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  • Alumni Spotlight: Meggan Smith grows family practice in rural North Carolina urgent care setting

    Alumni Spotlight: Meggan Smith grows family practice in rural North Carolina urgent care setting

    At the heart of Frontier Nursing University is a talented and diverse community of students, alumni, faculty, staff, Couriers and preceptors. Spotlight blogs feature members of our FNU community that are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality health care to underserved and rural populations.

    Since earning her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from Frontier Nursing University (FNU) in 2019, Meggan Smith, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, (Class 169) has worked to strengthen family healthcare in rural North Carolina from the ground up. Working at Smoky Mountain Urgent Care and Family Medicine Center in Bryson City, Smith was instrumental in growing a much-needed family practice in the existing urgent care setting.

    Smith serves patients in her home community of Graham County, North Carolina, where she recently was awarded a Readers’ Choice award by The Graham Star. A rural mountain area, Graham County has a population of approximately 8,500. For residents of the county, the closest hospital/emergency room is approximately a 35 to 45-minute drive, and only one other office offers primary care.

    “This is an underserved area,” Smith said.

    Through her role at Smoky Mountain Urgent Care and Family Medicine Center, Smith provides urgent care for acute illness and injury, as well as primary care for members and visitors of the community. Amid COVID-19, Smith had to find new ways to ensure quality care for her patients, including telehealth, extended hours, house calls and curbside services.

    “We offered whatever we could to help our patients feel safe and cared for,” Smith said.

    Smith also serves as Chairperson for the Graham County Health Advisory Board. She said this role has provided her with deep insights into the medical needs and barriers of her community.

    “After my first phone conversation with a staff member at FNU, I knew Frontier was the place for me.”
    – Meggan Smith, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, FNU Alumni

    Where It Began

    As a registered nurse, Smith began observing the need for primary care services in her community and upon serving on the Graham County Board of Health in 2015, she began to understand some of the greatest challenges in regard to regional healthcare, including a large-scale retirement of long-time local providers.

    To advance her career in family nursing, Smith began researching universities and came upon FNU.

    “After my first phone conversation with a staff member at FNU, I knew Frontier was the place for me,” she said. “I grew up a small town girl here in the mountains of North Carolina and speaking with someone so humble and kind made me feel right at home. At that moment, I knew God had led me straight to FNU’s website after weeks of research.”

    Smith took away several important values from her time at FNU. In particular, she said she uses FNU’s Culture of Caring in her daily practice.

    Outside of her career, Smith enjoys spending time with her husband and six-year-old son. Some of her favorite activities include camping and driving UTVs in the mountains. She is currently helping to develop a new creekside RV park in her hometown for visitors of the Smoky Mountains, which is expected to open next year.

    Thank you, Meggan, for your commitment to rural and underserved patients in your community. We are proud to have you as an alumni member and look forward to seeing where your talents and commitment will take you and your community in the future.

  • Alumni Spotlight: Kaitlyn Rychlowski’s passion for mental health expands access to care in Wisconsin

    Alumni Spotlight: Kaitlyn Rychlowski’s passion for mental health expands access to care in Wisconsin

    At the heart of Frontier Nursing University is a talented and diverse community of students, alumni, faculty, staff, Couriers and preceptors. Spotlight blogs feature members of our FNU community that are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality health care to underserved and rural populations.

    Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumni Kaitlyn Rychlowski, MSN, PMHNP-BC, PMH-C, is working to develop and provide psychiatric care for underserved populations in rural Wisconsin. A resident of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Rychlowski graduated from FNU earlier this year (Class 191), earning her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP).

    Rychlowski’s decision to attend FNU was inspired by her previous role as a Neonatal ICU (NICU) nurse at Aurora West Allis Medical Center in West Allis, Wisconsin, where she worked from January 2018 to March 2020. While in this role, she developed an understanding of the mental health care needs among NICU patients and families in her region. She developed a screening and support program to screen all families, provide them with local support resources, and connect them to the care that they need. She also developed a NICU Family Support Group.

    Rychlowski said many families in the NICU have to wait an average of several months to be seen by an outpatient mental health provider. Given the many unknowns and long journeys in the NICU, families need to be supported throughout this process to have access to timely and compassionate mental health care.

