Julie Kruse is a full professor at Oakland University School of Nursing, where she also serves as Director of a HRSA-funded Nursing Workforce Diversity Project. Over the past two decades, she has led five HRSA initiatives focused on diversifying the nursing workforce, helping hundreds of underrepresented students enter the profession - many now serving as leaders, educators, researchers, and advanced practice nurses. With more than 20 years of experience as a nurse educator, Dr. Kruse is dedicated to advancing care for underserved populations. She has designed inclusive, innovative teaching strategies for thousands of nursing students, with several methods published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including The Lancet. Dr. Kruse has secured over $8.7 million in internal and external funding, with the majority supporting initiatives and research centered on justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. This work includes 20 projects as principal investigator and five as co-investigator. She is an inaugural member of the AACN Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Network and the outgoing Chair of the APHA Public Health Nursing Section. Dr. Kruse earned her nursing diploma from St. Vincent School of Nursing, a BSN from Lourdes College, and MS and PhD degrees from the University of Michigan.