In 2007, the creation of the NBCRNA was the culmination of ongoing dialogue and extensive negotiations between the Councils and AANA leadership. The discussions were generated by the need to determine what type of governance, structure and staffing model would best meet the current and future needs of the Councils and profession.
The 2011 - 2012 NBCRNA Board of Directors
President
Mary Anne Krogh, PhD, CRNA
Mary Anne Krogh, PhD, CRNA has been a nurse anesthetist since 1995. She currently lives in Sioux Falls, SD and is the Director of Clinical Education for the students at Mount Marty College Nurse Anesthesia Program. Prior to moving to Sioux Falls in 2011, Mary Anne was the Associate Director of the Minneapolis School of Anesthesia and was a staff CRNA at North Memorial Medical Center. Currently, Mary Anne serves as the President of the NBCRNA. Her doctoral research focused on the psychometric impact of adding alternative item types to the National Certification Examination for Nurse Anesthetists.
Vice President
Charles Vacchiano, PhD, CRNA
Dr. Vacchiano earned a BSN at Wright State University (OH) in 1979, a Bachelor of Science in Anesthesia from George Washington University in 1984, and a PhD in Physiology from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1995. He spent 26 years in the U.S. Navy as a practicing nurse anesthetist, educator, and researcher. During this time, he provided anesthesia care at stateside and overseas hospitals and aboard naval combat vessels. He also taught and performed clinical research in the Navy Nurse Corps Anesthesia Program, and was the Director of Biomedical Sciences Division at the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory.
Following his retirement from the U.S. Navy, Dr. Vacchiano became Director of the Gooding Institute, Bay Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Program. He has published in multiple journals (including American Journal of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research, Shock, and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Journal, and serves as a reviewer for several agencies and journals. He was named the American Association of Nurse Anesthetist Researcher of the Year in 2007.
Secretary - Treasurer
Robyn Ward, CRNA, MS
Robyn Ward, CRNA, MS is a staff nurse anesthetist for the Veterans Administration in Helena, Montana. Originally from Helena, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Montana State University in 1990 and joined the U.S. Navy . She received her anesthesia training in the U. S. Navy and earned her Master of Science degree in 2000 from Georgetown University. Robyn retired from the U.S. Navy, having spent 15 years active duty and 5 years Reserve as a CRNA. She worked in the Washington, DC area at Dewitt Army Hospital (now Fort Belvoir Community Hospital) for the past 5 years as a civilian CRNA, and recently relocated home to Montana.
Directors
Joseph L. Fink, III, JD
Joseph L. Fink III, J.D., is the Public Member of the NBCRNA Board. A resident of Lexington, KY, he holds a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and is admitted to the practice of law in Kentucky and Pennsylvania. He holds membership in the American Health Lawyers Association as well as the Health Law Section of the American Bar Association. He previously served as the Public Member of the Council on Recertification from 1993-1999.
Michael O'Connor, DO, MPH
Michael O'Connor, M.D. serves as Chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology at the Cleveland Clinic, where he practices both cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia as well as critical care medicine. He is board-certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology and holds ABA subspecialty certification in Critical Care Medicine. Dr. O'Connor served in the U.S. Navy Reserve for 28 years, including 8 years active duty with deployments for Operation Desert Storm/Shield in 1990-91 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005-2006. Dr. O'Connor takes great pride in working with CRNAs in two great institutions, the U.S. Navy and the Cleveland Clinic, while promoting excellent anesthetic care for the best patient experience and outcome.
Susan Rawson, CRNA, MA, LNC
Sue Rawson graduated from a diploma nursing program. After ten years working in medical-surgical intensive care and emergency nursing, she obtained a certificate in nurse anesthesia. She also holds a Bachelor of Applied Science, a Master’s degree in Medical Management and Human Resources, and a certificate as a Legal Nurse Consultant.
Sue’s professional experience has been dominated by clinical practice in locations of high intensity patient care encompassing thirty-three years of delivering safe anesthesia care in level one trauma centers, community operating rooms, outpatient surgical facilities, endoscopy centers, interventional radiology departments and obstetrical suites. She has served in many capacities and held many offices in the Ohio State Association of Nurse Anesthetists, and the AANA Continuing Education Committee.
Michael Rieker, DNP, CRNA
Michael Rieker, DNP, CRNA is the Director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program at Wake Forest Baptist Health. He was a staff nurse in the adult and pediatric trauma ICUs at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, TX. He holds a Master’s and Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees from Rush University in Chicago. His 17 years of experience as a CRNA include numerous years of locum tenens practice. He has worked in every type of practice setting from academic medical centers to solo CRNA hospitals and office settings. He has given anesthesia in more than one-half of the AANA’s practice regions. With a particular interest in obstetric anesthesia, he is a former chief CRNA in obstetrics and continues to teach in the AANA OB anesthesia workshop.
Edward Waters, CRNA, MN
Edward Waters, CRNA, MN practices clinical anesthesia at the Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center and he is a faculty member of the Kaiser Permanente School of Anesthesia in Pasadena. He holds degrees in nursing from St. Louis University and UCLA and completed his anesthesia training at the Kaiser Permanente School of Anesthesia. Ed has been a member of the NBCRNA Board of Directors since October 2010, prior to his election to the board, he served on the National Certification Examination Committee.
Patricia Wirth, CRNA, DNP
CDR Patricia Wirth, CRNA, DNP is currently an active duty Navy anesthetist with 16 years experience and 22 yrs on active duty. She serves as the Assistant Chief Nurse Anesthetist of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD. Her previous experience includes positions as a staff nurse anesthetist, clinical instructor, and clinical coordinator for the Navy Nurse Corps Anesthesia Program.
Steve Wooden, CRNA, DNP
Steve Wooden, CRNA, DNP is managing partner of Boone County Anesthesia Services, LLC, a private practice anesthesia group in East Central Nebraska. He graduated from the University Of Tennessee College Of Nursing, the University of Nebraska Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Program, Kansas University Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Master’s program, and Duke University DNP program. Steve has been in private clinical anesthesia practice since 1982. A strong advocate for CRNA practice, Steve has served as Vice-Chairman of the Nebraska Advanced Practice Nursing Board, AANA Treasurer and Regional Director, and Chairman of the Nebraska State Board of Health. He was the recipient of the AANA Ira P. Gunn Award for professional advocacy in 2009 and the AANA Clinical Practitioner of the Year (Alice McGaw Award) in 2001.
Accreditation and Recognition
The NBCRNA certification and recertification programs are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) - a private not-for-profit organization. The NCCA is the accrediting branch of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) which is the national standard setting organization for credentialing groups including certification boards, licensing boards and associations. The programs have been continuously accredited since 1980.
The American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS), established in 1991, is a national peer review program for specialty nursing certification bodies. It promotes the highest quality of specialty nursing practice through the establishment of standards of professional specialty nursing certification. The NBCRNA was one of the first national certification bodies to be recognized and approved by the ABNS.
