Ms. Leonhardt currently serves as the Director of Nursing Professional Practice and the Pathway to Excellence Program Director at Baptist Health Richmond. She is a lifelong learner having completed several nursing degrees including: Associate Degree in Nursing (1994) from Hazard Community College, Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (2007) from Indiana Wesleyan University and a Master of Science Degree in Nursing with a focus on leadership and management (2016) from Western Governors University. Ms. Leonhardt is a current student at Eastern Kentucky University pursuing a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP)with a focus on organizational leadership. Her current DNP problem of interest is assisting critical care nursing staff to adjust perception of a peaceful patient death as failure on the part of nursing.
Ms. Leonhardt’s clinical background reflects experience in multiple adult nursing care areas including critical care and procedural departments. She has practiced in a formal nursing leadership role since 2012 and maintains national nursing certification in critical care and advanced executive nursing practice. Ms. Leonhardt has a passion for assisting nurses to grow in their professional practice as well as for creating and revising processes that lead to positive patient outcomes.