2026 Elections: Secretary

An APNA Secretary serves a three-year term on the board. View Full Secretary Position Description & Qualifications

• Duties Include: Prepares and keeps board and membership meeting minutes and sees that all meeting notices are given, serves as custodian of the corporate records and of the seal of the association, works in partnership with the executive director on issuing a call for agenda items and reports for board business meetings, and more
• Qualifications Include: Excellent communication skills, informal and formal leadership experience, and participative leadership style.

Candidates

Secretary

Joshua Moran Jimenez, DNP, PMHNP-BC, CPHQ, CARN, NE-BC, FIAAN

Present Position
Nurse Scientist, Magnet Program and Nursing Excellence
Advanced Practice Provider, Psychiatric Emergency Services
Clinical Instructor

Education
Anticipated 2029 – PhD in Nursing Science, Duquesne University
2024 – Doctor of Nursing Practice (PMHNP), Medical University of South Carolina
2023 – Graduate Certificate in Health Informatics, University of South Florida
2019 – Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina
2012 – Bachelor of Science in Psychology, University of Dayton

APNA Contributions

• Nominating Committee Member (2025, appointed)
• Memorial Scholar (2024)
• Board of Directors Scholar (2023)
• Advisory Panel Member: Research & Scholarship (2023-present), Addiction Council (2024-present), Restoring Workplace Safety Task Force (2025-present)
• Peer Reviewer: JAPNA (2023- present); NCPD for the APNA eLearning Center (2022- present)
• Conference Poster Presenter: 2024, 2025, 2026
• Assess Undergraduate Nursing Students on APNA Undergraduate Education Toolkit
• Competencies since 2025
• South Carolina Chapter engagement through scholarship review, symposium participation, and initiatives to grow membership through co-presenting APNA conference poster with local colleagues.

Other Experience

• Treasurer, American Nursing Informatics Association, South Carolina Chapter (2025 – present)
• Southern Region Director, International Nurses Society on Addictions, USA Chapter (2025- present)
• Nurse Scientist (2025-present), Psychiatry Emergency APP (2024- present), and former nurse leader roles across inpatient and emergency settings (2023-2024).
• Developed and organized a Psychiatric Nursing Education Series for Advanced Practice Providers and Nurses across a health system (2025-present)
• Published or presented initiatives focused on workplace safety, seclusion reduction, teamwork across inter-unit professional governance and behavioral health workforce development.

APNA members should vote for me to serve as Secretary because I have been passionate about APNA since I first joined as a new graduate nurse and have a strong dedication to our specialty. My work aligns across APNA’s research and scholarship, educational, and workforce priorities, combined with hands-on leadership experience in psychiatric nursing practice, quality improvement and research initiatives, and education. My contributions span national advisory panels, peer review, conference dissemination, chapter-level symposium support, demonstrating a sustained commitment to advancing psychiatric-mental health nursing.

I am an organized, detail-oriented leader who values transparency, communication, and accountability, essential qualities for the Secretary role. My experience managing complex initiatives, reviewing scholarships, and supporting governance process has prepared me to ensure accurate documentation, effective communication, and continuity across Board activities. I am committed to amplifying member voices, strengthening engagement, and maintaining the integrity of APNA’s work.

I can help fulfill APNA’s purpose as a scientific and education organization by leveraging my experience in research and scholarship, workforce development, and academic-practice partnerships to strengthen psychiatric nursing knowledge and practice.

I have actively contributed to APNA’s scientific mission through peer review, conference presentations, and advisory panel service, as well as through applying APNA resources such as the Undergraduate Educational Toolkit to expand competency development.

I will continue to support evidence-based practice, foster innovation, and promote learning opportunities that build the psychiatric nursing workforce. Through collaboration, data-informed decision making, and inclusive leadership, I will help advance APNA’s mission to improve mental health care and support the nurses who deliver it.

Secretary

Jamie M. Zelazny, PhD, MPH, RN

Present Position
Assistant Professor of Nursing and Psychiatry
Co-Chair, Digital Health Hub
Vice Chair, Institutional Review Board, University of Pittsburgh

Education
2016 PhD, University of Pittsburgh, School of Nursing
2007 MPH, University of Pittsburgh, School of Public Health
1986 BSN, University of Pittsburgh, School of Nursing

APNA Contributions

• 2019-current Research and Scholarship Advisory Panel
• 2019-current Child and Adolescent Panel
• 2020-current Conference Abstract Reviewer
• 2021-current Awards and Recognition Committee
• 2021-current Research Grant Reviewer
• 2021-current Member, Child and Adolescent Steering Committee
• 2022-current Member, Research and Scholarship Council Steering Committee
• 2024-current Faculty co-contributor and co-presenter of APNA Suicide Prevention Certificate Program
• 2023-2024 Facilitator, APNA Competency Based Training for Suicide Prevention
• 2022-2026 Associate Chair/Chair, Child and Adolescent Council
• 2023-2024 Chair, APNA Youth Suicide Prevention Position Workgroup
• 2022 Presenter, Pennsylvania APNA State Conference
• 2025 Presenter, Florida APNA State Conference
• 2019-2025 Presenter, APNA National Conference

Other Experience

• Allegheny County Health Choices, Inc. (Oversight of County Mental Health Medical Assistance Benefits)
  • 2015-2021 Board of Directors
  • 2015-2021 Quality Improvement Committee
  • 2015-2018 Executive Committee/Secretary
  • 2019-2021 Executive Committee/Vice President
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Western PA Chapter
  • 2020-current Education Committee
  • 2022-2025 Education Committee Chair
  • 2022-2025 Board of Directors
  • 2023-2025 Suicide Prevention Ambassador to the PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

APNA members should vote for me to serve as Secretary because I bring 40+ years of psychiatric mental health nursing experience across a variety of settings, including inpatient and outpatient clinical and research settings, and my current role as nurse educator and researcher. The voices of psychiatric mental nurses across all levels of practice and treatment settings are needed to inform research and policy to provide the highest quality, evidence-based care.

My research focuses on the development of technology to identify and manage suicidal thoughts and behaviors in youth, including harnessing the use of social media, mobile sensing, and developing a safety planning app. My professional career is built on decreasing stigma and normalizing conversations about mental health and suicide prevention in the community. Through my APNA leadership roles, I advocated for APNA’s endorsement of the “Blueprint for Youth Suicide Prevention”; led the APNA Youth Suicide Prevention Position Paper Working Group, which produced APNA’s Position Paper for Youth Suicide Prevention; and serve as a faculty co-contributor and co-presenter of APNA’s Suicide Prevention Certificate Program.

As Secretary, I will continue to exemplify APNA’s mission to be the voice of psychiatric mental health nursing, improve mental health care, especially for vulnerable and underserved populations, and shape health policy.

I can help fulfill APNA’s purpose as a scientific and education organization by bringing to the Board my passion and enthusiasm to promote the voice of psychiatric mental health nurses across all levels of practice to improve mental health care. Applying my strong, diverse background in clinical practice and research, I will stay abreast of the impact of current policy on the mental health of our patients and the strength of the psychiatric mental health nursing workforce.

I will lead with calm and guiding direction, adapting to the ever-changing policy landscape, to advance the role of psychiatric mental health nurses in leading the charge to shape health policy affecting the delivery of and access to mental health care.