Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kelly Conway, DNP, CNS, as Dean of the College of Nursing.
In 2020, the University announced a new college structure in which academic programs are grouped into colleges directed by college deans. Conway has been serving as Interim Dean of the College of Nursing since February 2021.
Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost, Mark Horacek, PT, PhD, MS, explained that the college structure and supervising deans were implemented “to continue to manage and facilitate university’s growth and to ensure that we continue to meet our mission,” while providing a better learning experience for students.
As Dean of the College of Nursing, Conway will oversee the following programs, with their varied options and certifications:
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP and FNPC) with Program Director Kevin Ballard, DNP, FNP, FAANP
- Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP and ENPC), with Program Director Kristina Davis, DNP, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC, ENP-C
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP and PMHNPC), with Program Director Allyce Jones, DNP, MSN, PMHNP-BC, APRN, CNE, NCMP, PMH-C
- Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), with program directors, for individual and dual concentrations, Ballard (FNP), Davis (ENP), and Jones (PMHNP)
Conway joined RMUoHP in 2016 as a faculty member in the DNP/FNP program. In 2018, she was promoted to Associate Professor and the Assistant Director of the Nursing Department. As Assistant Director, Conway was instrumental in the design and implementation of new programs including the PMHNPC and ENPC program. She completed an RMUoHP Administrative Fellowship focused on accreditation, through which she successfully co-led the nursing programs’ accreditation review by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Conway received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Public Health Certificate at the University of San Francisco; master’s degree in Adult Mental Health from the University of California, San Francisco; and Doctor of Nursing Practice from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in 2012. She is an AACN Fellow in Executive Leadership in Academic Nursing (ELAN).
As an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Conway has focused on inpatient and outpatient adult mental health settings, including case management of serious mental illness including psychiatric home healthcare. She has served as a program director in mental health and Facility Outreach Coordinator/Rural Health Coordinator at the Veteran Affairs Healthcare System in Palo Alto, California. She recently served on a detail to the National Homeless Program Office (HPO) with the Homeless Patient Aligned Care Teams (H-PACT), in addition to other community governing boards for housing, mental health, and medical advocacy.
