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Nursing Advisory Board

Carol M. Bass

Carol M. Bass is a Realtor with Berkshire Hathway HomeServices, Benchmark Realty in Shawnee, Oklahoma. She was born in Assaria, Kansas and graduated from Southeast of Salina High School. Ms. Bass graduated from Wade’s Fashion Merchandising College in Dallas, Texas in 1979. After many years in the fashion industry, both in Dallas and Salina, Kansas, she chose to change careers. She worked in accounting positions until she married and moved to Oklahoma in 1990. Ms. Bass is married to Paul Bass, a 1984 OBU alum, and has two children, Erika, a 2014 OBU alum and 3rd grade teacher at North Rock Creek School in Shawnee, and Hayden, a software engineer in Denver, Colorado. While raising their children, Carol worked as a teacher’s aide and was a muralist and faux painter. In 2008, she joined Prudential Carolyn Harris Realty and has been a full-time realtor since that time. (Berkshire Hathaway bought out Prudential in September of 2014.) In addition, Carol does volunteer work with Lydia’s Lamp at OBU. She and her husband love to travel, bicycle and remodel homes together.

Cathy Broome

Cathy Broome is the Vice President of Patient Care Services and the Chief Nursing Officer for SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital in Shawnee, Oklahoma. She began her nursing career with St. Anthony’s in Shawnee 20 years ago as an acute care nurse and then moved to ICU. Her leadership roles have included Director of the Intensive Care Unit, acute care nursing, House Supervisor and most recently Administrative Director of Nursing. Ms. Broome received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from East Central University in May 2000 and her Masters in Nursing from the University of Oklahoma in May 2017. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Community Market of Pottawatomie County and is a 2020 graduate of Leadership Shawnee.

Karyl James

Karyl James serves as the Regional Chief Nursing Officer for Mercy Hospitals in Oklahoma. During her tenure with Mercy, Dr. James has fulfilled multiple leadership roles in both critical care and administration. Karyl’s current role as Mercy’s CNO includes responsibility for the nursing practice at Mercy’s hospitals across the state of Oklahoma. Dr. James received her bachelor’s degree in Nursing and Biological Sciences from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 2001, her Master’s in Nursing Education from Oklahoma Baptist University in 2010, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Oklahoma City University in 2018.  Her doctoral work led to the creation of a drug and alcohol-free response team to curb co-worker diversion of controlled dangerous substances with an enhanced focus on early recognition and intervention.  Dr. James lives in Yukon with her husband Marc and her beloved dogs, Tilly and Maggie.

Rebecca Jones

Rebecca Jones states, “I am a transforming work-in-progress” who grew up in Wagoner, OK. She graduated from Northeastern State University in 1990 with a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism with an emphasis in Convention and Meeting Management. After college, she worked at Leggett and Platt Corporate offices in Carthage, MO. She left to join Sam’s Wholesale Club in Joplin, MO with the sales and marketing team. After 10 years in Missouri, she returned to Oklahoma and became a full time mom in order to focus on family and run her own Domestic Engineering Services. She volunteered in the community as a Girl Scout Leader, homeroom parent, church youth leader and through hospice organizations. She is a philanthropist of the arts and enjoys creating her own shabby to chic art. Ms. Jones recently returned to her home town of Wagoner, OK. She is working on the renovation of a downtown building that appeared in the movie “Where the Red Fern Grows”. The building is located on the south end of Main Street near the train tracks. It will become Wagoner FICIT Junction, a development that will lease small kitchen spaces, some retail and will offer open air seating situated so guests can enjoy a variety of carry out foods, trains and train graffiti passing by. She is looking forward to it being completed in spring 2021.

Angie Kamermayer

Dr. Angie Kamermayer is the Chief Nursing Officer of INTEGRIS Health Edmond.  As CNO she is the clinical executive with responsibility for the operational performance, clinical coordination and delivery of patient care in emergency, surgery, medical-surgical, intensive care and women’s services. Dr. Kamermayer has executive oversight of the patient experience, quality, safety, performance improvement, infection prevention, risk management, case management and informatics. Angie is responsible for the facility’s regulatory compliance, including Joint Commission and CMS. She serves as mentor to nursing and quality leaders in the organization. Dr. Kamermayer began her career at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center where she served in many roles including staff, instructor and Clinical Nurse Specialist. She later worked at Renaissance Women’s Hospital at Midwest Regional Medical Center and in Edmond as a nurse executive. Prior to her current role she served as Chief Nursing Officer at INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center. She has served on a number of nursing clinical advisory boards, including the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University and the University of Central Oklahoma. Dr. Kamermayer continues to precept graduate nursing students as well as mentor nurses in leadership. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing and Doctorate of Nursing Practice. She is board certified through the ANCC as a Nurse Executive-Advanced and holds Oklahoma licensure as an APRN-CNS. She is an active member of the American Nurses Association, Oklahoma Nurses Association, Association of Nurse Leaders, Oklahoma Organization of Nurse Executives, Association of Healthcare Executives, the Association for Women’s Health and Neonatal Nursing and Sigma Theta Tau International.

