Dean Wilkerson assumes presidency of the Texas Organization of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Education

Sharon Wilkerson, Ph.D., RN, CNE, ANEF, dean of the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Nursing, today assumed the presidency of the Texas Organization of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Education (TOBGNE).

TOBGNE was created to enhance the preparation of entry-level and advanced practice nurses in Texas through the promotion of collaborative and facilitative relationships among Texas institutions involved with nursing education at institutions of higher learning. TOBGNE seeks to promote the health of Texas through excellence in nursing education, provide access to educational opportunities, and expand the integrity and harmony of spirit of the profession.

The vision of the organization is for Texas nursing education institutions to actively work together in the interest of vitalizing, sustaining and advancing nursing education across the state, and attract the best and brightest to the nursing profession from the diverse Texas population.

Wilkerson has served as president elect of TOBGNE since 2012 and has dedicated a 30-year career to undergraduate and graduate professional nursing education.

Wilkerson was appointed founding dean of the Texas A&M College of Nursing in 2008. During her time with the college, she successfully developed the college’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) and Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) programs and is currently working to provide additional graduate education programs in the near future.

Prior to her time with the college, Wilkerson served various roles with Texas A&M Corpus Christi College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Purdue University School of Nursing, Indiana University and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan.

“This is such a prestigious honor because TOBGNE is really the voice for baccalaureate and graduate nursing education in the state of Texas,” said Cathy Hansen, M.S.N, RN, CNE, assistant dean of undergraduate studies and interim associate dean of academic affairs with the Texas A&M College of Nursing. “It reflects her career-long devotion to the profession and her vision for the future of our college throughout the state.”

In addition to her new role with TOBGNE, Wilkerson also serves on committees and boards at the state and national level. She is president of the Texas League for Nursing, serves on the inaugural board for development of the affiliate constituency organization of the National League for Nursing, and currently serves as chair of the baccalaureate conference program planning committee for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

For more information about the Texas Organization of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Education, visit https://tobgne.org/ .