“How can we step out of the shadows to lead policy changes that improve healthcare for our communities, patients and fellow nurses? The first step is to believe in ourselves as important agents for policy change by adding nursing research and experience to healthcare discussions generally based primarily on doctors, administrators, politicians and insurance companies,” said Tarr-Whelan.
Tarr-Whelan, to whom Hartwick conferred an honorary degree in 2024, is the author of the prize-winning book Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World. She was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as deputy assistant for Women’s Concerns in the White House and by President Bill Clinton as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. Tarr-Whelan has served on state commissions in New York, Virginia and Vermont and was appointed by President Clinton to the President’s Commission on Trade Policy and Negotiations. Previous roles include administrative director of the New York State Department of Labor, director of Government Relations and chief lobbyist for the National Education Association, and policy director for AFSCME, AFL-CIO.
Nursing was her original career and Tarr-Whelan holds a bachelor of science in nursing from Johns Hopkins, a master’s degree from the University of Maryland, and honorary doctorates from Plymouth University in New Hampshire and Chatham University in Pennsylvania.
Hartwick College School of Nursing Chair and Clinical Assistant Professor Kim Smith will host the event. Miya McCann, assistant chair of the School of Nursing and chair of the nursing events committee, will moderate the discussion.
The O’Connor Chair Lecture will be live-streamed.
The O’Connor Chair Lecture series is endowed by the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O’Connor Foundation of Delhi, NY. The series aims to offer nursing students and guests insights into the challenges seasoned professionals encounter across various areas of nursing and related disciplines.
For more information, contact McCann at [email protected] or 607-431-4785.
