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ONL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
Leadership Lunch Series
ONL's Leadership Lunch Series is a unique professional learning opportunity for nurses at all levels and is specially designed to support learning across nursing teams. Offered virtually each spring and fall, the four-part series features nationally recognized thought leaders sharing diverse perspectives ranging from big-picture thinking to tactical, actionable strategies. During each of the four 90-minute online sessions, participants hear from a different member of our remarkable series faculty on a different topic; the series offers something for everyone at all levels of leadership. Plus, participants enjoy exceptional professional learning without sacrificing time in their busy schedules for travel and enjoy protected time to eat their lunch.
This program offers organizations a unique, cost-effective opportunity to invest in their teams. By enrolling in the Leadership Lunch Series, participating organizations provide timely and consistent educational content for nursing teams with contact hours available at an affordable price. Teams that participate together have found that dialogue and discussion emerges that supports team bonding, collaboration, and ideas to advance practice.
What Participants Can Expect
- Four 90-minute professional learning sessions (one per month) featuring nationally recognized faculty, delivered via Zoom
- Insights and inspiration from distinguished nursing leadership experts on a range of hot topics in nursing leadership
- Opportunities to spark dialogue and discussion within your nursing team that encourages collaboration, bonding, and ideas to advance practice
Who Should Participate
Program Details
- Organizations purchase access to the live, virtual series for their team.
- Individuals must then register to receive the meeting link and program evaluation.
- Attendees are eligible for 1.5 Contact Hours for each program, and 6.0 for attending the full series.
Program Pricing
- Up to 100 participants: $5,000
- Up to 50 participants: $4,000
- Up to 25 participants: $3,000
- Up to 10 participants: $2,000
Now accepting enrollments for the Winter/Spring 2026 Leadership Lunch Series!
Please contact us via email at [email protected] to enroll in the Leadership Lunch Series.
Winter/Spring 2026 Leadership Lunch Series Program Faculty and Session Descriptions
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Friday, January 16th, 2026, 12:00-1:30 PM ET
Leading with Renewal: Taking Care of the Leader in the Mirror
Leading in complex environments of high demands and pressures means that nurse leaders must adopt intentional practices that prioritize renewal, restore clarity, and strengthen resilience. This session reframes self-care as a cornerstone of leadership excellence, and shares how restorative practices such as mindfulness, social connection, music, laughter, and movement can enhance emotional balance, foster reflective decision-making, deepen self-awareness, and strengthen the leader’s capacity to model wellness.
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Gabrielle Abelard, DNP, APRN-BC, FNAP, FAAN, FAANP
Dr. Gabrielle Abelard is a dedicated mentor, published author, mental health clinician, motivational speaker, and educator with decades of experience in mental health nursing. She is deeply committed to building resilience and improving health care outcomes both within and beyond nursing. She is a clinical professor, director of master's programs and certificates, and psychiatric mental health specialty director at the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Abelard founded and directs a community mental health clinic that serves diverse clients throughout Massachusetts. She has served as past president of the EMCON Faculty Assembly and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) New England Chapter. She is the first chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Massachusetts Association of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses (MAAPPN) and serves on the Board of Directors for the New England Regional Black Nurses Association (NERBNA) and the Massachusetts American Nurses Association (ANA).
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Friday, February 20th, 2026, 12:00-1:30 PM ET
Inspiring Excellence: Strengthening Nursing Orientation Through Leadership and Learning Science
Nurse leaders play a pivotal role in enhancing the effectiveness of nursing orientation. This session will explore the experience complexity gap, apply cognitive load theory to orientation design, and introduce the Tiered Skills Acquisition Model to clinical orientation that promotes progressive skill development individualized to the learner.
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Ellen Joswiak, DNP, RN, NPD-BC
Dr. Ellen Joswiak is a thought leader and innovator in nursing professional development, recognized for advancing clinical education and workforce transformation. Her expertise in curriculum design, novice nurse transition, preceptor development, and quality improvement has shaped modern approaches to nursing education through evidence-based, collaborative strategies. She is a co-innovator of the Tiered Skills Acquisition Model (TSAM®), an internationally adopted clinical orientation framework. Dr. Joswiak has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications reflecting her commitment to advancing the science of nursing education. Beginning January 2026, she will serve as Chief Clinical Education Consultant with Creative Health Care Insight. She earned her DNP from Augsburg University in 2017 and is board-certified in Nursing Professional Development.
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Dawn M. Nelson, MS, RN, NPD-BC
Dawn M. Nelson is a Nursing Education Specialist and Assistant Professor of Nursing for the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where she has worked for 37 years. Ms. Nelson currently coordinates the Department of Nursing Preceptor Program. Prior to this, she supported the Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant Specialty as a Nursing Education Specialist, worked as a Discharge Planning Specialist and as a staff nurse in the Pediatric, Occupational Health and Surgical specialties. She has also served as adjunct faculty at Winona State University and the University of Minnesota. Ms. Nelson is board certified in Nursing Professional Development and has presented nationally and internationally on the topics of engaging educational strategies, preceptor support and development, mentorship, and the Tiered Skills Acquisition Model (TSAM®) for clinical orientation.
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Friday, March 20th, 2026, 12:00-1:30 PM ET
Nursing's Commitment to the Principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Historical and Ethical Imperatives
Nursing has a long history of commitments, both ethically and professionally, to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This session will explore social and political challenges related to DEI and discuss how nurse leaders must consider our social responsibility to ensure professional values are visible and acted upon in caring for patients and employees.
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Tim Porter-O'Grady, DM, EdD, ScD(h), APRN, FAAN, FACCWS
Dr. Tim Porter-O’Grady is well-recognized as an expert in clinical health systems, nursing leadership, professional governance, and health systems innovation. He has been a nurse for over 50 years, is an advanced practice nurse, is board certified in geriatrics and wound specialties, and holds two earned doctorates, one in learning behavior and another in complex systems leadership. He currently leads an international health consulting practice and is a clinical professor at the Emory University School of Nursing.
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Friday, April 17th, 2026, 12:00-1:30 PM ET
Topic and Speaker Soon to Be Announced!
Stay tuned!
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What Previous Leadership Lunch Series Participants Are Saying
- "I am so grateful that my organization supports these sessions. I look forward to learning and broadening my thinking during this hour and a half each month. Please keep offering this series!"
- "The Leadership Lunch Series is an excellent program! I appreciate the range of topics covered, the contact hours, and the convenient scheduling."
- "ONL is always at the forefront of what is relevant to nurse leaders. The Leadership Lunch Series is on point and makes the content accessible to so many members of my team."
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