Psi Upsilon Member Highlight
Laura Simmons, PhD, RN, CNE
Immediate past-president Psi Upsilon Chapter
Dr. Simmons has been an active member of Sigma since 1987, holding numerous leadership roles in three chapters—Eta Theta, Beta-Theta at Large, and Psi-Upsilon. She currently serves as the immediate past-president of the Psi-Upsilon chapter at Western Governors University. Her long-standing Sigma membership has been foundational to her career, offering opportunities for leadership, service, and the cultivation of professional relationships. For this reason, she continues to advocate for the chapter and Sigma, encouraging students and nurse leaders to become involved.
She is a nurse educator with more than 25 years of experience shaping the next generation of nursing professionals. She has taught undergraduate students in pre-licensure BSN and RN-to-BSN programs, as well as graduate students, in both traditional classroom and online settings. Her academic credentials include a BSN and MSN in Maternal-Child Nursing from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and a PhD in Educational Psychology and Research from the University of Memphis.
Dr. Simmons is a certified nurse educator (CNE), a contributor to peer-reviewed journals, a journal reviewer, and has been a member of student thesis and dissertation committees. In her role as lead instructor in the graduate nursing program at WGU, she champions the professional practice of nursing, engages students in their learning, and supports them as they pursue their academic and career goals. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee, and she and her husband enjoy spending time with their family, including six grown children and 7 grandchildren.