Student Nurse Political Action Day

Debbie Broadfield, President of Capitol Edge Consulting, LLC, has been lobbying since 2008. In 2013, Broadfield, along with Sue Clark, formed Capitol Edge Consulting LLC, a BEP certified women owned and operated Illinois lobbying and consulting firm focused on relationship building, advocacy, and achieving desired results. Broadfield served as Vice President from 2013 until 2023. In January 2024, she became President of Capitol Edge Consulting, LLC. Debbie’s chief responsibilities have included direct lobbying, legislative bill review, PAC compliance, Secretary of State reporting and assisting clients to navigate the process of bill-to-law. In addition to lobbying, she served as an External Relationships Manager with SHIELD Illinois through the University of Illinois System. SHIELD Illinois operated as a non-profit in deploying the saliva-based Covid-19 test across the State of Illinois. Broadfield proudly served in this role throughout the pandemic. Prior to lobbying, Broadfield had 5 years of experience as a legislative assistant in the district office of former State of Illinois Senator Bill Brady. In this position she provided direct interaction with constituent concerns that often led to legislative proposals. Her skills include, but are not limited to, policy research, organization and management of multiple projects, and a keen understanding of the political process. After earning her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University, Broadfield was a child welfare specialist for over 5 years, both in a private agency and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Broadfield is a 2004 graduate of the Illinois Lincoln Excellence in Public Service Series. In 2008, she completed the Illinois Society of Association Executive Certified Leadership Series.

Dr. Katie Boston-Leary is the Senior Vice President of Equity and Engagement at the American Nurses Association addressing DEIAB and workforce challenges within the profession. Katie is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and the School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. She is a board member for St. John’s University Health Programs, Hippocratic AI and Ingenovis Health and an editorial advisory board member with Nursing Management, Nursing 2025 and ACHE. Katie leads the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing and served on the National Academy of Science and Medicine’s National Plan to Address Clinician Well-Being supported by the previous U.S. Surgeon General. Katie authored two chapters in The Sage Encyclopedia of Multicultural Counseling, Social Justice, and Advocacy, the first encyclopedia focused on racism and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. Katie was also featured in the award-winning documentary film, Everybody’s Work funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She was identified in August 2019 Health Leaders Media Journal as “One of Five Chief Nursing Officers Changing Healthcare”. She also won the ICABA TD Bank 2023 Woman of Impact award and the 2024 Spectrum Circle Award for Innovation in Health. She was recently inducted as a Distinguished Fellow at the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing with the National Black Nurses Association and will be inducted this year as a Fellow with American Organization of Nursing Leadership (AONL). She has conducted research on care delivery models, time allocation, racism and civilized oppression in nursing with Quint Studer, Joslin Insight and McKinsey. She is a well-known speaker internationally with many publications, podcasts and national outlets namely CNBC, NY Times, Cheddar TV, Axios, Beckers, Forbes, Bloomberg News and on NBC’s Today Show. She completed her PhD at Walden University in Health Services, obtained a dual degree MBA and MHA from the University of Maryland Global Campus and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Bowie State University in Maryland. She is a board-certified Nurse Executive and obtained a nurse executive leadership certificate from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. She was recently identified August 2019 Health Leaders Journal as “One of Five Chief Nursing Officers Changing Healthcare”.  Her most recent research was a qualitative study on nurses’ perceptions of power dynamics in the hospital setting.  She is a well-known speaker nationally and internationally with many publications and podcast guest invitations.  She recently completed her PhD at Walden University in Health Services, obtained a dual degree MBA and MHA from the University of Maryland Global Campus and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Bowie State University in Maryland.  She is a board-certified Nurse Executive and obtained a nurse executive leadership certificate from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.  She has been interviewed for stories in numerous print, online and televised media outlets namely CNBC, Cheddar TV, HR Maximizer and Bloomberg News. She recently co-authored an article titled, The US COVID‐19 Crisis: Facts, Science and Solidarity, which was published in the International Nursing Review (INR), the official journal of the International Council of Nurses (ICN).

Susan Y. Swart is a respected leader in nursing and healthcare, focused on improving the profes-sion and addressing healthcare challenges. With over 20 years of experience, she has worked in nursing regulation, leadership, and policy development. She serves as the Executive Director of the American Nurses Association-Illinois, the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing, and the Illinois Nurses Foundation.