WCSI Fact Sheet

We’re here for nurses…

First and foremost, Caring Science incorporates the ethic of caring which expands the medical technical model of science. This theory was developed by a nurse, for nurses and all caring professionals; and while our first responsibility is to uphold and uplift the discipline and profession of nursing, it goes beyond nursing. Nurses and human caring are critically important to the health and healing for humanity and the planet. We do this because as our Founder Jean Watson reminds us “nursing is the paradigm exemplar of human caring, the most mature healing profession in the world.”

Mission

Through education, practice, research and leadership, Watson Caring Science Institute’s mission is to inform, inspire and elevate nurses through its academic and clinical professional programs, focused on deep individual and cultural system change.

Purpose

Watson Caring Science Institute’s purpose is to affirm and sustain the art and science of human caring in nursing, thereby elevating nursing’s leadership role in transforming healthcare.

Values

  • Love is foundational to caring and healing (Caritas)
  • Preserving human dignity
  • Caring theory, ever evolving, translates to all levels of care
  • Intentionally manifest constructive change 
  • Invite in, by attraction

Structure

The Watson Caring Science Institute is an autonomous, USA nonprofit organization operating under the 501(c)(3), tax-exempt status ID #26-0803334. WCSI’s Board of Directors has oversight of the Institute’s budget.

Funding

The Watson Caring Science Institute depends on educational, teaching-consulting programs nationally/globally and intentional Caritas learning materials and teaching items available through The Caring Store, combined with the generosity of individuals, healthcare systems, professional organizations, the business community and foundations to support its work. Donations are tax-deductible.

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Board Members

Grissel Hernandez PhD, MPH, RN, HNB-BC
President & Chairman of the Board
Executive Director, Center for Education & Professional Development
Stanford Health Care, Stanford, CA

Kelly C. Johnson, PhD, RN, NEA- BC
Vice President / Advisor to Policy
Founder and CEO
Alaka’i Leadership Strategies

Cheryl T. Handy MN, RN, NE-BC, HMCT
Board Secretary
WCSI CCEP® Faculty
WCSI Caritas Coach®
WCSI Faculty Associate
HeartMath Certified Trainer
Associate Nurse Executive
Atlanta VA Healthcare System, Retired

M. Brooks Turkel, CPA, FACHE
Treasurer
Partner | Fuller & Turkel CPAs And Associates, LLP
Former Chief Executive Officer
Commonwealth Health Regional Hospital of Scranton

Barbara B. Brewer, PhD, RN, MALS, MBA, FAAN
Past President 
Associate Professor
The University of Arizona, College of Nursing
WCSI Faculty Associate

Dr. Jim D’Alfonso, DNP, RN, PhD (h.c.), NEA-BC, FNAP, FAAN
Nominating Committee / Advisor to Professional Practice Leadership
WCSI Honorary Doctorate in Caring Science
WCSI Visionary Caring Science Leadership Award Recipient
WCSI Faculty Associate
WCSI Caritas Coach®
Master HeartMath Trainer (HMCT)
Adjunct Faculty, University of San Francisco
Regional Executive Director, Professional Excellence and the KP Nurse Scholars Academy
Founding Executive Director of The KP Nurse Scholars Academy
Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA

Holly K. Shaw, PhD, RN
At Large
Representative to the United Nations DGC & ECOSOC:
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) & The Nightingale Initiative for Global Health (NIGH)
Director, NGO Global Executive Committee Chair, NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy Chair, NGO Committee on Mental Health

Laarni C. Florencio, MSN, RN, CNL
At Large
Program Director, Nursing Continuing Professional Development (NCPD)
Nursing Research and Innovation / Institute of Nursing Excellence and Innovation
New York Presbyterian
435 East 70th Street, Suite 4K
New York, NY 10021

Julie Watson, BFA, MA, FRSA Caritas Coach®
Executive Director, Watson Caring Science Institute
Managing Editor, Lotus Library
Fellow, Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
Honorary Member, Sigma Theta Tau International, Honor Society of Nursing
The 10 Most Empowering Women in Business, 2023 and 24
Awarded The Top 50 Women Leaders of Miami for 2023
Executive Director, Watson Caring Science Institute
Boca Raton, FL 33432

Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-CB, FAAN, LL (AAN)
Founder / Executive Director, Watson Caring Science Institute
Distinguished Professor Emerita and Dean Emerita
University of Colorado Denver, College of Nursing, Anschutz Medical Center – Retired

Ambassador Advisors to the Board

Simon T. Bailey, DBA, CSP, CPAE
Keynote Speaker | Caritas Coach® | Board Member | TV Host

Chris Byrne
Vice President, Intellectual Property Strategy
Strategy and Innovation Center
Samsung Electronics

Anita Girard, DNP, RN, NEA-BC
Chief Nursing Officer & Vice President, Nursing
Cedars-Sinai

Daniel J. Pesut, PhD, RN, FAAN
 Emeritus Professor of Nursing, University of Minnesota
Emeritus Katherine R. and C. Walton Lillehei Chair in Nursing Leadership

Karen Drenkard, PhD, RN, NEA-bc, FAAN
Associate Dean, Clinical Practice & Community Engagement
The George Washington University School of Nursing
Ashburn, VA