We are excited to you welcome you back to beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado for the Nurse Educators Conference in the Rockies 2026
June 22 - 26, 2026
Beaver Run Resort
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
New Language for the Journey:
Embracing a Professional Identity in Nursing
New knowledge is developing to understand how a strong professional identity contributes to nurses' flourishing and better outcomes for patients.
Nelda Godfrey
Ph.D., ACNS-BC, FAAN, ANEF
Opening Keynote
Wednesday June 22nd 11am - 12pm
(time subject to change)
Nelda Godfrey
Ph.D., ACNS-BC, FAAN, ANEF
New Language for the Journey:
Embracing a Professional
Identity in Nursing
Professional identity is an emerging concept and primary educational objective in
many health disciplines.
Within nursing, think tank participants gathered to define and name the four domains of professional identity: values and ethics, knowledge, nurse as leader, and professional comportment. These domains can act as signposts for nurses as they navigate the discipline throughout an entire career.
New knowledge is developing to understand how a strong professional identity contributes to nurses' flourishing and better outcomes for patients.
A thought leader in nursing innovation and nursing education, Dr. Godfrey writes often on new care delivery models that can be influenced by a stronger emphasis on the nurse within—researching and developing strategies to create the whole person experience in nursing practice going forward. Her work with the International Society for Professional Identity in Nursing is transforming the way nurses, health care professionals and society understanding what it means to “think, act and feel like a nurse.” This work offers new language and new knowledge for the journey—helping nurses heal, flourish and expertly care for others.
Dr. Godfrey received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Missouri, her Masters in Nursing and credential as a Clinical Nurse Specialist from the University of Kansas Medical Center, and her PhD in Nursing from the University of Missouri. Scholarly accomplishments include seminal work in professional identity in nursing and implementing the AACN Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. Programmatic achievements include helping create the KU Community College Nursing Program (KUCCNP) in which community college students dually enroll in their community college and KU simultaneously, allowing them to graduate with an associate degree in nursing and a bachelor of science in nursing at the same time. Dr. Godfrey serves on the American Nurses Association Ethics and Human Rights Advisory Board and is formerly one of two co-leads for the Missouri Action Coalition supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Closing Keynote
Friday June 26th 830am - 930am
(time subject to change)
Adrianna Muñoz, MSN, RN, CNL
Navigating the
Anatomy of
Conflict Resolution
Conflict is happening in your classrooms, simulations, and departments whether anyone talks about it or not- and as a nurse educator, people may silently look to you to address it.
In Fight Clean: The Anatomy of Conflict Resolution, you are in charge of the narrative. This session is designed for nurse educators navigating a rapidly changing workforce, exploding clinical knowledge, and shifting workloads- while still trying to model healthy communication for learners. Instead of treating conflict as a distraction or threat, you will learn to see it as your most underused tool for building trust, safety, and engagement.
You will explore a practical, repeatable framework that turns tense moments into structured opportunities for clarity and connection. Grounded in Lewin’s change theory, Lean methodology, and real-world clinical application, this keynote shows you exactly what to do and say when the room gets hot.
You will leave with language you can use tomorrow, a step-by-step process you can teach your teams and students, and the confidence to “fight clean” again and again-without burning out or backing down all in a humor-filled presentation centered on learner safety.
Conflict is heavy enough, let’s make it more human.
Join Adrianna for a special breakout session workshop
Creating Safe Spaces During Disagreements
Adrianna Muñoz, MSN RN CNL is an emergency room nurse, leadership coach, and award-winning speaker who helps healthcare teams turn everyday tension into practical, sustainable change. Drawing on extensive frontline experience and leadership roles, she delivers sessions where nurse educators walk out with tools they can use on their next shift.
With more than a decade in high-acuity healthcare settings, including Level I trauma and inner city Chicago EDs, Adrianna has seen how communication, culture, and conflict directly affect safety, teamwork, and learning. She has also led float pool teams and system-level initiatives, giving her a perspective that spans the bedside, the classroom, and the C-suite.
Adrianna earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing magna cum laude and holds a Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on Clinical Nurse Leadership. A trained Clinical Nurse Leader and Lean practitioner, she blends evidence-based practice with real-world stories that resonate with educators and clinicians alike.
As founder of Ogden Peak, Adrianna partners with healthcare organizations through keynotes and workshops focused on conflict navigation, communication, and leadership development. As an executive and leadership coach, she is known for simple, repeatable frameworks that help audiences move from “knowing what they should do” to actually doing it under pressure.
Her conflict sessions use relatable stories, humor, and high engagement to make heavy topics accessible and memorable. At the Nurse Educators Conference in the Rockies, participants will gain concrete language, step-by-step tools, and teachable models they can bring back to learners and teams right away-leaving with a new way to see conflict as a clinical, teachable skill that strengthens trust, safety, and performance.