Portland, Ore. -- The Oregon Center for Nursing (OCN) Board of Directors has named long-time staff member Jana Bitton as the next executive director.
Bitton’s work in nursing began in 2009 when she joined OCN as a Program Manager leading the Nurturing Cultural Competence in Nursing (NCCN) program, an initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Northwest Health Foundation designed to create tools to increase cultural competence among nurses in various settings.
As the NCCN program came to a close, Bitton moved in the role of Program Director of the StudentMAX® Clinical Placement Program. This software program is used throughout the nation to facilitate the work of schools and clinical sites in arranging student clinical placements. Bitton led the program through a significant technological overhaul, and helped with the transfer of the program into a for-profit organization. She also served as Development Director at OCN before accepting the role of Interim Executive Director in June 2014.
“As the interim executive director, Jana helped lead OCN through some major transitions in 2014,” said OCN Board President Barbara Van Slyke, RN, BSN, OCN, CRNI. “Her expertise in nonprofit management is exactly what we need, and her leadership has helped steer OCN in a direction that will continue to benefit nursing well into the future.”
A native of the Portland area, Jana has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from California State University, Northridge, and a Master’s of Public Administration from Portland State University. Jana has a background in fundraising, marketing, and nonprofit management. She has worked as a research assistant with the Executive Leadership Institute at Portland State University, a fundraiser for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and a marketing coordinator for the City of Palmdale in California.
OCN is a nonprofit organization created by nursing leaders in 2002 with a mission to ensure a superior, well-prepared and diverse nursing workforce to meet the health and wellness needs of our communities. OCN is recognized by the Oregon state legislature as a state advisory around workforce issues, and fulfills its mission through nurse workforce research, building partnerships around leadership, recruitment and education, and advocating for nursing and healthcare. For more information about OCN, please visit www.oregoncenterfornursing.org.
