Achievement of Excellence
NNCA provides public recognition to those members of the Navy Nurse Corps Association who have made significant or unusual contributions to the Navy, the Navy Nurse Corps, Nursing, or to the Association.
Individuals are recognized biennially on even numbered years.
The Awards Committee determines the nature of the awards to be presented, e.g. pins, membership in the NNCA, certificates, etc. They establish the criteria for awards, request nominations from the membership and select recipients of awards from nominations submitted by the membership.
To contact the committee please send an email to award@nnca.org.
Admiral Alene B. Duerk Award
Established to provide recognition to active duty or reserve Nurse Corps officers who have made a significant contribution to the Navy, to nursing, or to the NNCA. Eligibility to receive this award is established if the nominee has been on active duty or in the active reserves during any period of time since the presentation of the previous award. The first award was presented at the 1992 Annual Meeting to Alene B. Duerk as a way of establishing the Award.
NNCA Meritorious Recognition
Established to provide recognition for a significant contribution to the Navy, the Nurse Corps, or the NNCA by retired, and former Nurse Corps officers who are members of NNCA.
Professional Nursing Award
Established to provide recognition to any member for significant contribution to nursing service, nursing practice, history or research that brings honor or recognition to the Navy Nurse Corps or NNCA.
Louisa Power Award
Established as recognition to an individual who has made significant volunteer contributions to NNCA. The first was presented in 1992 to Louisa Power at the Annual Membership Meeting.
NNCA Mary G. Stewart Leadership Award
Established to provide recognition to any member for significant contributions in a leadership or management role at the national or regional/chapter level.
NNCA Service Award
Established to provide recognition to any member for continuing significant service resulting in the betterment of NNCA.
NNCA Awards 2022
As an active-duty Nurse Corps officer, LCDR Hagedorn is currently assigned as the Director, Clinical Nurse Transition Program (CNTP) Director at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He actively seeks out opportunities to further the profession of nursing and mentor his colleagues. He co-authored the submission to the FY 22 American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP) leading to successful re-accreditation with distinction which exceeds the global standard of nurse residency programs.
As a mentor, he has provided 1:1 counseling and mentorship to all nurses enrolled in CNTP and to those who have graduated. He facilitated 21 nurses deployed for Defense Support Civil Authority for COVID-19 vaccine missions. Adapting readily to the constraints necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, he designed a virtual curriculum to continue learning and maintained 100% program compliance.
Dedicated to peer professional development, he served as Chairman of the Peer Review Hearing Panel and recorder of the Career Development Board. Through his involvement, participation increased from 78% to 90% in three months. As Nurse Practice Council Co-Chair, he led 117 staff across 15 Unit Practice Councils to standardize nursing practices and policies. He also serves as a member of the WRNMMC Awards Board.
Cynthia Perry has been the driving force behind the stellar successes of the NNCASC Chapter. Serving as the NNCASC Chapter Treasurer for over seven years, she has enabled a sound financial structure while handling large sums of money. She manages the payments for scholarship awardees to their college of choice as well as all Chapter donations and Veterans Community Outreach collections. She played an integral role as Treasurer during the 2010 Reunion Panning Committee hosted in San Diego. Most recently, she has moved NNCASC into a performance money market program to ensure a scholarship endowment from a member estate earns the most dividends for the solvency of a robust and long-term scholarship program. She is currently researching a Directors and Officers Insurance plan to comply with NNCA and their Articles of Incorporation in Washington. Cindy has developed financial polices to ensure compliance with State and local laws and rules. She has become our Zoom meeting host during the pandemic for both Board and General Membership meetings that enabled an average of 30 + attending.
In addition to her duties within the NNCASC, she serves daily as a lector and eucharistic minister for her church and as an extraordinary at a local post-acute nursing care facility for over 50 patients and for homebound parishioners. She is also on the San Diego Smooth Dancers Board of Directors and led their Toys for Tots program for four years.
Patricia "Trish" Culver has been an exemplary Navy Nurse Corps Association (NNCA) leader since the organizations inception. During her NENNCA tenure, she served as Vice President from 1999-2001; Secretary from 2001-2003; and President from 2004-2019. She also served as NNCA Secretary from 2005-2008.
As the NENNCA President, Trish was intimately involved with hosting, organizing, and coordinating three major NNCA meetings in Newport, RI. Trish was an integral part of the NENNCA Scholarship program, awarding $10,000 in scholarship funds.
In addition to Trish's leadership skills, she exhibited a love for her fellow Navy Nurse Corps members. Trish was always there to converse with those who were lonely and needed to connect; she chauffeured members who were unable to drive to NENNCA events; she provided specific home services when requested by any member who may have fallen ill or may have been experiencing a stressful time in their life.
Committed to developing the next generation of healthcare professionals, Trish teaches in a CNA program. She ensures optimal health and prevention for the entire student body and finds time to train other community members in CPR.
Trish continues to volunteer with specific events. Her past efforts included the Rhode Island Responds 2009 H1N1 vaccination drive that was responsible for vaccinating eight hundred students in seven clinics. She is also active in her church, holding an active role in the Church Vestry from 2016-2019.
