Respected nephrology nursing leader Tamara Kear, PhD, RN, CNS, CNN, of Doylestown, PA, has been hired by Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc. (AJJ, Inc.), a national health care association management, marketing, communications, and publishing firm, as the new executive director of the American Nephrology Nursing Association (ANNA).
Dr. Kear, who is currently ANNA’s president, will step into her new position at AJJ, Inc. on January 1, 2020, and will work with the ANNA Board of Directors to oversee all operations and strategic planning for the 8,300-member organization.
Lillian Pryor, MSN, RN, CNN, who was elected by ANNA members in December 2018 as president-elect, will assume the role of president for a 15-month term.
ANNA’s Interim Executive Director (ED) Lou Ann Leary was appointed this past January by AJJ, Inc. to work with the ANNA Board to steer the daily operations of the association. Leary will remain in the ED role until Dr. Kear assumes the spot next year.
AJJ, Inc. provides full-service management services to ANNA and is one of the country’s leading firms specializing in nursing and health care association management. The company is headquartered in Pitman, NJ.
“I’m very pleased to welcome Dr. Tamara Kear to Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc.,” AJJ, Inc. Chairman Tony Jannetti said. “Her experience, vision, and proven leadership will be tremendous assets as she joins our team to provide association management services to ANNA.”
Dr. Kear has been an active member of ANNA for nearly 30 years. She started her service to the association in the early 1990s as a member and chair of the Distance Learning Committee. Over the last decade, she has served in a broad number of roles including ANNA National Director, Research Committee Member and Chairperson, ANNA Education Committee Member, and Nephrology Nursing Journal Editorial Board. Dr. Kear also represented ANNA on two prestigious committees: The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Foundation’s Making Dialysis Safer Stakeholders Committee, and the Renal Physicians Association’s Patient Safety Committee.
In addition to her leadership roles, Dr. Kear has devoted much of her career to groundbreaking research to advance nephrology nursing and patient care. Her latest and most influential studies conducted with NNJ Editor Beth Ulrich, EdD, RN, FACHE, FAAN, are: “The Health and Safety of Nephrology Nurses and the Environments in Which They Work: Important for Nurses, Patients, and Organizations,” (2018); and “Patient Safety Culture in Nephrology Nurse Practice Settings: Initial Findings,” (2014).
Dr. Kear is currently employed at Villanova University, Villanova, PA, as associate professor, and holds a joint appointment at Main Line Health as the system’s nursing research consultant. She plans to continue to teach at Villanova as an adjunct faculty member after assuming the executive director role.
As ANNA Executive Director, Dr. Kear will work directly with the ANNA Board to further the association’s vision, mission, objectives, and policies. She will be responsible for the day-to-day administration of ANNA operations, overseeing the national office staff and ANNA’s consultants, and managing budgets, programs and services.
“I’m fully invested in using my leadership, research, administrative, education, clinical, and association management experience from an internship at the National League for Nursing to move ANNA forward,” Dr. Kear said. “I look forward to collaborating with our current and future members, the Board of Directors, our industry partners, and the overall nursing and nephrology communities.”
Dr. Kear said she was grateful to Pryor for stepping into the president role a few months early.
“It’s truly a privilege to contribute to ANNA as its president, and I know the association will benefit from Lillian’s extra months of service,” Dr. Kear said. “I’m looking forward to working with her and the ANNA Board to provide the best possible resources, education, and new opportunities to our members.”
Pryor’s Contributions to ANNA and Upcoming Role as President
Pryor, who is also a longtime dedicated ANNA leader, has served the association since 1990 in roles that include ANNA President-Elect, ANNA Director, ANNA Awards & Scholarships Committee Chairperson, ANNA representative to the Kidney Health Initiative Patient Preference Task Force, and Nephrology Nursing Journal author and peer reviewer.
She is an active member of the ANNA Dogwood Chapter in Georgia and has served the chapter as both its president and health policy representative. Pryor is currently employed at the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur, GA, and she resides in Lawrenceville, GA.
As president, Pryor will lead the ANNA Board in upholding the association’s mission and vision and in implementing its strategic plan. She will help guide daily operations and will be the Board’s liaison to ANNA committees and task forces.
“It’s an honor to serve as ANNA President and I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to assume the role a little sooner,” Pryor said. “I’m excited to work with Tammie as the new executive director and I look forward to helping guide the efforts of such a wonderful organization.”
To learn more about ANNA, its leaders, and the nephrology nursing specialty, visit www.annanurse.org.
