The skill set and engagement of CNLs vary depending on the practice setting. For that reason, it is useful for CNL certification candidates to interact and consult with CNLs who practice in similar practice settings to learn more about the skill set. Below is a list of CNL Ambassadors who practice in communities around the country. Feel free to reach out to one or more of these CNLs to learn more about their skill set.
In addition, it is just as important for employers and nursing executives who are looking to launch a CNLs program to seek guidance and consultation. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) offers the consultation of a highly knowledgeable veteran of the CNL movement, Linda Rusch, who provides guidance to employers on how to plan, fund, and implement the CNL role. Read more about Linda and her expertise below.
Miriam Bender, PhD RN CNL FAAN
Associate Professor
Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing
University of California, Irvine
Miriam Bender, PhD, RN, CNL is a second career nurse and Associate Professor at the University of California, Irvine Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing. She received her Masters in clinical leadership in 2008 and passed the CNL certification exam in January 2009. She completed her PhD studying the CNL care model in May 2013. She is involved in the local and national nursing professional community to promote nurses as clinical leaders in the redesign of healthcare delivery to improve care quality. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and is a member of the American Nurses Association, Academy Health, and Sigma Theta Tau. She is also a charter member of the Clinical Nurse Leader Association as well as a CNL Ambassador. Miriam was part of the Commission on Nurse Certification (CNC) 2010, 2016, and 2022 CNL job analyses. Miriam’s program of research is currently focused on advancing and testing a model of CNL practice with the goal of building a strong CNL evidence base. Her research on CNL practice has been funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (see Bender et al 2021 for study information) and is published in prominent journals such as Nursing Outlook, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Journal of Nursing Care Quality, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, Nursing Research, Journal of Nursing Administration, and the Journal of Nursing Management.
Read findings from Miriam recent study, A study protocol to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the CNL care model.
Veronica Rankin
Ph.D, CNL, DNP, RN-BC, NP-C, CNL
Director of Nursing Services & Magnet Program
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center|
Charlotte, North Carolina
Veronica Rankin, Ph.D, CNL, DNP, RN-BC, NP-C, CNL, serves as Director of Nursing Services and Magnet Program Director at Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center- Central Division in Charlotte, N.C. She also serves as the Administrator of the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) Program at this Magnet-designated Level 1 Trauma Center. Dr. Rankin has been a nurse for more than 16 years and a certified CNL for more than nine years. As a published author and member of various professional organizations, including Sigma International where she serves as President of the Mu Psi Chapter, Dr. Rankin’s primary career goal is to promote and advance the nursing profession. She earned her post-masters certification as an Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner and a doctorate in nursing practice from East Carolina University, and her master’s as a CNL from Queens University of Charlotte. Currently, she serves as adjunct faculty at Queens University’s Graduate Nursing Program and regularly teaches CNL exam certification review sessions with CNL students.
Claire Gangware is Chair of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Nursing Services, Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) Field Advisory Committee. She earned her CNL certification in 2008, after receiving her MSN from Elmhurst College. Prior joining the staff at the VHA, she worked at Hines VA Hospital as a patient care coordinator and presented her CNL residency project, Improving Surgical Patient Flow, at the Tri VISN Surgical Fix Conference in Buffalo, NY. Since 2009, she has been a practicing CNL at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (Chicago) in a 30-bed medicine/oncology unit. In 2011, she won an AACN Innovation award for implementation of Interdisciplinary Rounds and has presented her work on Project Red, to prevent hospital readmissions, at the CNL Summit. She serves on the Nursing Research Council, Lean Steering Committee, Falls Committee and Nursing Practice Council.
Dr. Grace Sotomayer is the former vice president of administration and chief nurse executive in the Central Health Division at Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) part of the Carolinas HealthCare System, which includes CMC, an 893-bed academic center; and CMC-Mercy, a 196-bed community hospital. She has served in this role since March 2007 and, in 2013, she led the CMC to achieve Magnet designation. In her current capacity, she leads nursing services and other assigned clinical departments. Prior to joining Carolinas HealthCare System, Dr. Sotomayor served as vice president, patient care services and chief nurse executive for SSM DePaul Health Center in St. Louis, MO. SSM is the first healthcare winner of the Malcolm Baldrige Award. Prior to this, she served as director of nursing for medical services at Montefiore Medical Center in New York.
Dr. Sotomayor earned her nursing degree from Herbert H. Lehman College, NY. She has a DNP from the University of Alabama, a Masters in nursing from Hunter College, New York, and an MBA from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and a 2010 Johnson and Johnson Wharton Fellow. She is certified by the ANCC as a Nurse Executive, Advanced and is prepared as a Six Sigma Green Belt Practitioner. In 2011 Dr. Sotomayor joined the faculty at Queens University of Charlotte in their Nursing Graduate Program and became certified as a Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL).
