President- Elect
Anna Wentz-Boone, PhD, ANP-BC
Dr. Anna Boone received her Master’s degree in nursing from East Carolina University in 2009, specializing in the Adult Nurse Practitioner concentration. She enjoyed the bariatric surgical population early in her career but transitioned to a specialty gastroenterology practice in 2011, located in Reidsville, NC. She completed the PhD program in the School of Nursing through the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in May 2018, with a research focus on the relationship between frailty in the older adult and recurrent Clostridium difficile. Dr. Boone received the Sigma Theta Tau International Gamma Zeta Chapter “Outstanding Dissertation Award” and the “Doctoral Student Award for Excellence” in 2018. She received the 2019 Research Foundation Award from GAPNA and is currently performing a secondary data analysis of dissertation findings. She is an active member of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association and holds office as the Vice President and Education Committee Chair for the North Carolina Triad Chapter since May 2019. She has been a contributing author for the book Advanced Nursing Care of the Older Adult.
Anna’s favorite quote:
“Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”. Lamentations 3:22-23
Vice President
Secretary
Freda Cowan, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, MSN, ACHPN
Dr. Freda Cowan attended Western Carolina University and graduated with her BSN. After ten years of working in an area hospital and opening a family care home for elders in my community, she decided to attend UNC-Greensboro where she obtained a MSN. The following semester after graduating, Freda returned to UNC-Greensboro to expand her nursing career. She was in the first graduating class of Gerontological Nurse Practitioners at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She practiced in geriatrics serving as a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner in a medical office. After later moving to a rural area in North Carolina to serve in a family practice office with a solo physician, I was encouraged and attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA where I obtained a Family Nurse Practitioner post master’s certificate. Freda later moved to Winston Salem, NC. and served as adjunct facility at Winston Salem State University and later completed her DNP. She is currently Lead Nurse Practitioner at Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care serving clients with palliative medicine support, symptom management and complex decision making. Dr. Cowan is currently serving on the Volunteerism and is in her second year of serving on our chapter Annual Conference Planning Committee.
Freda’s favorite quote:
“If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you believe it won’t, you’ll see obstacles.”
By Dr. Wayne Dyer.
Treasurer
Kimberly Gann Burkhart, MSN, AGNP-C
Kim Burkhart, MSN, AGNP-C graduated from Rockingham Community College with her Associates Degree in Nursing in 1993 and her BSN from UNC-Greensboro in 1995. She obtained her MSN from UNC-Greensboro in December 2012 and have worked in the long term setting with older adults setting since graduation. Kim has been employed by Piedmont Senior Care and UHC/Optum. She currently works for Eventus Whole Health as a Psychiatry Provider for residents in local skilled nursing facilities. Kim
became active in our local GAPNA chapter after graduation from NP school and served on the chapter’s annual conference planning committee for several years.
Kim’s Favorite Quote:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5)
Committee Leadership
Communication Committee chair
Freda Cowan, DNP, APRN,
Volunteer chair
Dr. Autumn Henson
Membership Committee
Chair
Tomika Williams, PhD, AGPCNP-C
Tomika Williams, PhD, AGPCNP-C, CDP is a dually certified adult-gerontological nurse practitioner, with approximately 17 years of nurse practitioner clinical practice experience in varied settings including long-term care, in-patient rehabilitation, and employee wellness care/occupational health. She also is a certified dementia practitioner. She graduated from NC A&T State University in 1998 receiving a BSN and from the UNC-Greensboro in 2003 with a MSN. In 2016, Tomika completed her PhD in Nursing. Tomika has research interest in long-term care, gerontology, health promotion, and social justice issues in health care. Additionally, Tomika is the owner of Golden Health Education and Consulting, PLLC, offering health education and consulting services to patients, families, and communities. Dr. Williams is currently on the faculty of the East Carolina University DNP program. She has been involved with GAPNA since 2003 and is very active in NCANA.
Tomika’s favorite quote:
"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
Scholarship/ Awards Committee
Mary Niemczura, MSN, AGNP-C
Champion
Mary Niemczura, MSN, AGNP-C, graduated from Rockingham Community College with her Associates Degree in Nursing in 1995 and from UNC-Greensboro with her BSN in 2001. She earned her MSN from the University of South Alabama in 2019 with a concentration in Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. Mary years of experience in case management and has accepted a position of UHC/Optum House Calls. She is new to her NP career and has been a member of GAPNA for two years. She is now volunteering her efforts to champion the newly formed Scholarship/Awards committee for the Triad Chapter of GAPNA. Mary was awarded the 2019 Laurie Kennedy-Malone Scholarship.
Mary’s favorite quote:
"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." Maya Angelou
Annual Conference Planning Committee
Chair
Anna Wentz-Boone, PhD, ANP-BC
Freda Cowan, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, MSN, ACHPN
Autumn Henson, DNP, GNP-BC
Dr. Autumn Henson is a practicing geriatric nurse practitioner and wound care consultant in Winston Salem, NC. She has been working with long-term care and with wound care for over 18 years, starting first as RN after graduating from Western Piedmont Community College with her Associates Degree in Nursing, then completing her BSN at Winston Salem State University. She then pursued her passion with graduating from Duke University with her MSN with GNP and FNP. In 2018, Dr, Henson completed her goals of achieving her DNP from UNCG. Dr. Henson currently works with Physicians Eldercare in Winston Salem, NC loves specializing in overall older adult healthcare including chronic conditions, end of life care, and especially wound management. She is in her second year of serving the Triad chapter of GAPNA on the Annual Conference planning committee.
Autumn’s favorite quote:
"If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way" by Napoleon Hill.
Laurie Kennedy- Malone, PhD, GNP-BC, FAANP, FGSA
Dr. Laurie Kennedy-Malone has been a faculty member in the School of Nursing at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) since 1990 and has been a gerontological nurse practitioner since 1982. An expert in gerontological nursing, Laurie received the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association Excellence in Education award in 2006 and in 2007 was the recipient of the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing Geriatric Nursing Faculty Champion award. In 2018, she was recognized for excellence as a Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing by the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (NHCGNE). She coauthored Integrating Gerontological Content into Advanced Practice Nursing Education and Advanced Practice Nursing in the Care of Older Adults, both books were recipients of American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Awards. Dr. Kennedy-Malone served as the president of the National Conference of Gerontological Nursing and later on the Board of Directors of GAPNA. She is also one of the past presidents of our Triad Chapter of GAPNA and continues to serve on the Annual Conference Planning Committee and offer herself as a resource to our chapter leadership. In 2019, Dr. Kennedy-Malone was the first recipient of the Triad chapter’s annual Mentorship Award.
Laurie’s favorite quote:
“It is what is is.” By J.E. Lawrence
Carroll Conner Spinks, MSN, GNP-BC
Carroll Conner Spinks, MSN, GNP-BC, is a graduate of Purdue University with a BA and pursued her career in nursing by earning her Associates Degree in Nursing from Forsyth Technical Community College in 1985. Later, in 1995, she obtained her BSN from Winston Salem State University. She is a 1997 graduate of the UNCG School of Nursing. Carroll is employed by Eagle Physicians/Triad HealthCare Network Care Management where she has led case management since 1998. She is a founding member of the Triad Chapter of GAPNA since 2006 serving in the capacities of president, president-elect, treasurer, and continues to serve as a member of the Annual Conference Planning Committee member. Carroll notes her greatest nursing recognition is being named in the Great 100 of North Carolina in 2017.
Carroll’s favorite quote:
“Carpe diem!” by Roman poet Horace
