Notable Facts
- In the 1980s, she was Dean of the School of Nursing at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
- In 1996, she was elected for two terms as President of the American Nurses Association (ANA) (2nd African American to hold the position)
- In 2000, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health within the US Department of Health and Human Services,
- From June 2001 to January 2007, General secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN)