Executive Director
Ann Peterson Duncan, MPH, RN

Ann Duncan became Executive Director of Tennessee Center for Nursing in 2002. Ann has a rich work history in public heath starting in 1965 and most recently serving as the Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health. She has also served as the Director of Public Health Nursing for the Metro Davidson County Health Department for eight years and previous to that served as the Director of Public Health Nursing for the Tennessee Department of Health & Environment for four years. Ann holds her B.S. in Nursing from Berea College, Berea, KY and her M.P.H. from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Some of Ann’s professional activities include serving as a clinical instructor and associate faculty member at various Universities in Tennessee including Vanderbilt’s School of Nursing. She has also been a member of many influential committees and councils including the Governor’s Commission on Nursing, TN Department of Health & Environment, Advisory Committee to the University of North Carolina Public Health Training Center and the member of the Policy Team for the Danforth Foundation Policymaker’s Program. In recognition of her commitment to public health and nursing she received the 2002 Alma E. Gault Leadership Award from the Tennessee Nurses Association

Ann’s memberships to nursing organizations include the Tennessee Organization of Nurse Executives, American Nurses Association, Tennessee Nurses Association, Tennessee Public Health Association and Sigma Theta Tau, Zeta Chapter. In addition to Ann’s nursing activities she has been very involved in her local community donating her time to organizations such as Tennessee League of Women Voters, Nashville Adult Literacy Program and Big Sisters Association.

To contact Ann click HERE.

Associate Director: Research
Lois J. Wagner, PhD, APN

As the Associate Director, Research, Dr. Wagner is responsible for implementing the research agenda for the Tennessee Center for Nursing (TCN). In this role she will compile and analyze nursing workforce and school of nursing data, disseminate findings, prepare proposals, and track outcomes of the TCN Strategic Plan Objectives.

After receiving her Bachelors Degree in Anthropology from the University of Cincinnati, she received her Bachelors Degree in Nursing from Catholic University of America. She received her Masters Degree in the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty and her Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Nursing Science and Social Psychology at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.

Her professional experiences include primary care, clinical research, education, and program management in the fields of public health, HIV/AIDS, and clinical research. She has over 18 years of experience in developing and managing clinical research programs in academia and has done training and consultation on the establishment of clinical research sites in the Caribbean and South America. As an Assistant Professor in the Vanderbilt School of Nursing, she has taught graduate seminars in research and theory development, and is currently the Director of their Clinical Research Development Program.

She holds professional memberships include the Tennessee Nurses Association, the American Nurses Association, the Southern Nursing Research Society, Sigma Theta Tau, the Nurse Scientist HIV/AIDS Network, the International AIDS Society, the Society for Behavioral Medicine, and the American Psychological Association Health Psychology Division. Her involvement in the local community centers on the HIV epidemic, diversity, and human rights issues.

To contact Lois click HERE.

Marketing Coordinator
Aleshia D. Garrett

Aleshia Garrett joined the Tennessee Center for Nursing (TCN) in August 2007. As Marketing Coordinator, she designs the marketing campaigns for TCN, manages the Tennessee’s nursing licensure database and coordinates special events. Aleshia also serves as managing editor for Nursing Perspectives magazine and works in conjunction to assist Ann Duncan, Executive Director, in the daily operations of the TCN office.

Previous employment as Office Manager for a hospital project management firm and Marketing Coordinator for the Goodlettsville Chamber of Commerce, Aleshia has extensive experience in marketing, print design, publicity and event coordinating.

Aleshia received her B.S. in Public Relations and Marketing from Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN. She is also the Publicity Chair for the Goodlettsville Relay For Life, a non-profit annual event held by the American Cancer Society. This overnight event raised over $100,000 last year for the research and treatment of cancer.

When not spending time with her family, Aleshia is busy volunteering with her church and serves in the children’s ministry as well as the drama department. Her hobby is painting murals for friends and family, several of which are in the children’s building and Sunday School classrooms at her church.

To contact Aleshia click HERE.

Research Assistant
Jennifer Murray

Jennifer Murray joined the Tennessee Center for Nursing (TCN) in September 2007. Her role with TCN is a Research Assistant, where she provides support for the Associate Director of Research, Dr. Lois Wagner, and Jennifer also serves as the Project Coordinator for the Tennessee Clinical Placement System (TCPS).

Jennifer comes to TCN from the Tennessee Department of Health’s Office of Cancer Surveillance where she worked as an epidemiologist. As an epidemiologist, Jennifer worked both for the Tennessee Cancer Registry (TCR) and the Tennessee Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition (TCCCC) programs. Jennifer was the Program Manager for Data Use and Support and was responsible for data requests, analysis, cluster investigations, publishing for the TCR and supervising IT staff. She was an active member of the Tumor Registrar’s Association of Tennessee (TRAT) and served as the Middle TN representative. In addition to providing data support to the various TCCCC workgroups, Jennifer served as Chair of the Surveillance Committee and was responsible for development, implementation, and analysis of the evaluation program.

Jennifer is completing her Ph.D. in Life Sciences with a concentration in Entomology at Mississippi State University (MSU) and has a B.S. in Zoology from Arkansas State University. While working as a graduate student at MSU, Jennifer received grant funding through the Mississippi Space Commerce Initiative Consortium / NASA for her research project. She was actively involved in student organizations at both universities.

To e-mail Jennifer, click HERE.