Board of Directors & Leadership
Executive Committee
Melanie Gibbons Hallman, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC, ACNP-BC, ENP-C, CNS, FAEN, FAANP, FAAN | President
 Dr. Hallman has been an innovative and respected administrative and clinical leader in prehospital and hospital-based emergency services for over four decades. She created the first ED fast-track clinic in Alabama and developed a model advanced practice nurse-managed occupational health / urgent care clinic serving over 4,500 municipal employees. Her academic commitment is evidenced by envisioning and championing development of the ENP academic pathway at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing, where she is an Associate Professor and ENP subspecialty co-coordinator. Her scholarly contributions show-casing the ENP role serve to elevate academic rigor and quality excellence within ENP education and demonstrate necessity on interdisciplinary emergency teams. She actively practices as an ENP.
Dr. Hallman is a founding member of AAENP (2014), Alabama State Representative (2016 - 2021); validation committee member and Board Member since 2019. Her sustained service to the Emergency Nurses Association includes leadership at local, state and national levels since 1988. She is co-chair of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners emergency community.
Dr. Hallman is a content expert for the City of Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service, an appointed member of the Birmingham Mayor’s EMS Advisory Committee, and Chair of the EMS Education Advisory Committee at a local college. She was the first Chief Nurse of the Alabama National Disaster Medical Assistance Team.
Dr. Hallman’s extensive interdisciplinary experience and long-term commitment to the emergency services field has been recognized by receipt of state and national awards and Fellowship in three national nursing organizations.
Judson Smith, MSN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC | President-Elect
 Judson Smith MSN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC brings a wealth of diverse nursing, emergency care, and fiduciary experiences to AAENP. Most recently, he has served as the Finance Committee Chair for AAENP and is serving as the Treasurer/Secretary. Currently, Judson serves as a full-time Instructor of Nursing. He coordinates the pharmacology series for various levels of students at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, TN. He maintains his clinical practice working in both wilderness and urban settings.
His clinical and research interests include using bedside ultrasound, opioid alternatives for pain control, and delirium. Judson is passionate about improving the ability of nursing students to think critically within high-stress environments in the clinical setting.
Wesley Davis, DNP, ENP-C, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC | Immediate Past-President
 Wesley Davis is an assistant professor and the Family/Emergency Nurse Practitioner Specialty Coordinator at the University of South Alabama College of Nursing. He also has an adjunct faculty appointment at the University of Wyoming Faye Whitney School of Nursing. Dr. Davis received his Doctor of Nursing Practice and Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of South Alabama. His doctoral work focused on improving emergency care by augmenting patient flow through emergency departments.
For over 20 years, Dr. Davis has worked in health care serving as an emergency nurse in high-acuity and inner-city trauma centers to rural and remote, critical access facilities. Currently, Dr. Davis works as an emergency nurse practitioner and acute care nurse practitioner in remote Sundance, Wyoming. His most recent work focuses on expanding the use of emergency nurse practitioners in the state of Wyoming and neighboring states to improve access to emergency care for patients living in rural areas.
Dr. Davis currently serves as the Wyoming State Representative for the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners (AAENP). Additionally, he is the President of the Wyoming Council for Advanced Practice Nurses and an editorial board member and manuscript reviewer for the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, AAENP’s official journal. Dr. Davis is an active member of the Emergency Nurses Association, serving as the chairman for the Emergency Nursing Education Advisory Council and as the Wyoming Government Affairs chairman.
David T. House, DNP, CRNP, ENP-C, FNP-BC, CNS, CEN, CNE, FAEN, FAANP | Board Chair
 David T. House, DNP, CRNP, ENP-C, FNP-BC, CNS, CEN, CNE, FAEN, is an Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing where he serves as Co-Coordinator of the Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) Pathway and teaches in both the master’s and doctoral programs. He is a Scholar with the UAB Center for Interprofessional Education and Simulation and a Fellow of the 2019-2020 UAB Interprofessional Leadership program. He specializes in emergency services with over 23 years’ experience in administrative and clinical roles and has practiced as an ENP for more than 14 years. His passion and interests include emergency nursing, advanced practice, simulation, and interprofessional education and collaboration with an overarching goal to enhance healthcare outcomes. Dr. House’s service to AAENP includes Lead Regional Director since 2019 and Bylaws committee Chair for two years. Most recently, he served as co-author of the 2021 ENP Competencies.
