Dr. Donna Hedges began her nursing career as an ADN nurse in 1981 and completed her PhD in Nursing Education in 2015. She is a member of several national nursing organizations and serves on the International Association for Human Caring (IAHC) Board of Directors. Dr. Hedges is a manuscript reviewer for Teaching and Learning in Nursing, the IHAC Journal for Human Caring, and Nursing Economics. National presentations include preparing students to navigate complex adaptive systems and on healthcare provider resilience. She authored three chapters in The Successful Nurse Faculty Member: Tools of the Trade, an AJN Book of the Year (2020) and co-authored a chapter focused on health disparities and social determinants of health in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for Advanced Practice: Integrating Evidence-Based Lifestyle Concepts (2023).

Dr. Hedges is married to her husband Parke and in her spare time tends to her 5 Australian Shepherds. She has four grandchildren and despite living in Texas for over 25 years, still considers New York City her home. Her passions include developing student leaders, addressing SDOH and maintaining peace in a challenging world.