Nursing Nursing Leaders

Mary Viney, RN, MSN, CNAA, Vice President of Nursing Systems and Network Accreditation
Mary Viney began at Seton in 1991 as director of Oncology and the medical departments at Seton Medical Center. In 1998 she was promoted to director of Patient Care Services at Seton Northwest Hospital. Viney was named a Capital Area Texas Nurses Association “Fabulous Five” nurse in 2003 and was recognized at the 2005 TNA 5th Annual Nursing Leadership Conference as the 2005 Emerging Leader in Research for her leadership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Transforming Care at the Bedside project at the Seton Northwest Hospital’s Med-Surg unit.

Joyce Batcheller, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow Alumna, Senior Vice President/Network Chief Nursing Officer, Seton Family of Hospitals. Batcheller will be inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in November 2009.

Batcheller led the development of Seton's mature, 14-year-old shared governance structure which has empowered and developed nurse leaders at all levels. Frontline nurses collaborate with colleagues to standardize evidence-based best practices across 10 hospitals and 13 ambulatory sites. Under her leadership, four Seton hospitals are designated Magnet and an additional three with Pathway to Excellence status.

Batcheller led strategic planning for the spread of Transforming Care at the Bedside from a Robert Wood Johnson/Institute for Healthcare Improvement project pilot site at Seton Northwest Hospital to all 15 Seton medical-surgical units across eight hospitals. TCAB has resulted in practice efficiencies, decreased work intensity, improved nurse retention, and nurse time at the bedside increasing from the 25 th to the low 60 th percentile.

Most recently, a Nursing Business Intelligence system and a nurse residency program were implemented. Vacancy and turnover rates have plummeted from double digits to single digits with these improvements.

Melanie Fox, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer, Seton Medical Center Williamson/Regional Chief Nursing Officer for Seton Highland Lakes and Seton Northwest. Fox joined Seton in 2008 when she was named Sr. Director of Nursing for SMCW and helped to prepare and open Seton's first brand new facility with an electronic medical record in all departments. Fox came from Memorial Hermann in Houston, Texas where she was the CNO of a 240 bed facility, one of 12 acute care hospitals in the system. Fox spent 29 years at Memorial Hermann in various staff, education and leadership roles including ICU, ED, dialysis, telemetry and 5 years as the Director of Clinical Applications in information systems.

Susan Grice, RN, DNSc, MSN, CNS, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer, Seton Shoal Creek Hospital
Grice joined Seton Shoal Creek in 2008 following leadership positions in Houston and Washington DC. Grice received her doctorate in nursing service from Catholic University. She has many years of experience in behavioral health inpatient and outpatient settings. Her areas of expertise include seclusion/restraint reduction, program development, and outcomes measurement. While in Houston, she served as chair of the Texas Medical Center Nurse Executive council, served on the Texas Hospital Association psychiatric services committee, and lead chapter revitalization efforts for the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.

Apryl Haynes, RN, BHA, Senior Director of Nursing, Seton Edgar B. Davis Hospital
Haynes joined Seton Edgar B. Davis Hospital in 1983 and has served in a variety of roles, including EMT, LVN and RN. Haynes has experience in Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Department and Ambulatory Specialty Clinic. She directs the Med-Surg, Emergency Department, Surgery and Gastrointestinal areas and has executive responsibilities. Haynes is a member of the Advisory Board of the Victoria ( Texas) School of Nursing and of the Greater San Antonio Nurse Executive Board.

Jo Keisman, RN, MBA, Senior Director of Nursing, Seton Northwest Hospital
Keisman joined Seton Medical Center Austin as Director of Maternity Services in 2002 from St. Edward Mercy Medical Center, Fort Smith, Arkansas, where she was Clinical Nursing Manager. She assumed her current position in 2006. Her background is in telemetry, labor and delivery, nursery and mother/baby. Jo has a daughter who also works for the Seton Family of Hospitals. Jo is currently a volunteer for the Salvation Army and finds opportunities to volunteer her time doing photography for non-profit organizations.

She is enrolled at University of Texas Arlington completing her BSN degree.

