Kathleen A. Schachman is the H.R. Wickes Endowed Professor of Nursing at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU). To improve access to mental health and addiction treatment in rural Michigan, Dr. Schachman established SVSU’s Center for Rural Behavioral Health and Addiction Studies, uniting practice experts, community partners, educators, and researchers. She developed a rural residency program to increase the hiring and retention of nurse practitioners in rural areas, thereby reducing workforce shortages and health inequities. By creating an addictions-focused PMHNP program, she decreased the number of rural Michigan counties without a mental health provider by 60%. Her curricular innovations include involving individuals with lived experience in educational events and creating didactic content. She introduced new practice models for addiction care by establishing Michigan’s only geriatric addiction clinic and deploying a mobile clinic for rural communities. Her digital badge program for rural healthcare providers improved substance use disorder (SUD) screening and treatment. Additionally, she launched Michigan’s first SUD Project ECHO, reaching over 1,600 rural clinicians and enhancing their confidence and competence in providing medication for addiction treatment. Dr. Schachman is a graduate of University of Michigan (BSN), Albany State University (MSN), Johns Hopkins University (post-graduate certificate) and University of Missouri St. Louis (PhD).