2025 Recognition Award Winners

Lifetime Achievement

Mary Dee Hacker

A visionary leader and advocate for family-centered care, Mary dedicated over four decades to advancing pediatric nursing at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she served as Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services. From 1975 to 2018, she championed innovation through initiatives such as the nationally recognized Versant RN Residency Program, which transformed new graduate training and became a national model cited by the National Academy of Medicine. Under her leadership, CHLA achieved Magnet designation and established a Nursing Research Institute. A lifelong “servant leader,” Mary Dee also helped expand the DAISY Award program across ACNL and AONL, strengthening recognition for nurses nationwide. Her influence extends through service on the HealthImpact Board, the Academy of Nursing, and numerous community organizations, earning her multiple national honors for leadership and excellence in nursing.

Friend of Nursing

Ann Tardy

Contributions as a Humanitarian

Carmen Ward-Sullivan

Mentee/Mentor

Austin Frost and Gregory Eichelzer

Excellence as a Group

Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Hawai'i Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice Program

ACNL/DAISY Awards

Lifetime Achievement Award

Maria W O'Rourke

Maria’s five-decade career has profoundly shaped the discipline and profession of nursing. Beginning as a psychiatric nurse and clinical nurse specialist, she advanced into influential academic and executive roles, including Director of Staff Development and Research at San Francisco General Hospital and the inaugural Assistant Dean of the UCSF School of Nursing at SFGH, where she institutionalized nursing research and professional practice.

A nationally recognized expert in professional role clarity, Maria rewrote the California Nursing Practice Act in 1974, led efforts to advance Professional Practice Models, and developed the widely adopted Professional Role Identity Formation Theory. Through her Professional Role Development Program and the Institute for Advancing Professional Practice, she has educated and mentored thousands of nurses and leaders. Honored with numerous prestigious awards, she continues to influence nursing practice, education, and policy with enduring impact.