Board Members
Paula Tucker, DNP, FNP-BC, ENP-C, FAANP
 Dr. Paula Tucker is a Clinical Associate Professor at Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing where she is the co-director of the Emergency Nurse Practitioner Specialty Program. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Tucker currently practices as an Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Tucker’s expertise as an ENP and organizational leader has allowed her to impact ENP practice and education nationally. Dr. Tucker serves as Chair on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners.
Dr. Tucker has led inter-professional research teams, developed educational models for nurse practitioners and medical residents, and designed evaluation strategies for expansive research initiatives. Dr. Tucker’s expertise in emergency care research and education has propelled her to advance clinical practice and patient outcomes across the lifespan.
April Turner Hill, DNP, FNP-C, ENP-C
 Dr. April Turner Hill, DNP, FNP-C, ENP-C received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona following a Master of Science in Nursing (Family/Emergency Nurse Practitioner) from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She has nearly 20 years of emergency care experience.
April’s passion for the role of the emergency nurse practitioner inspired her development of the first Emergency Nurse Practitioner program in the state of Arizona at Arizona State University. She is an Assistant Professor and Program Director of the Emergency Nurse Practitioner program at Emory University. In addition, she maintains a clinical practice within local Emergency Departments. Dr. Hill is actively involved in advancing ENP practice and was a content expert for the first ENP board certification with American Nurses Credentialing Center. She serves on several boards within the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners.
Cindy Kumar, MSN, ENP-C, FNP-BC, AGACNP-BC
 Cindy Kumar has over 25 years of healthcare experience which encompasses the lifespan and includes intermediate care, urgent care, emergency department and trauma nursing. Ms. Kumar is a triple board-certified Family, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care and Emergency Nurse Practitioner. She currently is a full-time clinician in Austin, Texas in both Adult and Pediatric Emergency Departments.
Cindy is also a member of the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners’ Validation Committee and Conference Planning Committee. She has been an item writer for the Emergency Nurse Practitioner certification exam with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB). Cindy is interested in the standardizing of the ENP education process. She is also driven to see that Emergency Nurse Practitioners are utilizing up-to-date guidelines, evidence-based practices, and appropriate skill sets to increase access to emergency care while fully practicing to the extent of their licensure and education.
Lisa Leonard MSN, FNP-C, ENP-C
 Lisa Leonard MSN, FNP-C, ENP-C, has been a nurse practitioner in the emergency department for close to 13 years in both urban areas and critical access hospitals and continues to be actively working clinically. She has served as the chair for the finance committee for AAENP, and has also been a member of the practice committee for AAENP. She was involved in contributing to the AAENP practice toolkit for advanced practice registered nurses in emergency care. She has also contributed to fundamentals of critical care which was published. She is passionate to contributing to the education and advancement of nurse practitioners in the emergency department.
Nicole Martinez, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, ENP-C, PHN
 Nicole Martinez is the Director of the DNP Program at the Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Martinez is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) and an Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP-C). Dr. Martinez received her PhD in Nursing from the University of San Diego, her Master’s in Nursing at Western University of Health Sciences and a Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is licensed in the state of California and has over 17 years of experience in emergency health. Dr. Martinez has had previous academic appointments as the Clinical Faculty Director of the FNP program at Georgetown University and as a Clinical Associate Professor at the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science at the University of San Diego.
Dr. Martinez is an active member of the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners (AAENP), serving as the past Western Regional. She is an active member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and California Association of Nurse Practitioners (CANP) and is the Associate Editor and past dermatology column editor for the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal. She is the Co- Chair for the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty Emergency Special Interest Group. Dr. Martinez is a published author, textbook and journal reviewer, and contributor to Lippincott’s online procedural manual. She is also an item writer for AANPCB and has served on the task force for the FNP Practice Analysis.
Staff
Jennifer Wilbeck, AAENP Executive Director
 Dr. Jennifer Wilbeck received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia following a Master of Science in Nursing (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner) and a post-master’s certificate in Nursing (Family Nurse Practitioner) from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. She has over twenty years of experience in emergency health care including pre-hospital, emergency department, critical care access and trauma care. For her sustained contributions in emergency care, she was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in 2016 and in the American Academy of Nursing in 2019.
