Ingrid Johnson has been the President and CEO at the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence, the state of Colorado’s nursing and healthcare workforce center since 2019. She has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Denver and a Doctorate in Nursing Practice with a focus on leadership and health innovation from Arizona State University. Prior to stepping into the role of CEO, Ingrid served as the Senior Director of Operations and Policy at the Center. She also served as the Project Director for the Rural and Underserved APRN Initiative and is responsible for recruiting over 100 nurses from rural and underserved areas to return to school and become APRN providers in the communities in which they live and work. She received a 2019 Colorado Nightingale award for this “grow your own” program. Ingrid is focused on building a diverse, inclusive and equitable healthcare system. Her interest in healthcare policy began in her 20’s when she was asked to testify in front of a Congressional subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives as an expert witness on head injury rehabilitation. Now she is frequently contacted by policy makers when objective education on healthcare policy and nursing issues is needed. Ingrid is a contributing author for the recently published 2nd edition ANA book “Nurses Making Policy, from Bedside to Boardroom” and has been published in multiple peer reviewed professional publications. She is a trained professional coach with an added certification in teaching, facilitating, and coaching the EQi 2.0, a validated emotional intelligence tool. She loves to ski, hang out with her family, read almost anything, and watch old movies.