HJBR May/Jun 2026

42 MAY / JUN 2026 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE NURSING COLUMN NURSING AT THE START of this year, I thought I’d written my last column for this magazine, but I’ve returned, now retired, to fill in while the Louisiana State Board of Nursing (LSBN) continues its search for a new CEO. In today’s column, I’ll continue summa- rizing LSBN accomplishments and news, but going forward, I’ll explore nursing is- sues from my perspective as an RN and APRN practitioner, educator, and former regulator. I’ll begin by noting the new members who have joined LSBN through appoint- ments by the governor. Amie Bulliard is two years into her first four-year appointment. She was appointed president by Gov. Jeff Landry on Oct. 10, 2025. Bulliard represents Other Areas of Nursing and currently serves as care continuum director at Ochsner Health. She leads initiatives that bridge inpatient and outpatient care to improve outcomes across the system. Deborah Spann was appointed to her second four-year term on Jan. 1, 2025, and serves in Other Areas of Nursing as an emergency nurse, educator, leader, advocate, and coordinator of the Louisiana Emergency Response Network. She was elected as vice president of the board in December 2025. Ann Carruth was appointed on Aug. 22, 2025andwillservethroughDecember2028 in a Nurse Educator role. She is a professor and the dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Southeastern Louisiana University. In December 2025, she was elected as an alternate officer of the board. Together, these three professionals make up the board’s executive committee. Gilbert Humbert was appointed on Jan. 1, 2026, for his first four-year term. He is the market chief nursing officer for FMOL Health/Our Lady of Lourdes in Acadiana and has over 34 years of hospital and healthcare administration. He fills the position of nursing service administrator on the board. Sarita James is the secondof ourNursing Education representatives appointed to the board on Jan. 1, 2026. She a professor and the director of the Louisiana State University (LSU) Alexandria School of Nursing. She has 40 years of experience in medical-surgical and maternal-child practice and has expanded her expertise into nursing informatics, leadership, and administration. Paul Molbert will be representing Consumers on the board. He is the vice president of governmental relations at Ochsner Lafayette General. Katrina O’Con fills the dedicated APRN/ CRNA position on the board. She was appointed on Feb. 14, 2025. Finally, Melissa Nunn was appointed as the third representative in the Nursing Educator role. She is the assistant dean for student services and the coordinator of the BSN-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs at LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing. These expert practitioners join board members Michelle Collins, dean of nursing at Loyola University New Orleans; Teresita McNabb, vice president of nursing at Terrebonne General Medical Center; and Fredrick Pinkney, who is a board member of the Louisiana Association of Educators and who has worked regionally with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Now, to some LSBN accomplishments in 2025. With the board’s main goals for 2024–2026 being to build organization- NURSING REGULATION REIMAGINED: 2025 Board Achievements