Dr. Kenya Beard is President of K Beard & Associates LLC, Trustee of St. Francis College, and a nationally recognized nurse leader, health equity strategist, and thought leader. A 2012 Macy Faculty Scholar, she is dedicated to strengthening the nursing workforce and improving healthcare outcomes through innovation and evidence-based practice. An accomplished author and speaker with more than 45 publications and 200 national presentations, Dr. Beard has shaped national conversations on nursing education, leadership, policy, and artificial intelligence. She served on the American Nurses Association AI Think Tank and contributed to the AI in Nursing Practice Consensus Report, helping guide the ethical integration of AI into nursing. As co-editor of Nursing Education in the AI Era: Practical Guidance for Educators to Advance Equitable Care, she equips educators and leaders to integrate AI responsibly across education and practice.

Dr. Beard's leadership includes serving as Chair of the New York State Board of Nursing, inaugural President of the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing, reviewer for the Future of Nursing 2020–2030 report, Vice Chair of the American Academy of Nursing's Institute for Nursing Leadership National Advisory Council, Harvard Macy Institute faculty member, and editorial board member for the American Journal of Nursing.

Through K Beard & Associates, she partners with healthcare organizations and nursing schools to strengthen curricula, redesign assessment strategies, and prepare practice-ready nurses. Her contributions have earned numerous honors, including the American Academy of Nursing's Mary Elizabeth Carnegie Leadership Award. Dr. Beard is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing, the National League for Nursing Academy of Nurse Educators, and the American Academy of Nursing.