Vera Stephenson DNP, MSN-ME, BAN, PHN

Vera earned her Bachelor of Arts in Nursing (BAN) from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1994. Her clinical experience spans medical-surgical nursing, pediatric rehabilitation, labor and delivery, college health, community health, urgent care, and post-anesthesia care, where she continues to practice on an as-needed basis. In 2013, she completed a Master of Science in Nursing Education (MSN) at St. Catherine University (SCU), earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) post-master's degree in 2026, and has served as a nurse educator in SCU’s School of Nursing (SON) since 2014.  Throughout her academic career, Vera has taught in both the College for Adults and the College for Women. She currently teaches in the RN-to-BSN/MSN completion program. Her areas of expertise include online instruction, course development, patient education, and public health nursing. Over the course of their career, Vera was named nurse of the year at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas.  She has contributed to scholarly work and to the profession of nursing through research and scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals, and, most recently, has been part of a research team that published 3 articles in peer-reviewed journals on the diverse menstrual experiences of young adults in 2023, 2024, and 2025.  She has also had the honor of giving poster presentations on the topic.  She is a recipient of the Academic Excellence grant for an innovative scholarship proposal titled "A Holistic View on the Impact of Chronic Pelvic Pain and Heavy Menstrual Bleeding on Quality of Life in Individuals of Diverse Backgrounds." From 2019 to 2025, Vera served as co-chair and chair of the SCU SON Committee on Faculty (COF). In this role, she was responsible for data collection, analysis, and action related to accreditation criteria, with an emphasis on faculty retention, recruitment, and satisfaction. Her work helped foster a culture of inclusivity and belonging. The COF also evaluates the SON norms connected to the university’s faculty evaluation process, which can ultimately help faculty achieve promotion and tenure. Vera’s leadership is grounded in Relational Leadership Theory, which emphasizes trust, inclusion, and collaboration.Beyond her professional work, Vera is passionate about family, having fun, hard work, lifelong learning, travel, and the outdoors. Like many healthcare professionals, she enjoys a good acronym and does her best to bring her talents and strengths to her roles as both educator, learner, and leader.Vera is guided by the belief that our past experiences shape who we are, and that fostering the well-being of others across diverse settings creates a sense of belonging and supports growth in every area of life. She also recognizes that true growth and connection are never achieved alone.