Our one-year, flagship advocacy program empowers six new nurses to lead policy-driven campaigns and pave the way for future registered nurses.
The hard work of the Inaugural Advocacy Institute Fellowship Class of 2022 has set the stage for our second class. Because of the previous classes success, we've expanded the program from four to six Fellows. The Class of 2023 is creating new campaigns and continuing pillar campaigns for the ANA\California across multiple topics:
It is through this program that these Fellows develop the skills and knowledge necessary to lead advocacy initiatives affecting legislation, regulations, and policies in California.
Meet Our Fellows
Carla Stanley - Racism in Nursing Campaign
About Carla Stanley MBA-HC, BSN, RN, FACHE, HCM-BC, NEA-BC, NE-BC: Carla has worked in 6 different states, and served from bedside RN to Chief Nurse Officer in For-Profit, Not-for-Profit, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Ambulatory Care, Trauma Centers, Magnet, Children's and Critical Access Facilities.
She understands the many nuances of healthcare and is motivated by the unique position that her profession as a Registered Nurses places her in, which is to work toward narrowing the gap between the Social Determinants of Health and those populations most negatively impacted.
Carla's goal is to leverage her multiple board certifications in Nursing (ANCC), and Leadership (FACHE), Professional Networks such as ANA/C Advocacy Fellow, along with her journey towards obtaining her DNP from UCSF to improve healthcare for all.
Fatima Arastu - Racism in Nursing Campaign
About Fatima Arastu MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, Caritas Coach®: Fatima is a lifelong learner and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Nursing Practice, Executive Program Class of Spring 2023 and Post Master's Nurse Educator Certificate from John Hopkins School of Nursing. She is a Nurse Manager of a Surgical Telemetry Unit at Stanford Health Care-ValleyCare, California, and also serves as a council member for the hospital Inclusion, Diversity & Health Equity (IDHE) council. As a nurse leader, she strongly feels called to be the advocate and role model to create a work environment that promotes diversity, inclusion, and equity for the workforce.
Gilanie De Castro - Mental Health in Nursing Campaign
About Gilanie De Castro [BSN, RN, OCN, NE-BC, CNML]: Gilanie is an experienced Nursing Leader with a demonstrated history of working in the health care industry. She is skilled in Nursing Management, Leadership, Clinical Research, Oncology Nursing, and Patient Care and is pursuing an MSN focused in Nursing Leadership and Management from Western Governors University.
Rebekah Long - Mental Health in Nursing Campaign
About Rebekah Long MSN, RN: Rebekah works as an outpatient RN with the geriatric population. She earned her Master's of Nursing from John Hopkins School of Nursing and is looking forward to advancing public policy as a nurse through local government.
Alicia Truelove - Nurses in Media Campaign
About Alicia Truelove MSN, RN, CV-BC: Alicia has been a registered nurse since 2011. She is passionate about maintaining the autonomy of nurses and ensuring their safety in the workplace. She is a mother of two and a fierce advocate for all.
Rachael Viale - Advocacy Institute Expansion Campaign
About Rachael Viale MSN, RN, CCRN: Rachael graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing with a Masters of Science in Nursing. She currently works as a Critical Care Resource Nurse at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, and is passionate about advancing the quality and accessibility of healthcare for all.
Meet Our Mentors
About Dr. Courtnay Caufield DNP, RN, CENP, NE-BC, RN-BC: Dr. Caufield currently serves as a Chief Nursing Officer in Los Angeles, CA.
She has led in California, Washington, and Oregon, and is proud to be a nurse and a member of ANA\California. Dr. Caufield has had a career ranging from women's and children's services to adult specialties, clinical informatics and business operations. Some of her greatest accomplishments are developing and nurturing the growth of managers, directors, and nursing leaders within the nursing team and supporting the professional advancement of nursing.
Dr. Caufield is also passionate about patient and family-centered care, the principles of Magnet designation, as well as supporting pre-licensure aspiring nurses through STEM programs, simulation, mentorship, internships, and innovative new graduate programs.
Dr. Caufield leads mindfulness and resiliency efforts to improve leadership retention, focusing on caregiver well-being, as well as supports continuous learning for her team and their ability to care for themselves, their families, their spirits, and each other.
About Dr. Diane Breckenridge PhD, MSN, RN, ANEF, FAAN: Dr. Breckenridge serves as Dean, Vice President, and Professor presently developing a new College of Nursing in Irvine, CA to add to the nursing workforce.
In 2012, Dr. Breckenridge was awarded a 3-year, $962,000 Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) grant entitled “Strategies for Success” from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The purpose of the grant was to prepare diverse, underrepresented, disadvantaged students for the academic challenges of a baccalaureate nursing program and to retain them in the nursing major, graduate, and pass the NCLEX-RN® licensing exam as first-time candidates and enter the workforce as culturally competent nurses.
Interested in becoming an ANA\California Advocacy Institute Fellow?
We're looking for nursing advocates who demonstrate a passion for policy development and advocacy.
Visit our Fellowship page to apply or for more details.