Beth Heuer, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, PMHS, FAANP is board certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner and pediatric primary care mental health specialist (PMHS). She is currently a Clinical Professor and Director of the Primary and Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track Program at The Ohio State University.
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, inspired by her volunteer work in pandemic response initiatives in 2020. This pivotal experience led her to Oxford, England, where she served as a nursing assistant in the National Health Service, igniting her passion for nursing. In 2022, Nicole earned an RN license and has since built a diverse clinical background by working in an adult medical-surgical unit, pediatric outpatient clinic, pediatric summer camps, vaccine clinics, and telephone triage services. She has held multiple leadership roles, including Lead Nurse at Oxford Royale Summer Camp, Pediatric Cohort Representative for Yale School of Nursing, and Director of Public Relations for the HAVEN Free Clinic, a student-run primary care clinic in New Haven, Connecticut.
An Ohio native and member of the Ohio Chapter, Nicole looks forward to returning to the buckeye state to practice as a nurse practitioner. As Chair of Student Engagement, she is committed to strengthening connections between students, the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) profession, and the Ohio Chapter. Her focus is on increasing student engagement, fostering connections, and creating meaningful opportunities for collaboration and professional growth.
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 unit for patients with intractable migraine, presented on pediatric headaches locally, nationally, and internationally, and has been involved as a sub-investigator in numerous clinical headache research trials.
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 nurses how to critically think while focusing on providing family-centered care. Prior to working as a nurse practitioner she worked as a bedside nurse for over 18 years.
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 include quality improvement and evidence-based practice.
Jecika C. White, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC is a board certified pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care. She graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from Akron University in 2015. Prior to obtaining a master’s degree, Jecika worked as a pediatric trauma surgical nurse at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. Jecika is currently working as a pediatric nurse practitioner at MetroHealth caring for youth in foster care. She created a QR code for social workers in Cuyahoga County to access for assistance with scheduling future patients. Jecika also works as an Adjunct Clinical Professor at Cleveland State University.
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 a nurse practitioner in the Division of Endocrinology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for 21 years. In this role, she provided care to patients with general and complex endocrine disorders, including thyroid disease, Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, precocious puberty, short stature, and panhypopituitarism. Mandi is currently the President of the Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society.
She has been the lead author of a book chapter, “Management of Endocrine Disorders” in Primary Care Pediatrics for the Nurse Practitioner: A Practical Approach (Kyle, 2021). She has also been the author or co-author of several articles for peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Pediatric Nursing and al The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. Mandi has a passion for health care policy. She has attended the Nurse in Washington Internship (NIWI) and serves as the Southwest Region Co-Director and Grassroot Advocacy Chair for the Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses (OAAPN) where she advocates for changes to Ohio’s Nurse Practice Act.
Amanda Jett, MS, APRN, CPNP-PC, PMHS is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner with over seven years of experience in primary care. She practices in both suburban and rural private practice settings, where she is dedicated to serving diverse and underserved populations across Ohio. In her current role, she collaborates with Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Behavioral Health Services to expand access to mental health care for at-risk children and their families.
Amanda’s passion for pediatric mental health led her to pursue national board certification as a Pediatric Primary Care Mental Health Specialist (PMHS). Through her involvement with the Nationwide Children’s Behavioral Health’s Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) and Mid-Ohio Psychological Services, she has strengthened her ability to support families navigating behavioral health challenges — reinforcing her commitment to delivering comprehensive, holistic pediatric care.
In addition to her clinical work, Amanda is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of pediatric providers. She has served as a preceptor for students from multiple institutions over the past two and a half years and actively contributes to peer reviews and staff development. Her engagement with the Ohio Chapter began as a graduate student at The Ohio State University, and she remains committed to advancing the Chapter’s mission of supporting pediatric-focused nurse practitioners throughout the state.
Kristina Banks, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) with over 17 years of experience in primary care. She spent more than 16 years practicing at Senders Pediatrics, a large private practice outside of Cleveland, before transitioning in 2024 to a PRN role at the Pediatric Urgent Cares of Akron Children’s Hospital, where she continues to care for patients one day a week.
Since 2021, Kristina has served full-time in academia as the lead pediatric faculty for both the Primary and Acute Care PNP Programs at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. In this role, she teaches all primary care PNP courses and oversees both program tracks, helping to shape and mentor the next generation of pediatric nurse practitioners.
She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in 2016, during which she designed and implemented an innovative group well-child visit model for one-month-old infants — the first of its kind. She presented her work during a well-received podium session at the Ohio Chapter’s Annual Statewide Conference in 2022.
An active Ohio Chapter member for many years, Kristina previously served on the Conference Planning Committee (2022–2024) and currently serves as Chapter Secretary. She is also actively engaged at the national level, connecting with pediatric faculty across the country through monthly meetings with acute and primary care program directors, as well as her involvement in the Association of Faculties of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (AFPNP) — a national organization of nursing educators who teach in pediatric, family, and school nurse practitioner programs and collaborate on key clinical and educational initiatives. Kristina currently serves as the AFPNP Member-at-Large.
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 Cincinnati.
Amy obtained a Master’s in Nursing degree from The Ohio State University. While in the Master’s program, she completed the Keep Your Children/Yourself Safe and Secure (KySS) Mental Health Fellowship and the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Disabilities (LEND) Fellowship, in addition to helping create the Family Resource Network of Ohio website.
Throughout the years, Amy has played an active role in advocating for children and their families as well as the nursing profession. She was a contributing author to the book, Nursepreneur: Translating the Art of Nursing Into Entrepreneurship. She was a featured author in Daily Devotional: Prescriptions for the Soul. Amy has also helped develop and host several continuing education courses for nurse practitioners, and presented poster presentations at local and state conferences.
Amy is the 2020 recipient of the Nurse Practitioner of the Year Award for the Ohio Chapter. In 2023 and 2024, she received Presidential Commendation, a special recognition awarded by the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. In addition, she is the 2019 recipient of Ohio State University, College of Nursing, Alumni Association Community Service Award. She previously served on the Ohio State University, College of Nursing, Alumni Society Board of Governors. Amy served as President of the Ohio Chapter from 2022-2024.