Policy Panel: From Bedside to C-Suite
Join nurse leaders for a practical conversation on navigating policy change, building decision-maker support, and turning advocacy goals into meaningful action.
Time & Location
Sep 15, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Webinar
About the Event
Join ANA\California for a virtual policy panel focused on how nurse leaders can navigate policy change effectively across clinical, public health, and advocacy settings.
This discussion will explore the practical steps involved in moving a policy idea from issue identification to implementation. Panelists will share how institutional factors such as governance structures, regulatory requirements, labor dynamics, public health priorities, and decision-maker engagement shape the policy change process. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to build a strategic, realistic, and actionable approach to advancing meaningful policy reforms in their own practice settings.
Objectives
By the end of this event, participants will be able to:
Identify common steps in the policy change process and recognize how institutional variables can influence implementation.
Develop strategic approaches to advance a proposed policy change in a clinical, public health, or organizational setting.
Evaluate key factors that contribute to efficient, effective, and sustainable policy reform.
Speaker Info & Bios
Dr. Marketa Houskova DNP, MAIA, BA, RN
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Marketa Houskova serves as Chief Executive Officer of ANACalifornia. She started with ANACalifornia as a volunteer, driven by her passion for nursing, public policy, and politics. She was later named ANACalifornia Government Affairs Director, State Director, Executive Director in October 2017, and Chief Executive Officer in October 2023.
Under Dr. Houskova’s leadership, ANACalifornia increased its membership by 300% over the last eight years, became financially strong and stable by tripling its budget and investments, established the ANACalifornia Advocacy Institute focused on Nurses in Policy and Nurses in Media year-long fellowship programs, and developed nurses in media and advocacy messaging trainings.
Dr. Houskova advocates on behalf of ANACalifornia members in the California State Capitol, regulatory state agencies, and U.S. Congress. She is a sought-after speaker, presenter, guest lecturer, panelist, and contributor, and participates in nationwide workgroups, planning committees, and advocacy efforts.
Born under the Communist regime in then-Czechoslovakia, Dr. Houskova immigrated to the United States via England and Canada to pursue her American Dream. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership of Healthcare Systems from the University of San Francisco and has been actively involved in political campaigns in the U.S. and Europe, including an internship and fellowship at the Office of the Vice President of the European Parliament.
Lucille M. Rayford, PhD, RN, PHN
Dr. Rayford serves as the Nursing Director for the Los Angeles County (LAC) Department of Public Health (DPH), where she oversees a workforce of more than 1,000 nurses. In this role, she leads the development of policies, standardized procedures, standing orders, duty statements, and scopes of practice. She also collaborates closely with nursing boards and local unions to help ensure Registered Nurses and Licensed Vocational Nurses are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to practice competently within their scope.
With more than 28 years of diverse nursing experience, Dr. Rayford’s career includes Emergency Room, Telemetry, Travel Nursing, and public health nursing leadership. She joined LAC DPH in 2001 as a District Public Health Nurse and has since played a pivotal role in advancing public health nursing practice and leadership.
In addition to her public health leadership, Dr. Rayford serves as Senior Adjunct Faculty at Azusa Pacific University (APU), where she teaches and serves as a clinical instructor for the Public Health Nursing and Population-Based Health course in the RN-to-BSN program. She has been instrumental in developing and updating curriculum for the course. Previously, Dr. Rayford taught Physical Assessment, Medical-Surgical, and Advanced Medical-Surgical didactic and clinical courses at Mount St. Mary’s College and California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Dr. Rayford is a member of several professional organizations, including the California Directors of Public Health Nursing, the American Public Health Association, and the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She is also an active member and president of Psi Eta Chapter of Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc., a professional nursing organization dedicated to community education, service, and referrals.
Kim Brown Sims MBA, BSN, RN, PHN, MBA
VP, Chief Nursing Officer CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center
Kim Brown Sims is a nationally recognized healthcare executive and nurse leader with more than 40 years of experience driving systemic transformation, advancing health equity, and aligning care delivery with fiscal stewardship.
She has served in senior leadership roles at UCSF Health, Providence St. Joseph Health, Tenet Health, and Kaiser Permanente, as well as founding Firelight Nursing Innovations, Inc., a consulting firm dedicated to leadership development, workforce strategy, and operational improvement.
Her board and advisory service include President of Mentis, Napa’s mental health services board, and leadership roles with California Association of Healthcare Leaders (ACHE affiliate), Women in Healthcare International, and ANA/ANA-California task forces on racism in healthcare, veterans’ access, and LGBTQIA+ equity.