Christine Boltz personifies the spirit of active leadership and volunteerism. Her wide-ranging volunteer activities focus on advancing nursing and giving back to our veteran community while honoring their service and heroism.
Christines involvement with NNCA at the member, chapter leadership and national leadership levels shaped the 1300-member organization for future success. She served as a key member of the WMANNCA/NNCA Reunion 2020 and 2022 committees promoting organizational camaraderie. Nationally, she served as Vice President and President expanding the organization and sustaining membership through marketing initiatives, capturing oral histories, and preserving memorabilia, while proactively partnering with external organizations including the Military Unformed Services Nurse Advisory Chapter and Army Nurse Corps Association.
Christine is a strong and committed healthcare advocate. She continues to contribute to the nursing community and body of knowledge as an adjunct faculty for online graduate programs and by increasing awareness of veteran health concerns. Recognized for her significant leadership and volunteer contributions, she represented Navy women officers at the Women Veteran Military AppreSHEation Day, held at the Womens Memorial on June 12, 2021.
Margaret "Maggie" Balacki is the very definition of volunteerism. Beginning in 2013 as the WMANNCA Secretary and Program coordinator, Maggie planned innovative locations for informal meetups for chapter members. This was a daunting task given the wide AOR of WMANNCA. Her volunteerism extended to the parent organization as a member of the NNCA Awards Committee from 2014-to 2018.
As the WMANNCA President from 2018-2022, she served as Chair of the NNCA Reunion Committee for 2020 and 2022. When the 2020 NNCA Reunion was cancelled due to COVID-19, she provided personal attention to facilitate full refunds for registered participants and sent thank you letters and receipts to chapter and individual donors. Maggie applied lessons learned to the 2022 planning to include a new travel agency and cruise line. She managed reunion planning, transitioning reunion meetings to Zoom, developing an infomercial to engage potential travelers, and participated in various national and chapter virtual meetings to increase interest.
Maggie supported program planning for chapter meetings and expanded the reach to membership through virtual programs. She encouraged participation in Wreaths Across America (WAA) resulting in donations of 367 wreaths sponsored at the Arlington National and US Naval Academy Cemeteries, which raised $15,500 for WAA and $1835 for the WMANNCA Scholarship and Troop Support initiatives. She personally made over 225 masks for the Air Mobility Command (AMC) at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maggie has served as a deacon in her church, donates her sweat equity when needed to assist in church maintenance and making meals for those involved in such work. She also finds time to assist with weekly food distribution at a local Annapolis recreation facility.
Sherry Dotson has been the consummate team player and backbone of the FNNCA, volunteering as organizer, chapter office holder and group motivator. She volunteers to fill a critical need, do the "leg work" and provide the answers needed to make decisions.
From 2010 to 2013 Sherry served as chapter Secretary. When the chapter decided to host the 2012 national NNCA Reunion, Sherry volunteered to manage the intricate demands of reunion Treasurer. At its conclusion, she authored the Treasurer's portion of a reunion planning protocol the chapter provided to the national association for use in planning all future reunions.
From 2014 through the present, she has held the chapter's Treasurer position, skillfully overseeing the chapter's funds and advising the Board on management of its significant funds in certificates of deposit. This required her to work in concert with scholarship committee members, representatives of the University of Central Florida and scholarship recipients. With her guidance the chapter created two new memorial scholarships and saw increases in the dollar amount of each.
Sherry is a long-standing member of the FNNCA Humanitarian Committee which sends condolence cards, get-well cards and calls to members who are ill. Every Veteran's Day, Sherry leads the Navy Nurse Corps contingent that marches in the city's parade honoring veterans. In 2020, Sherrys hand went up yet again to support NNCA as Chair of the Memorabilia Committee, helping to preserve the rich history of the Navy Nurse Corps.
Henrietta 'Hank' Wildeboer was one of the founders of the Palmetto Chapter of the Navy Nurse Corps Association established 28 years ago. Along with six other members, she drafted a constitution, and wrote and adopted the chapter bylaws. She was instrumental in the planning and work to make this chapter viable, with its first membership meeting held on October 30, 1991. At the national level, Hank is an active member and helped to plan and organize the NNCA 2000 Bi-Annual Membership Meeting in Charleston, SC.
Hank served as PCNNCA Treasurer and has been an active member in each of its past 28 years. She designed the final approved PCNNCA logo and ensures PCNNCA members are recognized for their military service, nominating Doris Pierce as a speaker for a Panel Discussion, Angels of the Battlefield: The Unsung Heroes, at a celebration on the USS Yorktown honoring Vietnam Veterans.
Hank has organized and participated in the Charleston Veterans Day Parade since 2015. At every chapter meeting she collects toiletries and sundries for the local Veterans Administration facilities.
Hank also contributes to the local community as an active volunteer at the Patriot Point Naval Maritime Museum and Medal of Honor Museum on the USS YORKTOWN, CV-10. She also volunteers as an usher at the Dock Street Theater and the Queen Street Theater.