    “This lack of access, combined with my passion for mental health, drove me to go back to school and become a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner to fill this important need,” she said.

    In April, Rychlowski began working as a Behavioral Health Nurse Practitioner at the Marshfield Medical Center in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Previously, the clinic location did not provide behavioral health services. Together with a psychiatrist and a therapist, Rychlowski has worked to bring compassionate behavioral and mental health services to the clinic.

    “This community is rural with limited access to psychiatric providers,” she said. “Together, the psychiatrist, therapists, myself, and support staff are eager to bring this access to quality care for patients through the lifespan and create a medical home.”

    Rychlowski said she hopes to use her experience as a NICU nurse in her new role. She has advanced training and is certified in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C) through Postpartum Support International.

    “I have also taken several cognitive behavioral therapy courses and am interested in utilizing some of these techniques with my patients to incorporate into medication management appointments,” she said.

    Outside of her work at the Marshfield Medical Center, Rychlowski also volunteers for Postpartum Support International as a Coordinator for the surrounding Fox Valley region in Wisconsin. In this role, she provides mothers and families with support, education, and resources, and connects them to care from perinatal-trained providers to navigate perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

    Rychlowski said she chose to study at FNU due to its rich history, dedication to underserved populations, and flexibility with online classes. She said she also was inspired by and formed many great relationships through Frontier Bound, an enriching three-day orientation offered by FNU.

    “Through Frontier, I met incredibly knowledgeable faculty and fellow students who truly want you to succeed and help you achieve your goals,” she said. “I always felt supported by faculty who shared their passions and wisdom with us.”
    – Kaitlyn Rychlowski, MSN, PMHNP-BC, PMH-C, FNU Alumni

    “Through Frontier, I met incredibly knowledgeable faculty and fellow students who truly want you to succeed and help you achieve your goals,” she said. “I always felt supported by faculty who shared their passions and wisdom with us.”

    Outside of her career and volunteer work, Rychlowski is married to her husband, who is currently studying to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). She has a pet bearded dragon and enjoys yoga, crafting, watching motocross races with her husband, and all things Disney.

    Thank you, Kaitlyn, for choosing FNU as the stepping stone for your next journey in providing compassionate care for underserved populations.

    Are you interested in becoming a Psychiatric Mental-Health Nurse Practitioner? Here are 4 things you should consider before becoming a PMHNP.

  • Student Spotlight: Denise Devonshire to bring much-needed midwifery care to her community

    Student Spotlight: Denise Devonshire to bring much-needed midwifery care to her community

    At the heart of Frontier Nursing University is a talented and diverse community of students, alumni, faculty, staff, Couriers and preceptors. Spotlight blogs feature members of our FNU community that are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality health care to underserved and rural populations.

    Frontier Nursing University (FNU) student Denise Devonshire, MNS-Ed, is working to provide education on pregnancy, labor and delivery in her community. A resident of Manhattan, Kansas, Devonshire is set to graduate next year (Class 195) and is pursuing her MSN in Nurse-Midwifery. She also holds a master’s degree in Nursing Education.

    Devonshire currently works in a military treatment facility, where she serves military service women and dependent wives. In her role, she educates her patients on physiologic birth.

    “I strive to take this education to my community to make their pregnancy along with their labor and delivery as safe as possible,” she said.

    In the future, Devonshire hopes to establish a freestanding birth center in her community to offer services to not just the military population, but to civilians too.

    Working with a rural population, Devonshire is working to become a nurse-midwife to help provide much-needed midwifery services to her community. In her community, there are 1,470 patients to one women’s health care provider.

    “I want to bring midwifery to my community to show that holistic women’s health is an avenue to pursue in lifelong women’s health care,” she said.

    Devonshire said she chose to attend FNU in this pursuit because she personally knows many APRNs who successfully earned advanced degrees from the university and she was inspired by the rich history of the university.

    Along the way, Devonshire said she has been consistently impressed by the professionalism and commitment of professors at FNU. She said she hopes to become a preceptor for future FNU students.

    “If there are any hiccups that come along, the professors reach out and meet with you one-on- one to help you to complete the course,” she said. “They invest their time to help you to succeed. I invest my time to pay it back and pass the class.”

