Press Release: Serena Bumpus Selected to be Inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing

For Immediate Release 
June 26, 2026
Contact: 
Darrick Nicholas    
dnicholas@texasnurses.org

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Serena Bumpus Selected to be Inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing

AUSTIN, TX — The Texas Nurses Association is pleased to announce that TNA CEO Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, has been selected to become a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (Academy). Induction into the Academy is a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career in which their accomplishments are honored by their colleagues within and outside the profession. Fellows are selected based on their outstanding contributions to improve health locally and globally.  

The Academy is a policy organization and an honorific society that recognizes nursing's most accomplished leaders in policy, research, practice, administration, and academia. Academy Fellows hold a wide variety of influential roles in health care and collectively they contribute their expertise to develop sound policy that help to achieve the Academy’s vision of healthy lives for all people.   

Dr. Bumpus is the Chief Executive Officer of the Texas Nurses Association, where she leads statewide strategy to advance nursing practice, workforce sustainability, and health policy. She is a recognized policy and advocacy leader whose work has significantly strengthened nursing’s voice at the state and national levels. She has secured over $100 million in legislative investments to expand nursing education, scholarships, and workforce retention, and successfully advanced landmark workplace violence prevention laws and protections for healthcare workers. Her leadership extends to the Governor’s Healthcare Workforce Taskforce, where she contributed to 18 statewide recommendations shaping long-term workforce strategy. Through innovative “roadshow” engagements, she has mobilized thousands of nurses to participate in policy and advocacy, resulting in substantial growth in membership, grassroots engagement, and legislative influence.

She has contributed to national nursing initiatives through leadership roles with the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, including chairing the Staffing Task Force and Legislative Team, advancing evidence-based staffing and workforce policy. Her career reflects a sustained commitment to translating frontline nursing perspectives into policies that improve care delivery and workforce conditions. Dr. Bumpus earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, where she also completed her MSN and BSN. 

Dr. Bumpus said, “I am deeply humbled and honored to be inducted into the American Academy of Nursing and to join such an extraordinary community of nursing trailblazers. To stand among those who have advanced practice, policy, and leadership is deeply meaningful. This recognition reflects the collective work of nurses who lead with courage, advocate for patients and the profession, and strive every day to strengthen our healthcare system.”

The newest Fellows, selected from a competitive pool of candidates, represent 39 states, the District of Columbia, and 17 countries. They will deepen the thought leadership of the Academy’s Fellowship, growing its strength to more than 3,600 dedicated nurses—who together will advance the Academy’s mission focused on impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science. 

Dr. Bumpus and the 2026 inductees will be recognized for their substantial, sustained, and significant contributions to health and health care at the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, taking place on October 8 – 10, 2026 in Washington, DC during the Induction Ceremony on the evening of October 10th. After the ceremony, the new inductees can use their FAAN (Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing) credential, the most prestigious recognition in nursing. 
Learn more about the Academy and visit the policy conference website for more details. For individuals interested in attending the Induction Ceremony, tickets can be purchased online. 

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About the American Academy of Nursing
The American Academy of Nursing serves the public by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. Academy Fellows are inducted into the organization for their extraordinary contributions to improve health locally and globally. With more than 3,400 Fellows, the Academy represents nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, administration, practice, and academia. 

About Texas Nurses Association
The Texas Nurses Association (TNA) is a statewide membership-based professional association of licensed nurses. Founded in 1907, TNA is the most inclusive nursing association in Texas and one of the largest state nursing associations in the country.

Our members represent all segments of nursing practice — bedside to administration, consulting to advanced practice, and education to legislation — and all practice settings, including hospital, home and community health, public health, higher education, long-term care, school health and policy. As diverse as they are, TNA members share a common purpose: Advancing excellence in nursing. Visit www.texasnurses.org.