Leadership at MCCN

Meet our President and Academic Dean

Kathleen Williamson, PhD, MSN, RN

Kathleen Williamson, PhD, MSN, RN, is president and academic dean of Mount Carmel College of Nursing. Dr. Williamson came to MCCN as the Academic Dean in 2019 and will now step into the role of MCCN President while keeping her duties as Academic Dean. Since coming to MCCN, Dr. Williamson has helped lead the College through various changes, including the transformation of our Franklinton Campus, obtaining grant funding, and expanding our use of technology throughout the College.

Dr. Williamson, a third-generation nurse, earned her Master of Science in Nursing Leadership with a specialty focus on Nursing Education from Wilmington University. She earned a PhD in Urban Affairs and Public Policy with a special focus on health policy from the University of Delaware. Recently, she was awarded a Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) grant for Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Residency Program (ANE – NRP). The award of $2 million over four years will help to create and put in place a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Residency Program in collaboration with community partners. This grant will provide experiences to new FNP graduates to expand their clinical experiences and transition into the workplace while caring for medically underserved populations.

As the College’s leader, Dr. Williamson has oversight of graduate, undergraduate and online programs where nearly 1,000 students are enrolled at two campuses – Columbus and Lancaster, Ohio. In her role, Dr. Williamson is committed to leading with real-world knowledge, clinical skill and personal passion for academic excellence grounded in rich Catholic Faith. She strives to motivate faculty, staff and students to face challenges and work beyond their potential in order to continue our history of educating compassionate nurse leaders. “My vision for nursing 20 years from now is that the ability to provide students a place where they can be engaged in the learning process, express their ideas, connect with others, develop a deeper understanding of concepts, think critically and reflect.,” Williamson said, “the best part of being a nurse educator is finding ways to help students develop the necessary skills to be successful in nursing school and in the profession of nursing.” Our work is to bridge the gap so they have a seamless transition to the practice setting where they can provide the best evidence-based quality, and safe care.