    Devonshire has three grown children and is married to her husband of 25 years. She enjoys crocheting and cross-stitching, attending college sporting events, reading and spending time with family and friends.

    Thank you, Denise, for choosing FNU in your pursuit to further your education and your commitment to the healthcare of your community.

    Visit our website to learn more about nurse-midwifery or FNU’s nurse-midwifery program.

  • The Spring Quarterly Bulletin Features Inspirational Alumni

    The Spring Quarterly Bulletin Features Inspirational Alumni

    The theme of the Spring 2022 issue of the Frontier Nursing University (FNU) Quarterly Bulletin is “The Power of Perseverance”. Everyone has faced challenges and hurdles in their lives. Everyone has experienced personal loss and tragedy. Not everyone responds to these life events the same way. The stories in this issue of the Quarterly Bulletin include three different FNU alumni who have very different stories to tell. The circumstances and challenges vary for each story. The common thread, however, is the remarkable perseverance displayed by all three women, and how their stories can inspire others.

    You will meet Holly Howell, MSN, CNM, who shares her story of personal loss and how it continues to inspire her to be “a better, more empathetic provider.” She also demonstrates her commitment to being a strong advocate for “empowering women, natural childbirth, breastfeeding, women’s reproductive rights, and health equality for the LGBTQIA+ community.”

    We then share the story of Dr. Stephanie Mitchell, DNP, CNM, CPM. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Mitchell recently moved to a very small town in rural Alabama. There, she is determined to open the state’s first birth center, despite the legislative and economic challenges she faces in doing so. “There is no competition in Alabama, and people deserve to have options,” Dr. Mitchell said. “To not have it as an option is unconscionable.”

    The third in this issue’s “Power of Perseverance” stories features Dr. Crystal White, DNP, MSN, FNP-C. Dr. White practices in rural Illinois. At a time of personal loss and tragedy, she was tempted to delay or outright cancel her plans to pursue her DNP at Frontier, but the Frontier student she precepted and her FNU mentor Dr. Charlotte Swint inspired her to keep going. “In an extremely emotional and stressful time, she (Dr. Swint) was the kindest, beyond belief, just way beyond what would be expected of her,” Dr. White said.

    Joining these three inspiring stories in this issue of the Quarterly Bulletin are the amazing accomplishments of the many members of the FNU community. As always, we share the latest news, awards, accomplishments, publications, presentations, and professional advancements of Frontier alumni, students, faculty, and staff. Further, we introduce you to our new Chief Advancement Officer Bobbi Silver.

    The Spring Quarterly Bulletin also explains how you can support the Kitty Ernst Scholarship Fund. Just as she foresaw the need for community-based advanced practice nursing, Kitty also recognized the need to assist our students. She knew that minimizing student debt would enable graduates to focus fully on their call to serve. Frontier worked with Kitty to create this endowed scholarship fund to support Frontier nurse-midwifery students. All fund donations help provide a boost for our future midwives.

    To read these stories and more, view the Spring 2022 Quarterly Bulletin today!

  • The Technology Behind Clinical Simulations at Clinical Bound

    The Technology Behind Clinical Simulations at Clinical Bound

    An essential component of every student’s path at Frontier Nursing University is Clinical Bound. During Clinical Bound, students test what they have learned during their didactic studies (online coursework) through clinical simulations before they begin seeing real patients during the clinical phase of their program.

    At Clinical Bound, students evaluate standardized patients who follow basic scripts describing their condition or symptoms. The interaction is observed by the instructor, and it is also recorded for later review and evaluation. Modeled after actual examination rooms, the simulation rooms do not have enough space for all the students attending Clinical Bound, but the other students are able to learn from each other by observing on their mobile devices.

    The process to create these state-of-the-art clinical simulations on the Versailles, Ky., campus involved collaboration between faculty and the university’s IT services, which was instrumental in making sure the technological needs of the simulations were being met.

    “We interviewed the different departments to find out how many students were going to be in each room and what applications would be used,” FNU Director of IT Marc Weitlauf said. “This helped us determine bandwidth, whether or not televisions were needed, and adjust WiFi settings. We thought we had it right, but until you have enough people in there to actually verify that, you never know for sure. In the first Bound or two in the Fall of 2021, we struggled with connectivity because we needed some of the WiFi access points to be a little bit better. The WiFi access points were crossing each other and it was confusing the machines and causing them to lose connectivity because they didn’t know which WiFi access points to talk to.”

