Whitney Smith, President
Greetings, Virginia!! I am honored to be the 2010-2011 VNSA President. I am currently a
rising fourth year Senior at the University of Virginia. The members of the Board of Directors
are learning lots and have a great many things in store for nursing students across Virginia
over the course of this year. As President, I hope to help VNSA meet the needs of and provide
opportunities for Virginia nursing students. If we all work together we can carry nursing to new
heights!! I look forward to serving the state of Virginia.
Electra Allen, Vice President
I currently attend Hampton University’s College of Virginia Beach. I will graduate in May 2011
with my BSN. I am honored to serve as our campus chapter’s SNA President. I am very happy
to be VNSA’s 1st Vice President for 2010-2011. I have the challenging and gratifying task of
making sure that the 2011 VNSA State Convention is the best yet. My hopes are to pack our
venue with nursing students and to have the greatest turnout yet! I intend to bring to you some
of the best speakers and employers that Virginia has to offer. I want each of us to feel prepared
to navigate successfully through and beyond nursing school. I ran for this position because I
want to represent you, the Virginia nursing student, so please do not hesitate to contact me with
ideas, inspiration or suggestions. I am here to serve you, e-mail me at vnsa1stvp@gmail.com
Diane Peng, Secretary
It is a pleasure and an honor to be serving as the VNSA Secretary. I am currently a third year
student at the University of Virginia’s School of Nursing and I will be graduating from the BSN
program in May 2011. My post-graduation plans include aspiring to become a Labor and
Delivery nurse and I am hoping to obtain a Nurse Practitioner’s degree (Pediatrics or Women’s
Health) sometime in the near future. I also hold a secretary position for the Student Nurses’
Association of Virginia at my University. I am very excited to be working with both nursing
students and faculty at my school as well as members throughout the state of Virginia. If you
have any questions or concerns, please e-mail me at vnsasecretary@gmail.com !
Emily Fritter, Treasurer
Hey I’m Emily Fritter and I am currently a Junior nursing student at James Madison
University. I am the new treasurer of the Virginia Nursing Students’ Association this
year and very excited to be part of the Board of Directors. I graduated from JMU in
May 2009 with a degree in Health Sciences and returned to earn another degree in
nursing. I am from the Richmond, VA area and enjoy spending time with my friends
and family.
Laura Manley, Member-at-Large
Hello Everyone, My name is Laura Manley, a third year nursing student at the University of
Virginia School of Nursing. I am excited to hold the position of Member-at-Large for the
Virginia Nursing Students’ Association for the year of 2010, and will work really hard to help
organize a fantastic Virginia Nursing Students’ Convention next January. Here’s a little bit of
information about myself, my favorite things in the world are my friends and family, going to
the beach, and playing and listening to music, and nursing, of course! Anyways, thanks for
giving me the opportunity to represent you on the VNSA Board this year.
Petheree Norman, Breakthrough to Nursing
Hi Virginia! I am Petheree Norman, a BSN student at the University of Virginia and the
2010-2011 VNSA Breakthrough to Nursing Director. I will be graduating in May 2011.
As BTN Director, I coordinate activities for general recruitment into the nursing profession
and try to find opportunities for our VNSA members. My goal for this year is to continue to
expand our idea of what nursing has to offer and all the possibilities we don’t recognize on
a daily basis. Nursing reaches across various races and cultures, thus such representation
is important in the field. I look forward to serving you all this year and hearing about your
needs and interests.
Katerina Bruner, 2nd Vice President
Hi! My name is Katerina Bruner and I am currently representing the Board of Directors as
Second Vice President. I am a Third year Nursing Student at the University of Virginia and
have experience as a PCA on the Coronary Care Unit at the UVA Health System. This
summer I will extern in the OR at the University Hospital as well. I enjoy cardiovascular
care and the surgical aspect of nursing. It is my goal to possibly travel to different countries
for nursing work as well as to provide education on different aspects of health.
“You must be the change you want to see in the world”~Mahatma Ghandi
Arwen Quinn, Policy and Initiatives Director
Hello, my name is Arwen Quinn, I am a Radford university nursing student( Roanoke
Campus.) I am from Blacksburg Virginia, I enjoy outdoor sports, and live on a horse farm.
I spend my spare time working on the farm and with the animals. I like to travel, read,
and talk to interesting people. I am so excited to be serving as VNSA Policy Initiatives
Director 2010-2011! Next year promises to be very interesting with all the possible
changes in health care, and it’s up to us as the future of the nursing profession to know
what is going on! I hope to encourage as many people as possible to become educated
about current policy, so I keep the Board informed of current legislation, and educate
constituencies within VNSA on how to become politically active. Please feel free to
e-mail me with any questions, ideas, suggestions, or comments about current policy at
vnsapidir@gmail.com . Here’s looking forward to a new and exciting year in nursing!!
Ashley Bell, Editor-The Torch
Hi, my name is Ashley Bell, Torch Editor for VNSA 2010-2011. I’m currently a Junior at
James Madison University (JMU) School of Nursing in Harrisonburg, VA. Nursing has been
my passion for many years. For the past 5 years I’ve worked at my local hospital as a float
Certified Nurse Assistant. Upon graduation my goal is to work for a year, then return to
school to earn a Master’s of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Women’s Health.
As your new Torch Editor, I’m excited to reach out to different nursing schools in Virginia
and gain new skills to use in the future!! Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any
questions or ideas for The Torch at vnsatorcheditor@gmail.com
Chris Malpaya, Nominations and Elections Chair
Hi! My name is Christopher Malpaya and I am a rising senior BSN student at Hampton University in Virginia beach, VA. I will be working as an extern in the Behavioral Medicine Unit at Bon Secours this summer, 2010. I am currently serving HU’s Nursing Student Association as Parlementarian and Virginia Nursing Students’ Association as Nominations and Elections Chairperson.
Sonya Bhuller, Graduate Consultant
Last year I had the privilege of being the VNSA Secretary and am greatly honored to be back on the board as the Graduate Consultant. I graduated from Shenandoah University with a BSN, Dec 2009. I am a Registered Nurse and a member of Sigma Theta Tau International (Rho Pi chapter), VNA and ANA. Our board and state had an amazing year in 2009- hopefully we can have an even better one this year!
John Blankenship, Director of Public Relations
It is my pleasure to serve again as the Director of Public Relations this year for the VNSA.
Together with the members of the 2009/2010 BOD we had a stellar year last year with our
Breakthrough to Nursing Luncheon at VCU and our annual VNSA Convention in Virginia Beach.
I am a Registered Nurse and graduate of Lynchburg General Hospital School of Nursing in
Lynchburg and will be continuing my education at Old Dominion University in pursuit of a
Masters in Nursing. I am looking forward to serving this year’s Board as we again strive to
bring Virginia nursing students the best speakers and venues to provide opportunities for
all of you to find your niche in the world of nursing.