Barbara Stevens Mitchell, RN, MS, MSN, Marion High School Class of 1966, is a respected and distinguished healthcare professional who helped bolster the nursing profession in the State of Indiana through philanthropic and workforce development efforts.
At MHS, she ranked in the top 10 of her class as a Kiwanis Scholastic Award Recipient. She was a member of the National Honor Society, and served separate terms as Secretary and Treasurer of the Student Council. Additionally, she was active as a Freshman, JV, and Varsity Cheerleader.
After graduation from MHS, she earned her Diploma in Nursing from Parkview-Methodist School of Nursing, Fort Wayne, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Mary Manse College, Toledo, Ohio, both with honors. As a graduate student at Indiana University, she maintained a 4.0 grade point average while earning two Master’s Degrees, one in Education and one in Nursing, while working full-time and parenting three children.
Her career in Nursing spanned 41 years. During that time she practiced nursing at Parkview Hospital, The Toledo Hospital, and Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan. In addition, she was a Faculty member, Harper Hospital School of Nursing, Detroit; Assistant Director of Parkview-Methodist School of Nursing (where she had earned her first nursing credential); and Staff Development Coordinator at Indiana University Medical Center.
In the above Nurse Educator roles, she was involved in extensive needs assessment, curriculum and program development, test construction and evaluative processes, clinical experience coordination and oversight, and academic counseling and advising.
Her culminating career role was as Executive Director of Nursing 2000, Inc., in Indianapolis, a not-for-profit organization to promote, support and advance careers in registered nursing to positively impact clinical and academic resources. She was accountable for the organization’s operation, including strategic planning, program development and fiscal management. Under her leadership, Nursing 2000 reached $1 million in scholarship proceeds for undergraduate and graduate nursing scholarships. She also served as host of the first Indiana Nursing Workforce Summit and as facilitator for regional summits. These efforts evolved into the Indiana Nursing Workforce Development Coalition.
Mitchell expanded existing programs through grants, A Day in the Life of a Nurse Shadowing Experience, RN educational mobility seminars, and received a Helene Fuld Grant for regional adaptation of the Nursing 2000 model in northern Indiana. She also served as the Indiana conduit for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Colleagues in Caring: Regional Collaboratives for Nursing Workforce Development, a network of 40 states addressing workforce issues. In addition, she developed a repository of career materials that were targeted to elementary through post-graduate students. Two nursing initiatives, Embracing a Multigenerational Workforce and Cultivating a Diverse Workforce were grant supported. She was a highly sought after guest speaker and expert at local, state, and national conferences and served on several boards including the Central Indiana Organization of Nurse Executives and Vice President of the Indiana Nursing Workforce Development Coalition. She was on the Council of Deans and Directors of Indiana Nursing Schools and the Advisory Board for the Metropolitan Indianapolis Area Health Education Center.
Throughout her career, she co-authored a number of publications related to nursing workforce development and leadership, notably, the book “Collaboration for the Promotion of Nursing: Building Partnerships for the Future”, published by Sigma Theta Tau International.
Due to her broad impact on the field of nursing at all levels, it was noted at her retirement celebration that she had become “the face of nursing in Indiana”.
Since her retirement in 2011, she has received two prestigious honors from Indiana University.
In 2014, the IU School of Nursing and their 19,000 living alumni, celebrated its 100th anniversary. In commemoration of that event, Mitchell was honored as a Top 100 Alumni Legacy Leader.
In 2020, IU celebrated its 200th year as a university by awarding a Bicentennial Medal to 2,000 living alumni. This medal, given by the university and its Board of Trustees, was awarded “in recognition of distinguished and distinctive service in support of the mission of Indiana University”. Mitchell was one of 22 recipients from the School of Nursing.
Mitchell also has received the Outstanding Leadership in Workforce Development from the National League for Nursing; the Dotaline Allen Award, IU School of Nursing; the Special Recognition Award, IU School of Nursing Alumni Award; and Recognition of Leadership, Contributions, and Dedication from the Indiana Organization of Nurse Executives.