CNA/NNOC Re-Elects Council of Presidents

Continuity, Continued Growth Seen in Election Results

In a year of dramatic growth and growing influence for the nation's largest union and professional association of registered nurses, members of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee have endorsed the direction of the organization by resoundingly re-electing a four-nurse Council of Presidents and other incumbent members of the CNA/NNOC Board of Directors.

Returning to new terms as co-presidents of CNA/NNOC will be Deborah Burger RN,  Zenei Triunfo-Cortez RN, Geri Jenkins RN, and Malinda Markowitz RN. The four will begin their next terms at the CNA/NNOC national convention in San Francisco in September.

The election follows several dramatic months for CNA/NNOC during which the organization, which has 86,000 members in all 50 states, announced plans to join with the United American Nurses and the Massachusetts Nurses Association in a new 150,000-member national nurses union that will be formalized in a December convention.

CNA/NNOC also announced a historic national cooperation agreement with the Service Employees International Union. Under the pact, SEIU will support the legislative agenda of the national nurses union and work with CNA/NNOC to  organize non-union hospital workers throughout the country, with CNA/NNOC as the leading voice for RNs, and SEIU as the leading voice for all other hospital workers.

"These exciting developments portend rapid growth of a national movement and union for direct-care RNs, and a much stronger voice for CNA/NNOC leaders in conjunction with our allies in promoting improved patient care conditions, enhanced RN standards, and genuine healthcare reform," said the four co-presidents in a joint statement.

"We are especially fortunate to have such an experienced, capable, and visionary leadership team at this critical moment -- from building a national movement and union for all direct-care RNs to ending our healthcare crisis through a single-payer/expanded Medicare for all system," said CNA/NNOC Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro.

"All four of these talented nurse leaders, and our entire board has a commitment to the activism and change that is critical at this juncture -- and that has long characterized our organization. I am proud to work with all of them," DeMoro said.

The CNA/NNOC national board includes nurses from California to Maine. In addition to the four co-presidents, two other national officers won new terms, Martha Kuhl, RN re-elected as national treasurer, and Margie Keenan, RN to her first elected term as secretary. CNA/NNOC announced the results of the mail ballot election today.
 
Other incoming RN Boardmembers are: Veronica Rocha; Janice Webb; Sherri Stoddard; Carol Koelle; Christina Swift; Bonnie Martin; Kathy Daniel; Debbie Cuaresma;  David Welch; Cathy Kennedy; Lauri Hoagland; Mirthia Kaufman; Trande Phillips; Kathy Donahue; John Trites; Greg Miller; Lorna Grundeman; Robert Marth, Jr.; Alicia Torres; Michelle Gutierrez-Vo; Allen Fitzpatrick; Genel Morgan; Diane Koorsones; Maureen Dugan. RNs elected to their first full terms are DeAnn McEwen, Kathleen Dennis, Brenda Langford, and Coralie Giles.