Every Year Stateline Nurses Network holds an Expo. Our Nurses Expo 2024 was a huge success – informative, exciting, and fresh! The attendance was high – we had several undergrad groups of students attend, as well as groups of nurses who registered and attended together promoting a warm networking atmosphere. We were at a new venue this year and were quite pleased with Cliffbreakers in Rockford IL, now called Riverview Inn and Suites, which is in the process of being restored. We had a terrific lineup of speakers with continuing education offered, t-shirts, swag bags filled with sponsor goodies and literature, a photobooth for all of us to “Strike a Pose”, raffles, and an exhibitor room filled with a variety of sponsors, both old and new. We finished the day with recognition for Posters, Scholarships, and Awards.

2024 Expo Keynote Speakers

We had two keynotes and three breakout sessions this year so we could include more diverse topics than in recent years and could also include mandatory presentation topics.

2024 Expo Breakout Speakers:

◊→Ann Bunnell, APNP – Sexual Harassment in Nursing

◊→ Olivia Matongo, MPH – New Advances in Alzheimer’s Treatment

◊→ Nykole Jackson, BSN, RN, PHRN, ECRN, CEN, TCRN, CPEN -Human Trafficking: Unseen Epidemic

◊→ Bonnie Holeton, BS, CRSS, and Jeanette Towns Recovery Support Specialist – In My Own Voice: Implicit Bias

◊→ Carrie Hamilton, MSN, RN, CCRN, NPD-BC – AI and Healthcare

◊→ Linda Beagley, MS, RN, CPAN, FASPAN – The Relevance of Certification

We also had a special demonstration by the Forest City Nurse Honor Guard and Deborah Green gave a presentation. Thank you for showing us what you do to honor nurses.

Each year Stateline Nurses Network offers awards for “Distinguished Advocate for Nursing” and “Excellence in Nursing”. Our winner for “Excellence in Nursing” was Heather Homick, and our two winners for Distinguished Advocate for Nursing” were Deborah Green and Julie Chirchirillo.