Bama DEAL Fellowship
The Capstone College of Nursing Dean’s Emerging Academic Leader Fellowship (Bama DEAL) is a leadership program supporting the development of nursing faculty who are current and/or future leaders in the College.
2025 Bama DEAL Fellows
Jill R. Hobbs, EdD, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, ACNP-BC, CNE
Dr. Jill Hobbs earned her BSN from The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing in 2001, followed by her MSN and completion of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2005. She completed a post-master’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program in 2007 and obtained her EdD for Nurse Educators in 2018. Dr. Hobbs holds ANCC certifications as both an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and a Family Nurse Practitioner, and she is a Certified Nurse Educator through the National League for Nursing. She joined the Capstone College of Nursing faculty in 2017 as a part-time clinical instructor, then full-time Clinical Assistant Professor in 2020 and the Family Nurse Practitioner Coordinator in March 2024; she was recently promoted to Clinical Associate Professor. Dr. Hobbs practices as a nurse practitioner at NorthRiver Wellness and Weight Loss and volunteers at the Good Samaritan Clinic, providing care to uninsured individuals. Her teaching responsibilities include all family nurse practitioner graduate-level courses, and her research interests focus on developing educational strategies to support best practices in teaching and learning, providing health care across populations, and promoting health and wellness.
Bama DEAL project: Training Standardized Patients for Competency-Based Simulations in Nurse Practitioner Education
Paige Johnson, PhD, MSN, RN
Dr. Paige Johnson is an Associate Professor at the Capstone College of Nursing. She earned her BSN and MSN from CCN and completed her PhD in Health Education and Health Promotion. Dr. Johnson’s research focuses on reducing health disparities in rural communities, with extensive publications on childhood obesity, cardiovascular health, and diabetes prevention. As Principal Investigator for the NIH-funded HSTA-Alabama Program, she supports rural and economically disadvantaged high school students in pursuing higher education and careers in nursing and STEM fields. Her current Bama DEAL Project centers on enhancing the Individual Development Plan (IDP) for PhD and DNP students to foster a more structured, goal-oriented approach to doctoral education and mentorship. An award-winning educator recognized with honors such as the ALN Excellence in Teaching Award and the Rural Health Heroes Award, Dr. Johnson teaches courses in Population Health, mentors students through the CCN Research Society, coordinates the PhD Program; she actively serves as Treasurer for the Rural Nurse Organization and as Assistant Editor for the Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care.
Bama DEAL project: Enhancing the Individual Development Plan (IDP) for PhD and the DNP Program
Andrea Sartain EdD, MSN, RN, CNL
Dr. Andrea Sartain has been a full-time faculty member at the Capstone College of Nursing since 2011, bringing over a decade of experience in nursing education and leadership. She was selected as a 2025 Bama DEAL Fellow, and through this initiative, is developing an orientation program to support new undergraduate clinical faculty. Dr. Sartain holds both a BSN and MSN from the Capstone College of Nursing and earned her EdD from the University of Alabama’s College of Education. Her certification as a Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) underscores her commitment to excellence in clinical practice and nursing education.
Bama DEAL project: Undergraduate Clinical Faculty Onboarding
Staci A. Simmons, DNP, APRN, CPNP-AC, CNE
Dr. Staci Simmons is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner, dedicated nurse educator, and 2025 CCN Bama DEAL Fellow. She currently serves as the DNP Program Coordinator at the Capstone College of Nursing and is the incoming president of the Alabama Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. A proud graduate of CCN’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program, Dr. Simmons is deeply committed to advancing the nursing profession through leadership development. Her Bama DEAL Project focuses on designing and implementing a professional coaching program aimed at supporting and partnering with nurse faculty as they grow into leadership roles across professional settings. With a passion for empowering others, Dr. Simmons continues to shape the future of nursing by fostering growth, resilience, and excellence among emerging nurse leaders.
Bama DEAL project: The ACCEL Program: Advancing Collegiate Coaching for Excellence in Leadership
Todd B. Smith, PhD, MSHA, MBA, RN, NEA-BC
Dr. Todd Smith is an Associate Professor at The University of Alabama’s Capstone College of Nursing, where he teaches graduate-level courses in leadership, health care management, and evidence-based practice. A board-certified Nurse Executive, Advanced, Dr. Smith holds a BSN from Auburn University at Montgomery, an MBA and MS in Healthcare Administration, and a PhD in Health Services Administration from University of Alabama at Birmingham, specializing in strategic management. With over 18 years of experience as a health care administrator, primarily at UAB, he managed budgets exceeding $40M and the HR functions for more than 150 employees. Dr. Smith has secured federal funding from the NIH and USDA and has published 24 articles on health insurance, finance, rural health care, leadership, and telemedicine. He currently serves as Treasurer and executive board member of the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing and he also co-directs the Technology, Education, and Research in Medicine lab, mentoring undergraduate students in health sciences research.
Bama DEAL project: Onboarding and Training Program for Remote/Adjunct Faculty Teaching in the Graduate Program
Haley Strickland, EdD, MSN, RN
Dr. Haley Strickland is a dedicated nurse educator at The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing, where she began her academic career in 2007. An alumni of CCN, she earned her BSN in 2004 and MSN (Clinical Nurse Leader) in 2009, followed by an EdD from UA’s College of Education in 2013. As a 2025 Bama DEAL Fellow, her project aims to develop a comprehensive faculty peer mentoring program that supports newly hired undergraduate faculty navigating through their first academic year. This initiative is designed to provide structured guidance, promote resilience, and cultivate excellence. Dr. Strickland’s project to strategically invest in the future of the profession by developing outstanding nurse educators at CCN will promote educational excellence for the next generation of the nursing workforce.
Bama DEAL project: Faculty Initiation (through mentorship) for Resilience & Excellence
