Xenia Greene
Shop Steward Montefiore Medical Center
NYSNA member since 2005
Candidate for Council of Presidents and NNU Delegate
15 year Shop steward with a vision for rank-and-file-led union office. Committed to empowering members, advocating for fair treatment, and advancing collective goals. Ready to lead with integrity, inclusivity, and a steadfast dedication to amplifying the voices of all workers.

Jehad Adwan
Masonic Children's Hospital and Minnesota State University
Minnesota Nurses Association member since 2011
Candidate for Council of Presidents and NNU Delegate
My name is Jehad Adwan. I have been a nurse for 31 years. I have worked as a nurse in multiple capacities since 1993. I am currently a faculty member at the Minnesota State University, Mankato. I am also a staff nurse at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. I am an active member of the Minnesota Nurses Association. I have served in multiple commissions and committees at the MNA such as the Nursing Practice and Education committee, the Government Affairs commission, and the Minnesota Nurses Association Foundation.
I am running for NNU election because I believe in unions that are from and for rank-and-file nurses. I believe I can offer a rich background in bedside, education, and activism that could improve the union democratic processes and transparently govern and advocate for more representation. The world is witnessing a tremendous amount of change in culture, economy, politics, and demographics. This entails a newer world view for healthcare and nursing practice as we know it. Nurses, I believe, are in the forefront of this change, leading and guiding the future generations to a higher quality of life and health for all.

Rosa Villarroel
Chief Nurse Rep University of California San Francisco
NNU member since 2013
Candidate for Council of Presidents and NNU Delegate
A child of political refugees I started my career first as a surgical technician and went back to school as a single mother completing nursing school and starting my nursing career as an OR nurse eventually moving to UCSF in GI. I have spent the last 11 yrs of my nursing career as a CNA union rep and Chief nurse rep since 2020 for the entire UCSF MB campus. A proud member of the Mapuche Nation I am just one of the 1.8% Indigenous nurses in the US.
I know how important it is to advocate for marginalized communities and I dedicate my career to fighting power structures that create inequities in the community and in the hospital industry.
As a strong advocate for nursing colleagues as well as a racial social justice activist, both in the hospital and in the community I have never backed away from a fight to ensure my colleagues are supported by the union and can be supported on their concerns for safety, staffing, and contract enforcement. As rank and file my commitment is to my colleagues who work the shifts and are dedicated to their profession and their communities.

John Hieronymus
University of Chicago Medical Center
NNU member since 2011
Candidate for Council of Presidents and NNU Delegate
I have been a critical care nurse and rank and file agitator and organizer at University of Chicago Medical Center since 2011. I believe that together with my fellow slate members we can bring accountability to how union staff relate to bedside/clinical nurses as well as implement a bottom up organizing strategy that brings RNs with similar problems in our workplaces and communities together to create real solutions to solve our collective problems.
In 2023 I joined with nurses across CNA/NNOC to organize the first rank and file slate to challenge our leadership in over 20 years on a platform of transparency, accountability, democracy and rank and file leadership of our union. I did so because I believe that nurses are capable of leading our union at every level and we are uniquely positioned to change the world, but that can only happen if we are all able to freely to speak our minds and harness our collective creativity. As the healthcare system changes our union must change too and adapt to more effectively organize and build power. Together we can use our power to take the fight to the hospital and health finance industries that are taking advantage of us as workers to put profits over our patients in this post COVID world!

Bridgid Silvela-Bacaling
James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center
NNU Steward since 2017
Candidate for Board of Vice Presidents and NNU Delegate
I am campaigning for a NNU board of Vice Presidents seat to reaffirm my dedication to elevating the voices of our nurses and advanced practice nurses. My goal is to protect their rights, usher in the long-awaited changes they deserve, and ensure their needs are prioritized with transparency, accessibility, and swift action at the national level.
Now is the moment to replace the incumbents who have monopolized decisions and overlooked the grassroots of our union. As a fearless leader, I promise an era of open communication and inclusivity, rooted in equality. I am committed to eradicating workplace and union harassment, ensuring nurses' voices are heard, and protecting them from retaliation.
With 34 years of experience as a Filipino nurse and nurse practitioner in an emergency department, my approach is one of empathy and teamwork. We aim to cultivate an environment conducive to the highest standards of care through our dedication and unwavering commitment to nursing.
Join us in being the catalyst for change. Together, we can foster a healthcare environment that empowers, includes, and swiftly responds to our nurses' needs.

Rhonda Risner
Director Dayton VA Medical Center
NNU member since 2008
Candidate for Board of Vice Presidents of NNU
I am Rhonda Risner and I am running for VP to help usher in much needed organizational change. I have been an RN for 35 years, working in the ED for the past 28 years. I am a patient advocate and RN activist. I offer experience and commit to making this organization transparent and democratic and placing the power back into the hands of the rank-and-file RNs we represent. As VP I envision returning this union back to the original RN organization ideals we were founded on.

Kemika Pesnaux
Cook County Health
Union member for 25 years
Candidate for Board of Vice Presidents and NNU Delegate
With 28 years of nursing experience, I have dedicated my career to serving those in need. My journey began 25 years ago as a home health nurse, caring for the homebound and elderly, before transitioning to a pediatric nurse at Cook County Hospital. Currently, as a charge nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, I take pride in serving my community at a public sector safety-net hospital. Our commitment is to quality health care for all, a principle I have championed throughout my career.
Throughout my journey, I have learned the critical importance of advocating for others and the vital necessity of support systems. This understanding has solidified my belief in the power and purpose of a union. I stand firm in the conviction that nurses deserve better. I advocate for every member to have equal access to resources and information, and for every voice to be heard and respected.
Join me in this campaign to ensure our voices are not only heard but make a tangible difference. Together, we can advocate for the changes we deserve, ensuring a brighter future for healthcare workers and the communities we serve.

