prepared nurse executive and board-certified informatics leader positions me to make a meaningful contribution to a Leadership Succession Committee within a professional nursing organization. Over more than 25 years in nursing and healthcare leadership, I have developed a broad perspective on the competencies, experiences, and leadership characteristics necessary to guide organizations through change while remaining grounded in the values and mission of the nursing profession. My current role as Chief Nursing Informatics Officer at Stony Brook Medicine, along with previous executive informatics leadership positions.

A significant component of my leadership philosophy has been identifying opportunities to develop people, cultivate talent, and build high-performing teams. I recognize that effective succession planning extends beyond identifying individuals for future leadership roles. It requires recognizing potential, understanding individual strengths, cultivating leadership capabilities, providing meaningful opportunities for professional growth, and ensuring that emerging leaders are prepared to navigate increasingly complex healthcare environments. My experience leading enterprise transformation initiatives has strengthened my ability to assess leadership readiness, facilitate collaboration, manage complex change, and connect individual capabilities with broader organizational needs.

My engagement with national professional organizations, including the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, American Nursing Informatics Association, Friends of the National Library of Medicine, and the Alliance for Nursing Informatics, has broadened my understanding of the evolving landscape of nursing leadership and the importance of professional engagement. These experiences have reinforced my belief that strong leadership pipelines are essential to sustaining the nursing profession and ensuring that organizations remain innovative, responsive, and resilient.

I would bring to the Leadership Succession Committee a combination of executive leadership experience, strategic thinking, governance expertise, and a deep commitment to professional development. My career has required me to anticipate future needs, evaluate emerging opportunities, build consensus, and lead teams through significant organizational and technological transformation. These skills are directly applicable to identifying and preparing future leaders who can advance the organization's mission while adapting to a changing healthcare environment.

Most importantly, I would approach succession planning with a forward-looking, inclusive, and collaborative perspective. I am committed to supporting the development of diverse leadership talent and creating pathways for emerging nurse leaders to grow, contribute, and ultimately lead with confidence, integrity, innovation, and purpose.

John Lussier, DNP, RN, NI-BC, FHIMSS

Past President - San Diego Chapter, University of San Diego

Biographical Statement

Professional Educational Background

• UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO HAHN SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCE, SAN DIEGO, CA
  Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Nursing Informatics and Data Science
• UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX, PHOENIX, AZ
  Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Nursing Informatics, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH, SALT LAKE CITY
• UNIVERSITY OF UTAH, SALT LAKE CITY, UT
  Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Nursing Informatics
• RECENT JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
  Currently between roles, my recent responsibilities include working with Community Memorial Healthcare in Ventura to optimize the use of their newly installed Epic suite of applications. Due to the implementation model and timeline, only the basics were covered. I aided in optimizing post-implementation workflows to maximize the use of the new application. This included sharing with staff and leaders the power of patient lists, using dashboards, tools to monitor discharge delays, infection rates, and to address required documentation elements in time to meet multiple regulatory surveys. Prior to that role, I served as Director of Clinical Informatics for Sharp HealthCare in San Diego. In this role, I successfully advocated for a new 10-person Nursing Informatics team to be created to assist in design, development and governance of the EHR. I facilitated governance meetings, upgrades, and provided support to the Nursing Informatics team in their role as application leads.
• ANIA LEADERSHIP, COMMITTEES, OR PROJECTS
  San Diego ANIA Chapter: I've held almost every role within the San Diego ANIA Chapter (Secretary/Treasurer; President-Elect, President, Past-President).
  SoCal ANIA Chapter: For several years I served as Membership Coordinator, and participated in the annual conference planning.

Candidate Statement

Dear Members of the Leadership Succession Committee,

I am writing to express my interest in serving a two-year term on the ANIA Leadership Succession Committee. My career took a new direction at the University of Utah, where I found a way to combine nursing practice with my interest in technology. I met lifelong friends and colleagues there, along with nursing leaders who had helped define the specialty. With my peers we co-founded the Utah Nursing Informatics Network, and I have participated in ANIA chapters since, and opted to hold leadership positions when available. Much of what I have contributed to this profession traces back to someone deciding I was ready before I would have said so myself, which is the work this committee does.

Evaluating the preparation of others is familiar to me. I have served for years as a volunteer editorial reviewer for the Journal of Informatics Nursing, where the task is to assess submitted work against a standard and explain the reasoning behind the decision, and I contributed to the revision of the ANA Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice. As a director of clinical informatics at Sharp HealthCare and Community Memorial Healthcare, I built two teams from the ground up, which meant interviewing candidates, weighing credentials against what the role demanded, and being accountable for those judgments afterward.

Building the pipeline matters as much as vetting it. I support chapter recruitment and events, and I encourage members and those new to informatics to treat their daily successes as something colleagues can learn from, helping them turn that work into presentations for local chapters, publications, or ANIA conferences. A slate is only as strong as the number of people who believe they belong on it.

I also stay close to the substance of ANIA's agenda, which matters for a committee that must speak credibly with prospective candidates. I support the collective work on the six domains of documentation burden, and I would like to see our position statement on Addressing the Safety of Electronic Health Records updated to address artificial intelligence, since skilled nurses belong in the design of those tools.

I understand the confidentiality this role requires and the ambassadorship it invites, and I would be glad to serve. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely, John P. Lussier, DNP, RN, NI-BC, FHIMS