Deborah “Pepper” Hoover
Deborah “Pepper” Hoover, MSN, FNP, RN, is a recognized advocate for two-year Nursing education in Alabama for both traditional and non-traditional students. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, she began her career as a critical care nurse at UAB Hospital. Having earned her Master of Science in Nursing from UAB as a clinical specialist in cardiovascular nursing, she developed a curriculum for EKG interpretation for multiple levels of healthcare professionals. At Cullman Regional Medical Center, Hoover developed a community education series.
Hoover began her teaching career at St. Vincent’s Diploma School of Nursing and then accepted an instructor position at UAB. In 1990, she joined the Wallace State Community College’s associate degree program. Hoover completed her post-master’s nursing certificate for family nurse practitioner and was certified as a CRNP in 2005.
In 2010, Hoover was appointed to the position of Chair of the Department of Nursing Education at Wallace State Community College. Hoover has spearheaded unique healthcare programs at WSCC, which was recognized in 2016 and again in 2020 with the National League for Nursing Center of Excellence designation. In 2017, Hoover was selected to serve on the NLN Center of Excellence Review Panel at the national level for two terms.
Hoover envisioned a model program for Alabama to increase the number of bachelor-prepared nurses in collaboration with community colleges. WSCC partnered with UAB to develop a concurrent ADN/BSN program, which admitted its first cohort in 2020 and supported Hoover’s passion to keep a focus on the bedside nurse. In 2022, she was appointed to a four-year term on the Alabama Board of Nursing.
Hoover worked with other community leaders to establish the first hospice in Cullman County in 1987. She served on the AIDS Task Force for Cullman County, as Foundation Trustee for Cullman Regional Medical Center, as well as on the first board for the Good Samaritan Clinic, which provides essential healthcare services for citizens without insurance. Hoover traveled to Vietnam on a medical mission trip in 2008, has served on the board for United Way and has volunteered to support families of children with cleft lip/palate.
Hoover has been inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta, Sigma Theta Tau, and Omicron Delta Kappa, which named her the outstanding graduate student in 1977. Other awards include the 2005 Alabama Community College System Chancellor’s Award for Faculty of the Year; 2014-15 Healthcare Professional of the Year by the Cullman County Chamber of Commerce; 2017 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Excellence Award; 2019 Commitment to a Cause Award from Cullman Regional Foundation; and 2021-22 Innovation of the Year Award from the League for Innovation in Community Colleges.