Jennifer’s passion for the role of the emergency nurse practitioner (ENP) was integral to the development of the country’s first dual ENP program (FNP/AG-ACNP) at Vanderbilt University. In addition to maintaining a clinical practice within local Emergency Departments, Dr. Wilbeck has led national efforts to standardize ENP education. Her scholarly interests include the role of simulation in nurse practitioner education, assessment and documentation of ongoing procedural competence, and curriculum development. She has lectured nationally on various clinical, educational and professional topics related to the role of the ENP.
Dr. Wilbeck is currently a Professor of Nursing at Vanderbilt University where she has led the ENP program since its inception in 2006. She is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as both a Family and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board as an Emergency Nurse Practitioner.
Harrison Breuer | Association Executive
Allie Yoder | Event Manager
Founders
Kyle Kincaid
 Dr. Kyle Kincaid served as a Director for Schumacher Clinical Partners leading Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants working in Emergency Departments throughout Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and Washington. Additionally, Dr. Kincaid held a faculty appointment at the University Of Texas Health Science Center in Houston where he taught in the graduate ENP and undergraduate programs.
Kyle had over nineteen years of experience in emergency medicine including prehospital/air medicine and trauma services. He received both his Doctor of Nursing Practice from University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston where he also received his Master of Science in Nursing as an Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP). His continued efforts in advancing nursing practitioner practice were recognized with the Nurse Practitioner of the Year award from the South Texas Foundation for Nursing Excellence in 2010.
Since that time, Kyle focused his efforts on advancing the ENP role, and in 2013 was an initial founder of the AAENP. Clinically, his interests and presentations were focused on snakebites and environmental injuries, as well as orthopedic injuries.
Elda Ramirez
 Dr. Elda Ramirez received her Doctor of Philosophy from Texas Woman’s University in 2006, Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston 1993, her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center 1988 and her Pre Nursing from the University of Houston. Elda Ramirez joined the UTHHSC faculty in 1994 as a Clinical Instructor in the Acute and Continuing Care Department. As of September 2014 she has attained the title of Professor of Clinical Nursing.
Dr. Ramirez is an experienced educator, researcher and clinician. She has dedicated her career to work collaboratively with emergency care providers and other disciplines to prepare nurse practitioners in the specialty of emergency care. Her work in Developing nurse practitioner treatment competencies in emergency care settings has transformed the practice for nurse practitioners in emergency care by combining this evidence with the Emergency Nurses Association Nurse Practitioner Delphi Study: competencies for practice in emergency care to develop nationally recognized competencies.
Dr. Ramirez has been recognized for her work as evidenced by induction to both the Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP), and Fellow of the Emergency Nurses Association (FAEN). She has received over a million dollars in funding from the State of Texas to educate nurse practitioners in the specialty of emergency care. She founded the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners (AAENP).
Arlo Weltge, M.D., MPH, FACEP
 Dr. Arlo Weltge is a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at UTHealth (University of Texas Medical School in Houston). He holds academic appointments at the Baylor College of Medicine, UT Houston School of Nursing, and the Houston Community College Program in EMS.
Education. Dr. Weltge is a graduate of MIT (BS in Life Science, 1975), UT Houston Medical School (MD 1978) and the UT Houston School of Public Health (MPH 1995). He completed the Management Program (1988) at Rice Jesse Jones Business School and was in the first American College of Emergency Physicians Teaching Fellowship (1989-1990).
Clinical Practice. He is a Board Certified Emergency Physician and currently practices as a clinical faculty in Emergency Medicine in the Memorial Hermann Hospital Texas Medical Center (MHH-TMC) ), a Level I Trauma Center and base for the Hermann Life Flight program, and the Harris County Hospital District’s (HCHD) LBJ General Hospital, both in Houston.
Professional. Dr. Weltge has served in a number of professional roles including serving as President of the Texas College of Emergency Physicians in 1993-1994 and as Council Officer and Speaker for the American College of Emergency Physicians and as Council Officer 2007-2011. He is currently Vice Chair of the Harris County Medical Society’s delegation to the Texas Medical Association (TMA), and a member of the TMA delegation to the American Medical Association.
Community. Dr. Weltge has served on the Board of the Star of Hope Mission in Houston since 2006 and on the Executive Committee and as a Board Officer since 2011. He also serves on the Board of the Houston Recovery Center LGC which recently opened a sobering center.
Personal. He is married and his wife, Janet Macheledt (MACK-el-LET) MD is a medical oncologist and hematologist practicing in Houston and they have three children.
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