Alum Shelley Conroy joins VCU School of Nursing as an associate dean and department chair
Shelley F. Conroy, Ed.D., M.S., RN, CNE (B.S.’77/N; M.S.’83/N), a nationally renowned leader in nursing education, has joined the VCU School of Nursing as professor, associate dean for graduate programs, and chair of the Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems.
Conroy brings more than 40 years of experience in teaching, research and scholarship to the School of Nursing. She most recently served as a professor and dean of the Louise Herrington School of Nursing at Baylor University. Her tenure at Baylor also included two years as the inaugural dean of the newly created Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences.
“We are fortunate to have an accomplished nurse leader of Dr. Conroy’s caliber join our school and we’re proud that she just happens to be a two-time alum,” said Jean Giddens, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, professor and dean of the VCU School of Nursing. “Dr. Conroy has made a significant impact on nursing education nationally and will be an invaluable asset to our faculty and students.”
Prior to Baylor, Conroy served as dean and professor at Armstrong Atlantic State University’s College of Health Professions, Weber State University’s Dumke College of Health Professions and John Tyler Community College’s Professional and Technical Studies academic division. She also served as a part-time and adjunct faculty member in the RN to B.S. weekend program at the VCU School of Nursing and held a clinical graduate faculty appointment in the Maternal-Child Nursing Department.
A former president of the Virginia Board of Nursing, Conroy has an extensive background of elected and appointed leadership roles at professional organizations at the local, state and national level. She has served as the president of the Texas Association of Deans and Directors of Professional Nursing Programs, president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing, and as a member of the Doctoral Education Committee and a new dean mentor at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. She currently serves as chair of the CGFNS International Professional Nurse Credentials and Standards Committee and serves on the International Commission on Healthcare Professions.
Conroy has published numerous articles in professional journals and has been awarded over $10 million in grants and sponsored projects related to simulation, rural health education outreach, nursing and health professions workforce preparation, and career mobility.
She earned a B.S. in nursing and an M.S. in maternal-infant nursing with a specialization in nursing education from the VCU School of Nursing and earned an Ed.D. degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Central Florida.