Lawrence C. Kirk

Dr. Lawrence C. Kirk is the Director of Christian Education, for the St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. He accepted this position in 2002. Kirk was born in Oklahoma City and graduated from Northeast High School. As Director of Christian Education at St. John, his administrative duties include: coaching, teaching, writing and supervising the children’s, youth, singles, marriage, grief and men’s ministries, Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, and Wednesday Noonday and evening Bible studies. He directs the Johnson Memorial Bible Institute, where he is also an instructor. He is an adjunct instructor for Mid-America Christian University. At St. James Baptist Church in Spencer, Oklahoma, Dr. Kirk answered his call to the ministry and preached his first sermon in 1979. He was licensed and ordained by Pastor W. B. Parker, and eventually worked as full-time assistant to Rev. Parker, beginning in 1991. At St. James, he enthusiastically served as a Sunday School teacher, evangelism leader, prison fellowship facilitator and men’s and marriage ministries leader. He earned an undergraduate degree from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1988. In 2002, he graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas with a Masters of Divinity degree. On December 8, 2017, he received his Doctorate of Ministry degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Kirk maintains a busy schedule facilitating leadership and teacher training conferences, marriage enrichment seminars and speaking engagements throughout Oklahoma. His counseling sessions are Bible-centered and tackle the most common problems facing families in order to provide them with sound practical advice. His objective is to glorify God through his personal life and family, to serve the local and extended church and to witness to the world about Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He married the former Beverly Huggins after their high school and college courtship. They have been married for 45 years and have three adult children: Lawry Shabazz (Kornell), Kandaace Kirk, and Anthony Kirk (Shareese). They are blessed with six grandchildren. Rev. Kirk is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the National Center for Fathering.

Pam Malloy

Pam Malloy, MN, RN, FPCN, FAAN is an oncology clinical nurse specialist with over 45 years of experience in clinical oncology and palliative care nursing, staff development, education, program development and administration. Ms. Malloy retired in 2020 as the national Director and Co-Investigator of the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Project and Special Advisor on Global Initiatives at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in Washington, DC. She served as faculty for all the national ELNEC courses presented ELNEC in 12 international countries. In addition, she developed palliative care nursing leadership curricula, taught and mentored current and future nursing and physician leaders throughout Eastern Europe, Kenya and Asia. Ms. Malloy directed the California Endowment project for AACN on developing cultural competencies for undergraduate and graduate nursing students. She collaborated with the US Department of Veterans Affairs to develop the ELNEC-For Veterans curriculum, which was presented to over 500 nurses, representing every VA hospital across the nation. Ms. Malloy serves on the Board of Directors of Living Room International—which provides hospice/palliative care services in Kipkaren, Kenya. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the Leukemia, Lymphoma Society-Washington DC chapter and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation (HPNF). Ms. Malloy is a Florence Wald Fellow, a Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing (FPCN) and the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). She has written and published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, has written chapters for various textbooks and currently consults on three palliative care grants. In 2010, she was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the MD Anderson Cancer Center. She completed her undergraduate nursing degree from Oklahoma Baptist University and her master’s degree in nursing from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Linda Merkey

Linda Merkey is a seasoned nurse executive with over 30-years of experience in nursing administration. She served most recently as the Systems Chief Nursing Officer for INTEGRIS Health. Prior to being selected for this role, Linda served as the Vice President and CNO for INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center. For ten years under Linda’s leadership, INTEGRIS Baptist achieved the ANCC’s highly coveted Magnet designation, the ONA’s “Excellence in the Workplace Environment Award” and Oklahoma’s “Great Place to Work” recognition. As a tenured member of the Oklahoma Organization of Nurse Executives, Ms. Merkey has held the positions of secretary, president-elect and president. She was recently recognized by Oklahoma Baptist University with the Alumni of Distinction award. Currently Linda is an active member of the INTEGRIS Hospice Advisory Board and Co-chair of the March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Selection Committee. After graduating from OBU with a BS in Nursing, Ms. Merkey received her MBA from Oklahoma City University. She is married to Dr. Michael Merkey, a practicing neurologist and has one daughter, Madalyn. Linda is currently working as an independent nurse executive consultant and coach, assisting healthcare organizations achieve nursing excellence.

Robert Morris

Robert Morris is an entrepreneur and business owner who is passionate about being a high-impact servant leader in the global marketplace. His 26-year business career has included corporate roles as well as time spent in small business ownership. Mr. Morris is passionate about being a leader worth following through exhibiting and living as a servant leader. A significant part of his career includes time in various parts of the energy segment. He and his wife, Traci, are owners of two Home Instead Senior Care franchises in the OKC metro area that provide non-medical, private-duty Senior-Care services for clients and their families. He is also co-founder/owner of Energy Bridge Partners, LLC. Mr. Morris is a 1993 graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a Bachelor of Science in Management and obtained his Master of Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma with an emphasis in International Business in 2000. Mr. Morris currently serves on the boards of the Christian ministry Spring Valley Ranch in addition to serving as a former trustee member for Oklahoma Baptist University. He and his wife have a 20-year old daughter (Carington) and 13-year old son (Brady). They are active members of First Baptist Church Tulsa where Mr. Morris serves as a Deacon and a youth worker.

Kim Swyden

Kim Swyden is currently the Executive Director of the Ministries of Jesus, a 501(c)(3) charitable ministry healing spirit, soul and body and located in Edmond, Oklahoma. Prior to joining Ministries of Jesus, he was the Executive Pastor at Henderson Hills Baptist Church. He has been a resident of Edmond, OK since 1990. Prior to joining Henderson Hills in 2002, Swyden spent 27 year in the oil and gas business, serving in several positions with companies, including his own consulting business. He attended the University of Oklahoma and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1972. Immediately after college he spent time in the United States armed forces, before transferring to the army reserve where he served until 1979. Mr. Swyden currently serves on the board of Integris Health Edmond and Christ Community Health Coalition. He is vice chair of the Oklahoma Charitable Clinics Association and consults with non-profits on board governance. Kim is married to Julane Swyden. She is a practicing marriage and family therapist and the Director of Counseling for the Ministries of Jesus. They have three daughters, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren, all of whom live in the Oklahoma City area.