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We've done it again!!
We won the Chapter Key Award
Upcoming Events!!!
Curious about the many pathways nursing can take you? Join us for our upcoming webinar series designed to inform, inspire, and empower our chapter members. On February 23 and March 30, dynamic nurse leaders will share real-world insights, practical strategies, and lessons learned from their professional journeys. Whether you are exploring new opportunities, considering entrepreneurship, or simply eager to stay connected with innovative trends in nursing, these sessions are for you. Come ready to learn, ask questions, and be inspired your next professional breakthrough may begin with this conversation.
"Nurse Chat Series"
Meet our speakers
Anita Rich, DNP, RN, CHFN, CGNC, FAAN
Dr. Anita Rich is the Founder and Executive Director of Nurses Heart to Heart and a Senior Clinical Instructor at School of Nursing at Emory University.
Dr. Rich founded Nurses Heart to Heart, an international nursing non-profit, to support and equip nurses in developing and post-conflict countries. This work is accomplished mainly through “train the trainer” teaching trips by volunteer nurses and midwives from the US as well as by providing nursing school scholarships in Iraq and Uganda. Dr. Rich also supports medical clinics at refugee/internally displaced persons (IDP) camps serving survivors of the Yazidi genocide in Northern Iraq. Her organization provides medications, CPR and labor and delivery manikins, fetal dopplers and other needed equipment to nursing schools, hospitals, clinics, and the camps. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Nursing and Midwifery Development Center in Iraq. Dr. Rich was awarded the 2024 Magnet Nurse of the Year Award for Transformational Leadership through the American Nurses Credentialing Center for her global nursing work and was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2025.
She previously served for 44 years as a clinical nurse specializing in cardiology. Dr. Rich earned her BSN from Emory University and her DNP from Georgia State University and is a Certified Global Nurse Consultant.
Dr. Anita Rich's Business Clip!
Hazel Gilgeours, LPN
Hazel Gilgeours, LPN, CEO, is a seasoned nurse entrepreneur whose career reflects resilience, adaptability, and visionary leadership. While attending New York City Technical College, she was recruited into an entry-level role at Fortune 500 company Moody’s Investors Service and quickly promoted to Editor, where she managed and verified complex international and governmental financial data.
Driven by family responsibilities and a lifelong desire to become a nurse, Hazel transitioned into healthcare, completing a one-year LPN program that allowed her to balance caregiving while launching her nursing career. She gained extensive experience across extended care, sub-acute and long-term care, rehabilitation, pediatrics, urgent care, private home care, and corporate nursing.
Her role as a care coordinator sparked the vision to start her own home-care business. Beginning with a single client, Hazel obtained Medicaid and specialty certifications, secured veteran and insurance contracts, and grew the company to serve 180 clients, generating $1.5 million in revenue. Her organization successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to deliver exceptional community-based care.
Hazel Gilgeours's Business Clip!
Aleesha Hurd, BSN, RN
BIO
Aleesha Hurd, RN, BSN BBA is an advanced aesthetic nurse injector and the founder of Alé Aesthetics in Atlanta. With a background that spans business, customer experience, and clinical nursing, Aleesha represents a modern, non-traditional path within the nursing profession. She holds degrees in both Business and Nursing and has built a successful practice by blending clinical excellence, entrepreneurship, and patient-centered care.
Formally trained through the Allergan Medical Institute, Aleesha specializes in advanced facial anatomy, full-face assessment, and natural aesthetic outcomes rooted in safety and long-term skin health. Beyond injectables, she is passionate about education, mentorship, and showing nursing students that their degree can open doors far beyond the bedside.
Aleesha’s career reflects the versatility of nursing and her mission is to empower nurses to think expansively, lead confidently, and build careers aligned with both purpose and passion.
Aleesha Hurd's Business Clip!
Here's Nurse Chat 2 highlights!
Volunteer Opportunities
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Here's the link to sign up: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FID95_qIpUIjub7uMX0yBlmS_UTvWkFrmwr2hGHPaSM/edit?usp=sharing
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Polly Willis, MSN, RN-BC, PCCN
We are proud to feature our January 2026 Spotlight Member, a distinguished alumna and legacy member inducted over 40 years ago. She will also be recognized as an honoree during our 45th Anniversary Celebration. Her interview follows.
What was it like attending Georgia State University?
When I attended GSU, the average student age was about 28. Many of my nursing classmates were older than I was, highly focused, and deeply committed to their studies. Most had children and had returned to school with a clear purpose—they knew nursing would always offer job security and meaningful work.
My teachers and professors were outstanding. Looking back, I wish I had listened more closely to their guidance. Many of my instructors had extensive experience beyond academia, and their life advice was profound—if only I had fully appreciated it at the time.
I was at GSU during a period when the university was expanding its identity beyond being known primarily as a night school with a strong business program. I was active on campus, a member of a sorority, and became an Inceptor. Our public health clinical experiences took us throughout downtown Atlanta, and I never once felt fear or hesitation—it was an exciting time of learning and growth.
What clinical experiences did you have, and what was your major?
My clinical experiences included Grady Memorial Hospital, Crawford Long Hospital, Northside Hospital, and what is now Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital while I was completing my BSN. On my very first day of nursing school, I didn’t realize that I had serendipitously discovered my life’s work. Nursing is not something you stop being when you leave your place of employment—it becomes part of who you are.
Academically, I earned a degree in Sociology, followed by my BSN, and later my MS in Nursing, as it was titled at the time.
You mentioned being nominated for Miss Georgia State University in 1976. What was that experience like?
It was an incredibly exciting moment. I was completely surprised to win. I was very involved in campus life, and the recognition was both humbling and memorable.
Where do you currently work?
I currently work PRN at Emory University Hospital. Prior to that, I served for more than 20 years as the Magnet Program Director at Saint Joseph’s Hospital of Atlanta, before it became Emory Saint Joseph’s. More recently, I served as the Magnet Program Director for Emory University Hospital and Emory University Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital.
It is truly an honor to have you as a member at Epsilon Alpha Chapter since you were originally inducted in 1980, we look forward to working with you.