    Through a bit of trial and error, it was determined that the best solution was to put a dedicated Microsoft Surface Pro tablet connected to the network in each of the simulation rooms. This allows the faculty and students more flexibility in changing the setup of the room for proper recording and broadcasting. The tablet is on a movable mount so it can be positioned as needed.

    “This has resolved quite a few of the connectivity issues that arose from students having their own laptops in these rooms,” Weitlauf said. “With the tablet being a standard device on our network, we can control what is on that machine and how it works. If there are problems, we can troubleshoot them much better than we can on someone’s personal device. This way we have a much more standardized and consistent experience in every exam room.”

    Weitlauf and his team continue to work with faculty to make technical adjustments as needed to improve the consistency and efficiency of the Clinical Bound experience. For example, they determined a stronger WiFi monitor was needed to identify the source of trouble spots when users report connectivity issues.

    “As the Bounds have gone on, we’ve gotten better and better,” Weitlauf said.

    Clinical Bound is an experience the students can’t get at most other distance-learning institutions. When our students leave Clinical Bound, they are well-prepared to begin their clinical experience and have made lifelong friendships and connections. Learn more about Clinical Bound and the technology used to help students learn and prepare to become advanced practice nurses.

  • Personal Tragedy Inspires Holly Howell’s Commitment to Serve

    Personal Tragedy Inspires Holly Howell’s Commitment to Serve

    Even as a child, FNU alumni Holly Howell, MSN, CNM, knew she wanted to be a nurse. It was a not-so-subtle nudge that pushed her in the right direction.

    “At a very young age, I have a very vivid memory of my aunt, heavily pregnant, asking me to feel her belly, and the baby made a really large movement,” Howell said. “In my head, it’s still the largest movement I’ve ever felt from a baby. I was fascinated and intrigued by it. From then on, I knew that I wanted to work in the maternal-child field. I wanted to deliver babies. It was my end goal. I’m really proud of myself that I made it, and I’m doing it.”

    Howell grew up in Nevada and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Nevada State College, becoming the first woman in her family to graduate from college. With her focus on attending births and caring for pregnant women, she chose Frontier Nursing University to guide her to her goal of becoming a Certified Nurse-Midwife. During her time at FNU, she was awarded the Jesse Smith Noyes Scholarship.

    “Receiving the scholarship definitely helped me to complete the program at Frontier and also relieved some of the burdens of student loan debt,” she said. “Frontier prepared me really well for midwifery care and caring for patients. It has also given me a great network of midwifery friends and partners that I can lean on during stressful times and reach out to for questions or similar experiences. Those deep bonds were created during on-campus sessions and study groups as we went through the program together, leaning on each other during stressful times. Since then, we have been able to stay in contact via social media really well.”

    Today, Howell works as a nurse-midwife at two different locations in Las Vegas, both of which are part of the Women’s Health Associates of Southern Nevada. Her usual routine includes morning rounds at the hospital before arriving at the clinic between 8:45 and 9:00 a.m. The clinic includes three collaborating physician partners and two collaborating midwifery partners in addition to Howell. She sees between 25 and 35 patients per day.

    “They are primarily pregnant and OB patients, but I do also do birth control consults, menopausal care, annual exams, and IUD insertions,” she said. “We’re a very busy OB practice, and I see primarily pregnant people and postpartum visits. I also deliver quite a few babies every month, so I’m in and out of the hospital all the time. Yesterday (March 22, 2022), I actually set a record for myself and delivered five of my own babies in a 24- hour period. I didn’t sleep much.”

    It was yet another taxing day in what has been a taxing two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Howell has relied on her training and knowledge to try to be a steadying and calming influence for her patients.

    “The pandemic has been really scary and taxing for a lot of people, especially for pregnant people,” Howell said. “They have been very anxious during the pandemic and have needed a lot of support, education, and reassurance.”

    With several of her patients contracting COVID, Howell saw first-hand the additional risks that pregnant women faced.