Karen Litterer, RN, BSN, CIC, Senior Director of Nursing, Seton Highland Lakes Hospital. Litterer joined Seton Highland Lakes in 1991 to serve as director of Nursing for hospital operations including the Med-Surg, Intensive Care Unite, Operating Room, Pediatric Acute Care Unit and Emergency Department. She also oversees the Social Services Medical Records, Pharmacy departments and is active in accreditation and regulatory activities. In the past, Karen served as interim director of Seton Highland Lakes Imaging, Home Care and Hospice. Litterer is working toward an MSN from Texas Tech University. She is a member of the Burnet County ISD School Health Advisory Council and as well as the Hill Country Sexual Assault Response Team.

Leah May , RNC, MSN, Chief Nursing Officer , University Medical Center at Brackenridge. Leah joined Brackenridge in 1978 as a staff nurse after graduating from the Brackenridge Hospital School of Nursing. She has served as charge nurse, head nurse, clinical manager and Director of Acute Care Services at UMCB. Leah has been active in the broader nursing community, serving as president of the local chapter of the Texas Nurses Association and as a delegate to the TNA House of Delegates for several years. She was named a Capital Area TNA “Fabulous Five” nurse in 1995. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau and currently serves on the Breast Cancer Resource Center board. Leah is a member of the Austin Community College Nurses and Continuing Education Healthcare Advisory committee and the Crisis Services Implementation Committee a community collaborative to address limited mental health services.

Susan Ourston, RN, MSN, Senior Director of Nursing, Seton Southwest Hospital
Susan's background includes Critical Care, Psych-Mental Health and Perinatal Nursing. Susan came to Seton 9 years ago as an SPS nurse for labor & delivery, mother/baby, and the Emergency Department. For the last 3.5 years she has served as Clincal Manger for Women's Services and moved to her current role in Feb 09. Her passion is patient safety and the patient experience. She has enjoyed several mission trips abroad with various church families.

Nikki Rivers, RN, MBA, Chief Nursing Officer, Seton Medical Center Hays
Rivers joined Seton in 1998 when she was named director of Surgical Services for University Medical Center at Brackenridge. In 2001 she became director of Network Mission Control. Because she missed the clinical environment, in 2003, Rivers transitioned to Director of Nursing at Seton Southwest Hospital, where she oversees all nursing specialty areas. In 2009, Nikki was promoted to Chief Nursing Officer at our new hospital, Seton Medical Center Hays.

Angela Stalbaum, RN, MSN, NE-BC Chief Nursing Officer, Seton Medical Center Austin started at Seton Medical Center in 1985 as a Graduate Nurse on the Orthopedic unit. Five years later she became the unit educator for Orthopedics. In 1996 she was promoted to Director of Orthopedics and then quickly added on the Skilled Subacute Care Unit, the Oncology unit, and the General Surgical/GYN unit. Angela remained director for the acute care units for approximately13 years when she was promoted in the role of Chief Nursing Officer for Seton Medical Center Austin. Angela recently completed her Masters of Science in Nursing Administration and recently was certified as Nurse Executive-Board Certified.

Robert Walsh, RN, MSN, CPN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer , Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas. Walsh joined Austin Children's Hospital in 1997, serving in various nursing leadership positions. In addition to his duties as clinical director of Acute Care Services, Walsh served as interim senior director of Clinical Operations during 2004 and 2005, and was promoted to this position permanently in January 200 6. In April 2009, Walsh was promoted to Chief Nursing Officer for Dell Children's. Walsh was named a Capital Area Texas Nursing Association “Fabulous Five” nurse in 1999.

Yvonne VanDyke, RN, MSN, is the VP of Nursing Education and Professional Development and the Administrator for the Clinical Education Center for the Seton Family of Hospitals. Yvonne was previously the Executive Dean of Health Sciences at Austin Community College where she was responsible for 15 health career programs. She also served as a professor of vocational nursing and department chair for many years at Austin Community College.

Mary Viney, RN, MSN, NEA - BC, Vice President , Network JC Accreditation, Patient Logistics, Transfer & Call Center, Wound Care & Venous Access
Mary Viney began at Seton in 1991 as director of Oncology and the medical departments at Seton Medical Center. In 1998 she was promoted to director of Patient Care Services at Seton Northwest Hospital. Viney was named a Capital Area Texas Nurses Association “Fabulous Five” nurse in 2003 and was recognized at the 2005 TNA 5th Annual Nursing Leadership Conference as the 2005 Emerging Leader in Research for her leadership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Transforming Care at the Bedside project at the Seton Northwest Hospital's Med-Surg unit.