Dr. Anna Maria Valdez, a professor and the Chair of Nursing at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, CA, says that the talk around building a diverse workforce isn’t new. But in many ways, Dr. Valdez herself is a conversation starter. In 2021, Dr. Valdez was asked to join the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing. After joining the Commission, she served as a subject matter expert and was a contributing author of the Commission’s foundational paper on racism in nursing. She is currently serving as an independent commissioner.

Dr. Valdez’s lived experience as a multiracial nurse informs her approach to the conversation around equity. She calls one college counselor’s recommendation to apply for the RN program a privileged beginning that set the trajectory of her career as a nurse. “Simply directing me to the RN program when I was applying for the LVN program was life-changing. I believe I was encouraged to join the RN program because I am phenotypically white,” she explains. While LPN programs tend to be diverse, RN programs are less so: In 2022, Black LPNs made up 29.1% of the workforce, while only 14.5% of RNs identified as Black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

As a fellow in The Academy of Emergency Nursing (AEN) and The Academy of Associate Degree Nursing (AADN), Dr. Valdez’s talents are vast and widespread. She is a nurse scholar, leader, researcher, editor, educator, activist, keynote speaker, and consultant. Her expertise lies in emergency nursing, antiracism, bias, environmental justice, health equity, and DEI. She is passionate about teaching nurses and other healthcare professionals how to provide inclusive, unbiased, and equitable care. She serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Emergency Nursing. In 2022 and 2023, Dr. Valdez was selected as one of 30 best nurse influencers to follow on social media. Dr. Valdez plans to continue the conversation of anti-racism in nursing both on and offline.