Dr. Velez is an experienced nurse leader and educator with 20 years of nursing experience. Her clinical experience has primarily been in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, although she has also worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, general pediatric unit, newborn nursery, and Pediatric Emergency Department. Her first nursing degree was an AS and she went on to earn her BSN and MSN from Notre Dame of Maryland University, and her doctor of nursing practice from Johns Hopkins University, where she was a Jonas Scholar. Prior to joining Stevenson, Dr. Velez served as the Director of Professional Practice, Education and Research at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center where she was responsible for leading the Center for Nursing Excellence. In this role, she planned, developed, executed and evaluated nursing professional development and educational programs, developed simulation-based evaluations for new nurses completing orientation, oversaw the nurse residency program, collaborated with a statewide team to develop an adult care CNA curriculum, and partnered with Stevenson University to bridge the gap between practice and academia. She joined Stevenson University in June 2022 and is honored to serve as the Director of Graduate Nursing.