American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Welcomes John Preston
as New Senior Director of Education and Professional Development
Park Ridge, Ill. – The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) has hired John Preston, CRNA, DNSc, to serve as the association’s first-ever senior director of education and professional development, AANA Executive Director Jeffery Beutler, CRNA, MS, announced today.
“We are glad to have Dr. Preston on the AANA staff team to further our goals in the areas of education and professional development,” Beutler said. “There were many highly qualified CRNAs interested in this position, which made our decision very difficult. However, we believe John will bring a unique set of talents that will allow him to work well with members and staff alike. He has the knowledge, experience and motivation necessary to help the AANA ensure provider competence in the ever-changing world of nurse anesthesia.”
Preston comes to the 37,000-member AANA after working for more than eleven years in nurse anesthesia educational administration. For the past seven years he has served as the program director, concentration coordinator, and an associate professor at the College of Nursing on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus. Prior to that position he was the program director and MSN option coordinator at the University of Tennessee, Memphis College of Nursing.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to welcome Dr. Preston to the AANA team,” said AANA President Wanda Wilson, CRNA, PhD. “The Board is very excited about filling this position and the prospect of advancing the AANA mission in the areas of education and professional development. Education and professional development will continue to play integral roles in the nurse anesthesia profession.”
In this new position at the AANA, Preston’s primary responsibilities will include monitoring professional development trends and applying the findings to create life-long learning opportunities for CRNAs. In addition, Preston will oversee the approval process for continuing education programs.
“I am excited about the opportunity to affect nurse anesthesia education on a national level,” said Preston. “Building a professional development department from the ground up, and working to make the most current continuing education services and opportunities available to CRNAs, will be chief among my priorities. Nurse anesthetists have been providing high quality anesthesia for more than 125 years, and by fulfilling the responsibilities of this position, the level of expertise our patients have come to expect from nurse anesthetists will continue.”
A CRNA for almost 15 years, he received his doctorate in nursing science from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tenn., and his master’s of science in nursing from the University of Tennessee in Memphis, Tenn. He received his bachelor’s degree in nursing from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
