Kathleen Ladner joined the U.S. Navy in 1968 to become a nurse. She was on active duty from 1968-1973, serving in all Nursing Leadership capacities from Charge Nurse, Head Nurse, and Nurse Director until she was honorably discharged. In 1974, she was reactivated in the Naval Reserve and served in several management positions form Administrative Officer, Executive Officer, and Commanding Officer of a reserve hospital unit and fleet hospital units during her reserve years. In 1998 she retired at the rank of Captain. Dr. Ladner currently serves as Vice President of Patient Care at Baptist Princeton in Birmingham. She began her leadership within the Baptist Health System at Baptist Princeton Hospital as Vice President of Patient Care in 1991 and in 1994 was asked to serve as Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services at both Baptist Princeton and Baptist Montclair hospitals. In 1998, as the two hospitals were re-organized to return to separate management staffs, Dr. Ladner retained her Baptist Princeton responsibilities and also served as the Head of the Baptist Health System’s Patient Care Council, the advisory council composed of Vice Presidents of Patient Care Services from all 10 of the Baptist Health System’s hospitals. In addition, she leads the Baptist Princeton recruitment and retention collaboration of nursing, radiology, technologists, and pharmacists. Prior to her tenure within the Baptist Health System, Dr. Ladner served as Administrative Director of Clinical Nursing at the Mobile Infirmary Medical Center and Administrative Director and Director of Education and Research at AMI/Brookwood in Birmingham. She served on the Alabama State Board of Nursing from 1990 to 1993. She has held faculty appointments in nursing at Samford University, The University of Alabama, and University of South Alabama. She is a fellow from the Johnson and Johnson Nursing Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. Dr. Ladner received her BSN from Barry University, her MSN and PNP from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and her Ph.D. from The University of Alabama. A member of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society of Nursing, she has received many other honors and awards including the Janet S. Awtrey Distinguished Nursing Leader Award from the University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing. Her acute understanding of the health care and academic environments coupled with her vision, initiative, and passion for nursing have resulted in her making a significant impact on nursing in Alabama.