Erin McLeod
Director San Diego VA
NNU member since 2014
Candidate for Board of Vice Presidents and NNU Delegate
I am Erin McLeod and I am running for Vice President of NNU. I have been an RN at the San Diego VA for almost 16 years. We organized the San Diego VA in 2014 and I have been leading our union locally since that time. Over the last 10 years I have led multiple actions inside and outside of our facility for issues such as safe staffing, fair pay, and accessible PPE. I have also been involved in National actions with NNU and have lobbied elected officials both on the state and federal level on multiple occasions. I am passionate about advocating for my patients, our nurses and justice and equality for all. That is why I am running for NNU Vice President. We all deserve a union whose elected leaders prioritize the needs of bedside nurses over everything. We also deserve a union that is democratically run and transparent. If elected I pledge to fight for all of us and to work tirelessly to keep our union strong.

Ann Marie Patterson-Powell
Director Durham VA Medical Center
NNU member since 2013
Candidate for Board of Vice Presidents and NNU Delegate
I’m a med-surg/oncology nurse at the Durham V A Medical Center, I joined NNU as soon as I passed my RN boards in 2013. As far as I can remember, I’ve always been an advocate, especially for those who have difficulty defending themselves. As the Chief Nurse Rep for our facility, I continue to advocate for our Veterans, nurses, and our community. I am running for a seat on the board of Vice Presidents; my goal is to continue my advocacy. I want to ensure our nurses have a supportive environment where they are empowered. I want our nurses to know their strengths and to know that they have a powerful voice.

Patricia “Tish” Ryan
Community First Hospital
NNU member and chief rep since 2019
Candidate for Board of Vice Presidents
My name is Patricia "Tish" Ryan, and I serve as the Chief Nurse Representative at a small community safety-net hospital in Chicago. My journey began in the heart of a crisis, organizing to shield our community hospital from investment owners who prioritize profits over patient care. This battle, particularly poignant during the 22-month struggle for a first contract amidst COVID-19, taught me invaluable lessons about advocacy, resilience, and the power of collective voice.
However, it also exposed a disheartening reality within our own ranks. I witnessed firsthand the silence of union leadership, their agendas often overshadowing the genuine needs of nurses and patients alike. Questions arose—Where are our dues going? Why hasn’t the financial sacrifice of nurses during the pandemic been translated into better protections for us and our patients, particularly in terms of staffing ratios?
As a delegate to the CNA convention in October 2023, I was struck by the disconnect between our leaders and the bedside realities of nursing. Resolutions were passed with little to no impact on the actual practice of nursing, highlighting a lack of engagement and inclusivity within our leadership.
This is why I am stepping forward to run for Vice President of NNU. My vision is for a union that embodies transparency, accountability, and is driven by the rank and file. A union where every nurse, regardless of position or experience, has a voice and is actively engaged in shaping our future. My commitment is to bridge the gap between leadership and bedside nurses, ensuring our actions directly benefit patient care and our working conditions.
Join me in creating a more democratic, inclusive, and effective union. Together, we can forge a path that truly represents our values, our sacrifices, and our dedication to the noble profession of nursing.

Scott Springstead
Vice Director James A Haley VA
NNU member since 2013
Candidate for Board of Vice Presidents
In my 35 year career in Healthcare, I have always been a vocal and passionate patient care advocate. For the past 9 years I have also been privileged to serve as a local NNU representative, representing bedside nurses. Nurses that are hardworking, dedicated, compassionate and strong. Nurses that know what’s best for their patients, their profession and their union. For far too long the NNU has been drifting away from its intended purpose. The only reason the NNU exists is to serve the needs of nurses and to execute on the concerns of its members.
I am running for Vice President to help strengthen and restore our Union back to its original guiding principles: Democracy, Transparency and a Union that listens to and acts upon the concerns of bedside nurses.

Shiori Konda-Muhammad
North Memorial Health Hospital
Minnesota Nurses Association member since 2007, First Vice President MNA
Candidate for Board of Vice Presidents and NNU Delegate
I am a cardiovascular critical care nurse with 17 years of experience at North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, and a member of Minnesota Nurses Association. I love my role as a nurse in supporting patients and loved ones through their most difficult time of their lives. However, with healthcare becoming more and more corporate and profit driven, I often find myself conflicted with the care I strive to provide and the reality of healthcare with less resources and time to care for them. I can no longer sit at the sideline. I have taken an active role in MNA in my bargaining unit and as a negotiation team member since 2022, and have been elected as First Vice President. But the work cannot stop locally in Minnesota. 
I am running for the VP position of NNU because I believe that the only way to fight against corporate healthcare is for nurses to build a strong solidarity and collective power across the country. To do so, we need to put the end to the top down structure of NNU, and start with engaging the rank and file members. I advocate for a structure that holds union accountable to membership, that is rooted in democracy, and that maximize rank and file nurses involvement. Imagine what we can do when all of us join together in collective power!

Mark Goodick
Sutter Alta Bates
CNA/NNOC member since 2009
Candidate for Board of Vice Presidents and NNU Delegate
I have been a California nurse since 2004, and been a NNU member since 2009. I work Critical Care and Interventional Radiology areas of practice. I was an original founding member of the Shift Change movement, and am a present CNA delegate as well as a former candidate for Council of Presidents slate in the 2023 CNA elections. I desire to contribute towards creating a more modernized and democratic rank and file led union that supports nurses in the workplace and advocates for national safe staffing ratios.

Dana Horton
Director Atlanta VA Medical Center
Union member since 2003
Candidate for Board of Vice Presidents and NNU Delegate
I am running for VP because I want to continue my advocacy for our American Heroes and the best care givers....VA nurses!