March is Women’s History Month. During this time, we aim to celebrate and recognize women’s achievements in history, raise awareness against bias, and take action for equality.
Interim Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMNHP-BC, APRN
This month Frontier Nursing University (FNU) will highlight a few female leaders at FNU in Q&A style blogs. Previously, we highlighted Dr. Anne Cockerham, PhD, CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE, FACNM, FNU Professor and Course Coordinator, and FNU’s Dean of Nursing, Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN. For the final blog in this series, we want to spotlight Dr. Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMNHP-BC, APRN, who is the Interim Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at FNU.
1. What advice would you give to women in your field?
As a nurse of over 25 years, I would tell young women to consider pursuing nursing as a career. Nursing is the only career that would allow one to specialize and continue to provide personalized care to patients. Related to advice I would give to women in nursing is to capitalize on our knowledge and to always remember the power of advocacy, and value the resilience that makes us nurses.
2. How are you breaking barriers faced by women in your field?
As a woman of color, breaking barriers can be viewed from different perspectives. I break barriers by always striving to be the voice of marginalized groups.
Pearl Alexander-Nicholson
3. Tell us about a woman you look up to and why.
I look up to my mother, Pearl Alexander-Nicholson. My mother did not have a high school education, yet she understood the power of an education. She taught me how to recognize the value of power and to value my self worth.
4. Do you have a favorite quote about female empowerment or from a female influencer?
I have two:
1. Maya Angelou – Phenomenal Women – I like this because it speaks about me as women, so it’s personal
2. Helen Keller – I like this because it speaks about me as a nurse, educator, and scholar. “I am only one, but still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
5. Is there anything else you would like to share to empower women or encourage people to create change that positively impacts women?
Women are a force to be reckoned with. Women are able to leverage their talents by transforming society as change agents. We stand side by side with any great man.
Thank you for reading our Women’s History Month Q&A series! We hope you are inspired and feel empowered to continue to work towards equality and raising awareness of the bias women face or have faced.
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Dr. Tia Brown McNair is the Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. She oversees both funded projects and AAC&U’s continuing programs on equity, inclusive excellence, high-impact practices, and student success. McNair directs AAC&U’s Summer Institutes on High-Impact Practices and Student Success, and TRHT Campus Centers and serves as the project director for several AAC&U initiatives, including the development of a TRHT-focused campus climate toolkit. She is the lead author of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education (January 2020) and Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success (July 2016 and August 2022 Second edition).