Yolanda VanRiel is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Nursing at North Carolina Central University. Dr. VanRiel is a nationally recognized nursing leader whose transformative contributions span nursing education, workforce development, and advancing health equity. Her career has been dedicated to strengthening competency in both nursing education and practice while expanding the pipeline of nurse educators and healthcare leaders across disciplines. Dr. VanRiel has co-authored national resources, including the Vision Statement and Toolkit for Competency-Based Education and the revised Academic Nurse Competencies. She also led the implementation of the Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) program, now in 56 universities, improving CPR skills for over 28,000 students. Her co-authored white paper on HBCUs and structural racism offers a national blueprint for health equity and workforce diversification. Dr. VanRiel’s evidence-based, equity-driven leadership has earned her numerous honors, including induction as a Fellow of the NLN Academy of Nursing Education and Great 100 Nurses of NC. Dr. VanRiel earned her PhD and Certificate in Healthcare Disparities from UNC-Chapel Hill, an MSN and BSN from UNC-Greensboro, a Post-Master’s Certificate in Nursing Administration from Queens University of Charlotte, and an ADN from Richmond Community College.