Mission and Purpose

It is our belief that all children have a right to quality health care and the opportunity to develop in a safe and secure environment. The Ohio Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners supports and promotes the role of the pediatric nurse practitioner as well as other providers, educators, and researchers who have an interest in optimizing the health of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.

The purpose of our chapter is to maintain an organization as a leader in improving the quality of health care for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. This is accomplished simultaneously through the promotion and professional development of the pediatric-focused provider’s role and advocacy efforts on behalf of pediatric patients and the nursing profession.


Meet Our Board

President – Keeley Harding, DNP, APRN, CNS, CPNP-AC/PC

Keeley Harding, DNP, APRN, CNS, CPNP-AC/PC is board certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care and acute care. She teaches in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati. Her previous clinical experience as a nurse practitioner includes acute and chronic pain management, urgent care, and the emergency department. She obtained her DNP degree in 2015 from The Ohio State University. While in the… Read more

President-Elect – Kimberly Joo, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC

Kimberly Joo, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC has over 30 years experience as a pediatric nurse. For the first 17 years, she worked as a bedside RN in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). During this time, she and her husband raised three boys. Kim earned a master’s degree and a certificate in nursing graduate education. She has 13 years of experience as a nurse educator. Kim has worked at Wright State University (WSU) where she taught… Read more

Immediate Past-President and Philanthropy/Community Engagement Chair: Amy Provenzano, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC

Amy Provenzano, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC is board certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) in primary care. She is currently working as a PNP in telehealth at Cortica where she cares for children with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. Amy is certified as a Level 1 and Level 2 Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) provider through PDA North America. She also teaches in the master’s degree program in the College of Nursing at the University of… Read more

Secretary – Kristina Banks, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC

Kristina Banks, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC has been a board certified pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care (CPNP-PC) for more than 16 years. She earned the DNP degree in 2016, through which she developed a group well-child visits for 1 month old infants, the first of its kind. Kristina shared her experience of implementing well-child group visits via a well-received podium presentation at the Ohio Chapter’s annual conference in 2022. She transitioned into full-time academia in… Read more

Treasurer – Amanda Jett, MS, APRN, CPNP-PC

Amanda Jett, MS, APRN, CPNP-PC has been a board certified pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care for over 6 years. She is also board certified as a Pediatric Primary Care Mental Health Specialist (PMHS). Amanda works in a diverse climate of suburban and rural private practice where she cares for the underserved and coordinates resources for those at risk. In this role, she has been able to advance mental health care for patients in the… Read more

Health Policy Chair – Mandi Cafasso, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC

Mandi Cafasso, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC is an assistant professor and the Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati. She has been teaching in the DNP program since 2017 and has served as a DNP Project Chair or DNP Project Team member for over 25 DNP projects. Mandi earned the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2015 at Otterbein University. She previously worked as… Read more

Awards, Grants, and Scholarship Chair – Stephanie Hosley, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, CNE

Stephanie Hosley, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, CNE is a board certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care. To learn more about Stephanie, visit Nationwide Children’s and The Ohio State University. Read more

Communications Chair – Sarah Seim, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC

Sarah Seim, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC is a board certified pediatric nurse practitioner at Dayton Children’s. She currently works as a nurse practitioner in the sedation services/anesthesia departments. Sarah earned a Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2001. She has worked as a nurse practitioner at Cincinnati Children’s and Dayton Children’s hospitals in various areas, including general pediatrics, urgent care, anesthesia, and sedation services. Sarah has presented on topics that… Read more

Continuing Education Co-Chair – Erica Lucas, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC, NNP-BC

Erica Lucas, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC, NNP-BC is board certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner. She currently works as a nurse practitioner at Dayton Children’s in the Urology department. She earned both Master of Science in Nursing degrees from Wright State University. Prior to working as a nurse practitioner, she taught obstetrics (OB) and pediatrics in the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program at Hondros College of Nursing. As an educator, Erica is passionate about teaching… Read more

Continuing Education Co-Chair – Julie A. Loyke, DNP, APRN, CPNP-AC/PC, FNP-C

Julie A. Loyke, DNP, APRN, CPNP-AC/PC, FNP-C is board certified as a pediatric and family nurse practitioner. She is faculty at Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing (FPB) at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She is currently the lead faculty in the pre-licensure nursing program at FPB where she teaches third year nursing students the joys of pediatric nursing. Julie has also practiced as a nurse practitioner in a variety of clinical areas,… Read more

Membership Chair – Shannon White, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

Shannon K. White, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC is board certified as a family nurse practitioner. She began working as a nurse practitioner in the Headache Center at Cincinnati Children’s in 2007. Shannon is also an Assistant Professor in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of Cincinnati. She has helped to further develop the role of the nurse practitioner in a multi-disciplinary headache center, assisted in the development of a nurse practitioner-managed acute care… Read more

Student Engagement Chair – Nicole Showalter, BSD, RN

Nicole Showalter, BSD, RN, is a graduate student in the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care specialty track within Yale School of Nursing’s Graduate Entry Pre-Specialty in Nursing (GEPN) program. She is poised to receive the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree in May 2025. Nicole’s career journey began with a bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication Design from The Ohio State University in 2017. After four years in design, she transitioned to health care,… Read more


Meet Our Committee Members

2024-2026 Conference and Event Planning Committee

Erica Lucas, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC, NNP-BC – Co-Chair (2024-2026)
Julie A. Loyke, DNP, APRN, CPNP-AC/PC, FNP-C – Co-Chair (2025-2026)
Kimberly Joo, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC – Co-Chair (2024)
Amy Provenzano, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC (2024-2026)
Hetal Patel, MSN, APRN, FNP-C (2024-2026)
Mandi Cafasso, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC (2024-2026)
Jecika C. White, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC (2025-2026)

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee

Stephanie Hosley, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, CNE – Co-Chair
Jecika C. White, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC – Co-Chair

Committees and Board Positions

Vacancies

Ohio Chapter Volunteer Form

Are you interested in serving on the board or a committee for the Ohio Chapter? Please let us know by completing the Ohio Chapter Volunteer Form.

  • Board Member Vacancies:
    • None
  • Committee Member Vacancies:
    • Awards, Grants, and Scholarship Committee: Vacancies
    • Communications Committee: Vacancies
    • Conference and Event Planning Committee: Vacancies
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee: Vacancies
    • Health Policy Committee: Vacancies
    • Membership Committee: Vacancies
    • Philanthropy and Community Engagement Committee: Vacant
    • Student Engagement Committee: Vacant

History of Ohio Chapter

The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners’ founding members, Janet McCleary and Phillis Cunningham, share the evolution of the organization and Ohio’s important role as the birthplace of the national organization.