Dr. Jan Jones-Schenk

Dr. Jones-Schenk is executive dean emeritus of the Michael O. Leavitt School of Health at Western Governors University. The Leavitt School of Health is entirely competency-based and offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in nursing and the health professions.

During her tenure, Dr. Jones-Schenk facilitated over 95,000 graduates. She was also the architect of the Institute for Advancing Health Value including the design of certificates for Value Based Care and Population Health Equity. Dr. Jones-Schenk has served on the boards of the American Nurses Association, Park City Hospital, Association for Leadership Science in Nursing, and National Education Progression in Nursing and Aquifer, a medical education technology company. She is also the past president of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Dr. Jones-Schenk is a fellow of the Academy of Associate Degree Nursing and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Dr. Jones-Schenk has a master’s degree in nursing administration and a doctorate in health sciences with an emphasis on global health. She was the 2015 recipient of the U.S. Distance Learning Association’s Award for Outstanding Leadership by an Individual. Her research includes emotional intelligence in student success and college debt amongst working nurses. In 2017, she received the Online Learning Consortium Digital Innovation Learning Award and Gates Foundation Prize.

In 2022, she was honored by the NLN with the prestigious President’s Award for innovation in nursing education. She is associate editor for the monthly leadership column for the Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing. Dr. Jones-Schenk is a national expert on competency-based education and learning science.