Andree Aboite
Secretary at VCU Health System
Dwayne Alleyne
Board Chair at DNPs of ColorDr. Dwayne Alleyne is a native of Brooklyn, New York. He currently resides in Columbia, SC and is a full-time Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing. He received his Bachelor of Science in Physiology from Michigan State University, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Adelphi University and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the University of South Carolina. Dr. Alleyne has been in the field of nursing for over 20 years, 12 of them as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner at Prisma Health and the Columbia VA Health Care System. He is the co-founder and current Executive Director of the non profit organization Capitol Nurse Practitioner Group which is one of the largest networking NP groups in the state of South Carolina.
Ravenne Aponte, BSN, RN
Historian at DNPs of ColorRavenne Aponte is a historian, educator, and pediatric critical care registered nurse. She is a PhD
student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in the Barbara Bates Center for the
Study of the History of Nursing. Her research focuses on the history of nursing and Black
women’s health promotion efforts. Her dissertation project examines the relationship between
Black nurses and Black clubwomen in the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and
their efforts to address Black community members' health and social needs in the 20 th century.
She is also the co-creator of Nurses You Should Know, a digital micro-blog about past and
present-day nurses’ contributions to healthcare. Ravenne’s broader interests include the history
of nursing and medicine, Black women’s labor history, nursing education, and health services
research.
Ravenne specializes in pediatric critical care and community health as a registered nurse. She
received her Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies and Health Disparities from the
University of Florida in 2016 and then received an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing
from Duke University in 2017.
Dr. Marshall H. Blue, Sr.
Board Member at DNPs of Color
LaDonna Brown
Treasurer at DNPs of Color
Selena Gilles, Dnp, Anp-Bc, Cnecl, Anef, Fnyam, Faan
Vice Chair at NYU Rory Meyers College of NursingSelena Ann Gilles is Clinical Associate Professor and Associate Dean of the Undergraduate Program a New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She is an Affiliate Faculty member of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing (HIGN) where she serves as Co-Director of HIGN Scholars Program. Dr Gilles is also an Affiliate Associate Professor at Howard University College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences and Volunteer Associate Professor for the State University of Haiti.
She has a DNP from Monmouth University (2014), a MS in Adult Health Nursing from Hunter College, City University of New York, (Cum Laude, 2010) and a BS with a major in Nursing degree from Long Island University (With Honors, 2005). Dr Gilles is a certified Clinical Nurse Educator and is also certified in Critical Care Nursing. Dr Gilles has been an Adult Nurse Practitioner for 13 years, specializing in Neuro and Pain Management.
Dr Gilles is known for creating and implementing nontraditional immersive teaching/learning innovations to address nationally identified nursing education issues that will enhance student learning/program outcomes. She is regarded as a leader and prelicensure nursing education expert who has implemented curricular innovations that have been evidenced-based, creative and effective teaching strategies that span across multiple courses at Meyers and settings outside of Meyers, having a significant impact on student academic success and role transitions. Her contributions have helped enhance the nursing curriculum, filling identified gaps and answering the new Essentials call for all entry-level professional nurses to have knowledge and proficiencies to practice across a variety of settings in the spheres of wellness/disease prevention and chronic disease management.
Dr Gilles is passionate about the management of acute and chronic pain, as well as opioid overdose prevention. She is the Program Director of the Greater NYC Black Nurses Association Opioid Overdose Prevention Program. She has strong community advocacy and passion for global health, currently working with organizations aimed to serve the underprivileged and underserved communities in Haiti, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Mimi Guiracocha
Board Member at DNPs of ColorDr. Mimi Guiracocha, DNP, RN, is a public health nurse working for the American Lung Association as National Director of Health Systems Improvement. There, she leads a national asthma quality improvement program, partnering with primary care providers, clinics, and systems to improve asthma outcomes. Prior to this position, Dr. Guiracocha worked as a NICU nurse, advocating for all families to have equitable access to quality care. She has also worked with the Chicago Public Schools to improve school management of chronic conditions for students. Dr. Guiracocha is Ecuadorian-American, a life-long resident of Chicago, passionate about environmental justice and community organizing, and speaks Spanish.
