The hole that the death of NADONA Executive Director Sherrie Dornberger left may never be fully patched, colleagues say, but the recovery will at least be led by a knowledgeable, familiar teammate.
Cindy Fronning, the group’s director of education, has assumed the top spot at the National Association of Directors of Nursing in Long Term Care. She drops the “acting executive director” title she was given after Dornberger died due to organ failure in May, and she’ll retain her education post.
“After the loss of Sherrie, we naturally looked to Cindy to support our members, partners and staff,” said NADONA Board President Robin Arnicar in announcing the hire July 26. ”Cindy’s knowledge of and relationships within the organization made her the obvious choice to be Sherrie’s successor. We look forward to working with Cindy in her new role and are confident that she will continue to lead NADONA toward a successful future. “
Founded 35 years ago, NADONA is the oldest organization dedicated to the education, advocacy and training of directors of nursing, registered nurses and other nurse leaders in long-term and post-acute care. It has members in all 50 states and chapters in 27.
Clinical expert takes NADONA’s helm
Fronning has more than 40 years of experience in long-term care as a DON / multi-facility organization consultant and a national clinical consultant specializing in clinical reimbursement.
In her six years as NADONA education director, she has overseen the introduction of several new educational resource product lines. She will continue to oversee their growth, as well as the group’s certification processes.
Fronning told McKnight’s that she first started in long-term care as a teen-age nursing assistant, at a time when only on-the-job training was offered. She continued to work in a nursing home while attending nursing school.
Upon graduating, she worked in a hospital for seven years but then “found my way back to the nursing home arena.” Since then, she’s never left it, sometimes working in a non-provider role. She is now a master trainer with at least 10 acronyms after her name, designating special certifications or trainings passed.
“Whether I was a DON, corporate consultant or national consultant, my goal has been to make the care better in whatever way I could,” she said. “Here at NADONA, I don’t have the hands-on access as I once had, but I am privileged to help prepare and educate DONs and future DONs in how to take on the goal of providing the ultimate best quality care possible. I am excited to lead NADONA into the future and the constant changes that occur in the post-acute world.”
Arnicar believes Fronning’s appointment is just what Dornberger would have wanted.
“The appointment of Cindy to the role of executive director is bittersweet. It’s not easy to move on,” Arnicar told McKnight’s. “Sherrie was not only the leader for NADONA, she was my friend and mentor. Sherrie and I talked endlessly about goals for NADONA and the long-term care nursing profession. Our biggest mutual goal was succession and the nurse leader’s pivotal role in preparing their team to be able to continue in their absence. I think Sherrie would be proud that Cindy was named executive director.”
Dornberger was NADONA’s executive director for 13 years, its president for seven, and the McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Ask the Resident Care Expert columnist for 18. She was widely mourned upon her passing, with NADONA honoring her at its annual meeting in June in several ways, including permanently naming the event’s exhibit hall after her.