    “During labor and birth, I pride myself on making sure that I’m practicing in an evidence-based way and that I am giving family-centered and patient-centered care.”
    – Holly Howell, MSN, CNM, FNU Alumni

    “We saw how it could affect pregnant people and how they have an increased risk of getting sicker than the normal population,” Howell said. “I’ve been doing a lot of counseling and education that I was doing before, but it’s a little bit more sensitive because they know that they are at a higher risk for getting more severe symptoms than a non-pregnant person.”

    Howell also counseled patients about the vaccines. She helped them through their understandable fear and anxiety by “staying up to date with all of the current recommendations so I could give my patients good evidence-based answers to the questions.”

    As if the pandemic was not difficult enough to cope with, Howell and her wife Dana faced their own personal tragedy late last year.

    “I gave birth to my son Huck Wilder at 20 weeks gestation,” Howell said. “It’s a very scary and traumatic way to be on the other side and be the patient. I had really amazing nurses and a certified nurse-midwife that took great care of me. But I just love him and miss him every day. I’m grateful that I had him and that he was here, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be a patient and to be on the other side of women’s health. I think going through this experience will make me a better, more empathetic provider. I’m sad that I had to experience that, but really am grateful for the time that I did have with him.”

    Though pained, Howell speaks openly about her experience and the immeasurable impact Huck has had on her.

    “He has been an inspiration for me to take really good care of pregnant people and also try to decrease the traumatic birth experience that people and families have during labor and birth,” she said. “I also had a really severe postpartum hemorrhage and do have some PTSD and trauma from my birth with no fault to my providers at all, just to the situation. My experience losing Huck has definitely given me insight and motivated me to provide the best care I can for birthing people and families.”

    Perhaps that is why Howell is much more than a provider. She states in her own profile on the Women’s Health Associates of Southern Nevada that she “is an advocate empowering women, natural childbirth, breastfeeding, women’s reproductive rights, and health equality for the LGBTQIA+ community.” One example of how she advocates for her patients is she has stopped using stirrups during pelvic exams and births unless the patient requests them. She finds that this gives the patient more autonomy over their own body and better freedom of movement.

    “I pride myself on practicing in a trauma-informed way,” Howell said. “I always ask for consent and permission before I do any kind of pelvic or invasive exam. During labor and birth, I pride myself on making sure that I’m practicing in an evidence-based way and that I am giving family-centered and patient-centered care. I give patients options, and we have in-depth discussions before any interventions are completed, making sure that they are well educated about their bodies and their different options during labor and childbirth.”

    In addition to educating and informing her patients, Howell wants to make sure her patients feel accepted and welcomed into a clinic that is safe and inclusive.

    “I am a proud gay woman and advertise that on my website,” Howell said. “Hopefully, LGBTQIA+ people can come and see me and find a safe environment where they can be free to be themselves and be more comfortable with invasive exams and care.”

    Howell dreams of one day opening her own birth center, but for now, she is happy right where she is at, living out her childhood dreams every day, to the significant benefit of her community.

    “We provide really great service to a lot of women and give them a happy medium between home birth or birth center care,” she said. “I’m really happy being a resource for the women who are not eligible for home birth or birth center care because I can still give them that low intervention, calm environment in the hospital setting. I am very happy with where I am at.”

    To read more spotlight stories on the important work our alumni are doing, please visit this page.

  • National Academies of Practice Inducts Dr. Vicky Stone-Gale as a Distinguished 2022 Fellow

    National Academies of Practice Inducts Dr. Vicky Stone-Gale as a Distinguished 2022 Fellow

    The National Academies of Practice (NAP) recently announced the election of Dr. Vicky Stone-Gale, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FNAP, as a Distinguished 2022 Fellow. Class of 2022 Fellows were welcomed into the National Academies of Practice during the awards and induction ceremony in San Diego, California, on March 5, 2022.

    In the fall of 2020, Dr. Stone-Gale and her daughter Jennifer Stone, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, became the first APRNs licensed as autonomous advanced practice registered nurses in the state of Florida. They received the good news after a house bill permitting select APRNs to practice in primary care was signed into law by the Florida governor earlier that year. The Autonomous Nurse Practitioner practices in primary care settings permitting the APRN to be independent of physician general supervision to provide care throughout Florida.

