Jim D’Alfonso
DNP, RN, PhD(h), NEA-BC, FNAP, FAAN
Executive Director, Professional Excellence and the Kaiser Permanente Scholars Academy Kaiser Permanente Northern California Regional Patient Care Services
Adjunct Faculty, University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions
Jim D’Alfonso, DND, RN, PhD(h), NEA-BC, FNAP, FAAN is the Regional Executive Director for Professional Excellence and Founding Executive Director for the KP Scholars Academy in Northern California, now celebrating its 10th anniversary. As an experienced CNE, COO, and Associate Vice President, he joined Kaiser Permanente in 2011. Jim received his Doctor of Nursing Practice with a focus on executive leadership from the University of San Francisco, where he served as adjunct faculty for 8 years. He is currently an advisor and lecturer with the UCSF Leadership Institute of the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. D’Alfonso is a board-certified nurse executive, a Caritas Coach, and a certified HeartMath Trainer. He has published extensively, including a historical text on Kaiser Permanente’s post-war School of Nursing and its legacy of disruptive innovation that continues to this day. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Watson Caring Science Institute and serves as a founding member of the Board of Trustees for the American Nurses Association, California Foundation. Jim is the Associate Editor for Nursing Administration Quarterly. He is a proud Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice.
As founding CNE and COO for Watson Caring Science Institute and in recognition of his career-long devotion to transformative leadership, scholarly teaching, and practices in human caring, Jim was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2015 and the prestigious Visionary Caring Science Leadership Award in 2018. For over 30 years, Jim has conducted seminars, consulted, and lectured on Caring Science across the US and internationally, including Denmark, Norway, Japan, Italy, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom. A recent career milestone occurred in December 2024, when Jim received the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award from his peers and colleagues in Northern California.