Janice Linton
Board Member at DNPs of Color
Danielle McCamey, DNP, ACNP-BC, FCCP
President & CEO of DNPs of ColorDr. Danielle McCamey, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FCCP is an expert critical care advanced practice clinician. She has nearly 20 years of nursing experience and over a decade as a board-certified Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. Her specialties range from perianesthesia care, palliative, and critical care. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean for Strategic Relationships at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She previously served as Chief Advanced Practice Provider of the Preanesthesia Testing Department and still practices as a Senior Advanced Practice Provider in Surgical Critical Care. Dr. McCamey is a true visionary. She is the founder, CEO, and president of DNPs of Color, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit national organization that builds community and creates opportunities for nurses of color through networking, mentorship, and advocacy to increase diversity in doctoral studies, clinical practice, and leadership. In addition, she is the co-creator and former chair of the Doctoral Nurses Collaborative, a group that joins DNP and PhD prepared nurses throughout her current healthcare system. The Doctoral Nurses collaborative provides mentorship, scholarship, and elevation of evidence-based practice.
Ottamissiah Moore
Board Member at DNPs of Color
Gertrude Thomas
Board Member at University of Minnesota Medical Center
Ronnie Ursin
Adjunct Assistant Professor at University of Maryland Global Campus
Latrina Walden
Board Member at DNPs of ColorLatrina Walden is not only a certified family nurse practitioner but a health care veteran. She’s worked as a nursing home administrator, dialysis administrator and a myriad of other nursing roles such as a trauma 1 emergency room nurse, a case manager, and an enterprise staffing nurse. In these roles, she’s had an exemplary record of providing caring, thorough medical services to patients and using superior critical-thinking skills.
At her previous position as a faculty member at Clayton State, Walden taught various courses in health administration, coordinated the internship program for the entire health administration program, and developed curriculum for new courses. She’s produced multiple journal articles, and a paper on which she was a co-author, “Using the ACO Concept to Produce Better Outcomes through Integrated Healthcare,” was named the Business and Health Administration Association’s conference “Best Paper” in 2014.
Now, Walden runs a highly successful test-prep company named Latrina Walden Exam Solutions. It is here that she prepares student Nurse Practitioners to become certified Nurse Practitioners through a variety of online/on demand test preparation materials. She is able to break highly complex systems down into manageable pieces and have fun while doing it. She fully believes in bettering the industry through teaching and has made it her life's work to push the industry forward.
Michael Williams, DNP, FNP-BC
Student Repesentative at DNPs of ColorMichael Williams (He/Him/His) is a board-certified Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN).
As a bilingual (English, Spanish) APRN who has specialized in Internal Medicine, he has had the opportunity to provide care for a culturally diverse and medically complex patient population for over four years at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FHQC). He has a great deal of experience in caring for patients from various socioe-conomic levels and communities.
Michael credits his love for medicine to growing up in New York City and to his parents, who are from Panama. His upbringing exposed him to many of the healthcare challenges and obstacles to care first-hand. Being of Panamanian descent allowed him to see the importance of understanding culture and its impact on delivering care. These experiences led to seeking and ultimately obtaining a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing ‘09 and Master’s of Science in Nursing‘16 at the University of Tampa. While developing his clinical practice as a provider, he has focused on his development as an educator in the nursing profession as well. Michael served as a clinical instructor at Yale University for three years and is currently teaching at Texas State University. Along with teaching, Michael recognizes the importance of obtaining advanced education and as a first-generation college graduate himself, he initiated an endowment scholarship for first-generation college students at his alma mater.
Michael believes community care is essential to the advancement of society. The philosophy that guides his practice is to provide the highest level of care through meaningful and collaborative relationships with patients and all members of the community. Community engagement is important and he actively participates in various events; i.e. panelist on health- related topics, 5k runs, health fair, etc. He has also authored peer-reviewed poems related to social issues in the community. Michael firmly believes improving healthcare outcomes begins with educating and empowering the community that he serves.