    “To be elected by my peers as a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice is truly an honor,” Dr. Stone-Gale said. “This organization works toward the common goal of working with all professions to advocate for quality healthcare for all individuals. This will only improve the outcomes of our patients, which is what is needed for everyone.”

    Founded in 1981, NAP is an interprofessional, nonprofit organization with membership representing a range of healthcare professions willing to serve as distinguished advisors to healthcare policymakers in Congress and elsewhere. The mission of the National Academies of Practice is to serve as distinguished professionals advancing interprofessional healthcare by fostering collaboration and advocating policies in the best interest of individuals and communities.

    The academies within the National Academies of Practice include Allopathic and Osteopathic Medicine, Athletic Training, Audiology, Dentistry, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Podiatric Medicine, Psychology, Social Work, Speech-Language Pathology, and Veterinary Medicine.

    Fellowship in the National Academies of Practice is an honor extended to those who have excelled in their profession and are dedicated to furthering interprofessional practice, scholarship, and policy in support of interprofessional care. The central purpose of NAP is to advise public policymakers on health care issues using NAP’s unique perspective — that of expert practitioners and scholars joined in interprofessional dialogue and advocacy.

    To learn more about Dr. Stone-Gale and her work in advocacy, listen to our podcast.

  • Get to Know FNU’s New Chief Advancement Officer Bobbi Silver

    Get to Know FNU’s New Chief Advancement Officer Bobbi Silver


    Chief Advancement Officer
    Bobbi Silver

    On the surface, it is natural to assume that the role of an advancement officer is to raise money. It is true that fundraising is central to the position, but at its core, it is really about connecting and building relationships.

    “People give to people,” Frontier Nursing University Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) Bobbi Silver said. “Yes, we need to provide important funding to our institutions, but it’s also important that we have meaningful connections with people to facilitate support for the institution in ways that they are passionate about. We want to treat people with respect and kindness and connect them to the university.”

    Silver, who began her role as Frontier’s Chief Advancement Officer on March 28, 2022, brings nearly 20 years of experience in fundraising and marketing. Most recently, she served as the Director of Development at the Diocese of Lexington. Prior to that, she was the Vice President of Philanthropy at the YMCA of Central Kentucky and worked in fundraising roles at the University of Kentucky. Read Our Q&A with Bobbi

    In each of those roles, she saw the value of connecting people to causes that were important to them. At Frontier, she found a cause that is important to her.

    “I love Frontier’s mission and how it started in Eastern Kentucky, focusing on this unmet need to help people and families in rural areas,” Silver said. “Our purpose is to change the landscape and healthcare of rural and marginalized communities. I was also drawn to our commitment to diversity and inclusion. Not all places follow through with their spoken intentions. At Frontier, we hold our feet to the fire. We are what we say we are, and that’s important to me.”

    Commitment to service and purpose comes naturally to Silver, whose father served in the U.S. Army. He was on active duty during her childhood, which meant the family was frequently on the move. They lived in Belgium, Alaska, Colorado, and Virginia before moving back to Maryland, where her parents were originally from. After finishing high school, Silver graduated from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. She found a job in Savannah, Georgia, where she met her husband, Matthew, who was stationed there as an Army Ranger. The couple made their way back to Kentucky, where Matthew’s parents lived.

    Silver began working in a nonprofit setting early on in her career. Her first jobs out of college had been sales-related, but a position with a non-profit organization helped her find her true calling.

    “I always had this yearning to do good for others,” said Silver. “When we moved to Kentucky, I looked for fundraising-related positions. My first job when we moved to Kentucky was fundraising and corporate support for WEKU (a non-profit radio station at Eastern Kentucky University). From there, I moved into other roles where I worked with some great people and got to learn about the fundraising world.”

    “Stay connected. Stay connected to your faculty. Become a preceptor. Give back with a scholarship. Lift someone else up. Look for alumni in your region you could connect with. Giving is important, but it’s not just about money.”
    – Bobbi Silver, FNU Chief Advancement Officer

    Silver’s impressive record of success in development, alumni relations, external affairs, grants management, and marketing made her a strong candidate for Frontier’s CAO position. But it was her immediate connection to Frontier’s mission and culture that made her a natural fit.

