Foster Care Champions
Chair - Tracy Halasz, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, PMHS
Tracy W. Halasz is a pediatric nurse practitioner and pediatric mental health specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. She has been a nurse practitioner for 14 years with experience in primary care with emphasis on care for children in foster care and behavioral/mental health, as well as experience in forensic medical evaluations for children suspected of child maltreatment. Tracy has been actively involved with the South Carolina Foster Care Advisory Committee and advocating for children in foster care in South Carolina. She has been an invited speaker on topics related to foster care, adolescent health and mental health. Tracy is the current president of the South Carolina Chapter of NAPNAP.
Co-chair - Alexandra Armstrong, MSN, CRNP, CPNP-AC
Alexandra Armstrong is an Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with over 14 years of clinical experience in Pediatric Endocrinology at Children’s of Alabama. She is also a full-time faculty member in the Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, where she serves as Co-Coordinator of the AC PNP Track. She teaches across both didactic and clinical settings and holds national leadership roles with the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, including service with the Child Maltreatment and Neglect Special Interest Group and NAPNAP Partners for Vulnerable Youth’s Alliance for Children in Foster Care. Alexandra is currently a PhD student with research interests focused on children with medical complexity in foster care and their caregivers. She is also interested in the impact of trauma on chronic illness in pediatric populations. Her clinical work includes the development of a High-Risk Diabetes Clinic aimed at improving equitable access to care and addressing social determinants of health. Alexandra and her husband have served as foster parents for over 10 years and lead a nonprofit organization, The Lavender Project, which supports funeral and bereavement services for families after the sudden loss of a child.
Champions:
Paula Barbel, PhD, CPNP-PC
Sarah Bennett, DNP, CPNP-PC, FNE-A/P
Kelly Betts, EdD, APRN, CPNP-BC, CNE
Kathleen Carr, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, FNP-C
Nancy Cavanaugh, MAT, MSN, CPNP-PC
Kylee Cibula, DNP
Emily Davis, DNP, APRN, CPNP-AC
Jennifer Helman, MSN, RN, CPNP-AC/PC
Megan Killen, CRNP-AC
Ellen McCabe, PhD, RN, PNP-BC, NCSN, FNASN
Shawna Mudd, DNP, MBACPNP-AC, PPCNP-BC, CNE
Dara Nunn, DNP, MPH, APRN, CPNP-AC, FNP-BC
Christina Quick, DNP, APRN, CPNPN-AC/PC, CHSE
Kristin Roeseler, DNP, ARPN, CPNP-PC, PMHS
Brittany Schnelle, MSN, APRN, CPNP-AC
Brigit VanGraafeiland, DNP, CPNP-PC, CNE, FAAN, FAANP
Sarah Wilson, MSN, CPNP-PC