Michael Bleich Appointed Public Director to the OADN Board of Directors

Newswise — April 4, 2018 - The OADN Board of Directors is proud to announce the appointment of Michael R. Bleich, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN as a public director to the board. 

“As OADN sharpens focus on becoming the leader in dynamic and collaborative nursing education, we welcome the addition of nationally renowned nurse leader Michael Bleich to the board,” says Christy Dryer, President of OADN. “As a nurse contributor to the seminal Institute of Medicine report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, Michael was an early champion of seamless academic progression and the important role of associate degree nursing education.  His perspective and expertise will be invaluable in achieving OADN’s continuing mission to provide visionary leadership in nursing education.”

"I feel privileged to work with the OADN Board and the master educators that comprise their membership.  As a public member, I will advocate for seamless academic progression and accreditation, support a rich pool of well-educated nurses that reflect the diversity of those served, and promote public access to care through the balanced distribution of nurses ensured by community colleges in their far-reaching urban and rural scope."

“Michael Bleich brings a wealth of experience in health care trends, and issues tied to leadership, health systems, policy development, curricular innovation, workforce dynamics, and competencies,” adds Donna Meyer, CEO of OADN “As a champion of health systems research and implementation science, Michael will be a key adviser to OADN on matters of workforce planning, interprofessional education and practice, and diversity and inclusion.”

Bleich serves as President and CEO of NursDynamics, LLC, which he founded in April, 2016.  During his academic career, he served as President and Dean of the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes Jewish College, Dean at Oregon Health and Science University, Associate Dean at the University of Kansas, and Chair of Nursing at Mount Senario College in Wisconsin.  In practice and leadership, Bleich was the Chief Executive Officer for KU HealthPartners – an academic practice that included a safety net clinic – and held acute care roles as Chief Nursing Officer/Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Accreditation Officer for Health Midwest in Kansas, and as CNO for Bryan Memorial Hospital and Saint Mary’s Medical Center, in Nebraska, and Wisconsin, respectively.

A living example of academic progression, Bleich received an LPN diploma from Madison Area Technical College and a diploma in nursing from St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1976.  He subsequently earned a BSN from Milton College, an MPH in nursing and patient care administration from the University of Minnesota, and a PhD in human resource development from the University of Nebraska.  He has completed or earned fellowships from the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows program, Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, WK Kellogg Foundation, American Academy of Nursing, and National Academies of Practice.