    “We are so excited to welcome her and her family to the Frontier community,” FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM, said. “We know she will help us continue to grow and successfully fulfill our mission.”

    To do that, Silver wants to know why the members of the FNU community are passionate about Frontier. She wants to know their stories and how they got where they are.

    “Fundraising is caring about people, which fits perfectly with our Culture of Caring,” she said. “It’s meeting people and hearing about their journeys. Where were the stumbling blocks? What connections to the university helped them through those? That’s my favorite part about fundraising.”

    Silver said that she wants to focus on building lifelong connections with students to keep them better engaged with the university throughout their careers and beyond.

    “If I could say anything to the students, I would say philanthropy involves giving, but it’s not just that. Philanthropy is about giving of ourselves and includes volunteering and giving back, lifting someone else up,” Silver said. “I recently watched a video in which Kitty Ernst said, ‘Don’t ever leave.’ I think that’s the perfect phrase. Stay connected. Stay connected to your faculty. Become a preceptor. Give back with a scholarship. Lift someone else up. Look for alumni in your region you could connect with. Giving is important, but it’s not just about money.”

    Get Involved

    Silver intends to build deeper connections with alumni and hopes that many will come to visit the new Versailles campus.

    “We want to connect with our alumni in a more intentional way,” she said. “We want to get them on campus so they can see it and celebrate it. There’s a lot for our alumni and friends to be proud of. It’s a great time to get engaged. It’s an open invitation to call me and come visit.”

    Silver is quite active away from her work at the university. The Silvers have two children, Calvin, who is in college, and Eden, who is in high school and active in sports. Silver also enjoys hiking with Matthew and their dog and dreams of one day taking a trip to Scotland.

    “Family connection is a number one priority for me,” Silver said. “I recognize how precious time is right now because my kids are growing up. Once they reach this teenage and low 20 age, time just tumbles over itself so much faster. I try to be more focused on living in the moment.”

    Silver has already found a home at Frontier. In just her first few months at the university, she feels connected to the university, its mission, and its people.

    “I have found that this place has been incredibly welcoming, warm, and very encouraging to put yourself out there, learn, and take risks. That’s who we are,” she said. “I’m excited to be with this incredible faculty and wonderful staff. Everyone is happy to be here and to help in any way. That sense of service speaks to my heart. I want our department to be of service to others. Our goal is to support the university in all the ways we can, and I think we have a really great team that can do that.”

    Get to Know Bobbi Silver

    What do you like to do in your free time?
    I like to read (especially any Agatha Christie-inspired mysteries), hike, be outside, going to the theater to see plays, watch my youngest son participate in high school track, and visit my oldest son at college. I love NFL football, especially my Baltimore Ravens. (I was born in Baltimore.)

    What attracted you to your role at FNU?
    I am a first-generation college graduate and am particularly interested in helping students from rural or marginalized communities with their education. FNU’s history and commitment to these same communities drew my attention to this position. The faculty, staff and students here are an incredibly caring community and I am truly grateful to serve in this role.

    Do you have any fun facts you’d like to share?
    -I grew up an Army Brat and moved around quite a bit. Through high school, I lived in two countries, four states, and went to nine different schools. I’m not afraid of change!

    -I love a good road trip.
    -I prefer to listen to audiobooks rather than music.
    -I love to bake.

    What are you most excited about in this new position?
    Frontier is in a great place in its evolution. I am excited to start in this role at this point in time to engage with our alumni, celebrate our new campus, and work with the community. I have a great team who are dedicated to Frontier, which makes my job so much easier. I truly appreciate the joyful spirit I have encountered at Frontier and how diligent everyone is in working together to transform health communities.

    Do you have a favorite quote, and why?
    “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” -Amelia Earhart; I love this quote because it’s a great reminder to be brave, to experience the world, and to see joy. I am an overthinker and while that certainly has its place, I sometimes need a reminder to make the daring decision and be bold.

    Do you have any TV shows to recommend or that you enjoy?
    Lately, I’ve been watching the entire series of Ina Garten’s Back to Basics on Discovery+. Her voice is so soothing and I’m picking up some great cooking tips.

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