Governor Bill Lee announced the appointment of three CRNAs to the Tennessee Board of Nursing this year, placing CRNA expertise at the center of the state’s most consequential nursing regulatory body at a moment when the decisions being made that impact Tennessee’s healthcare systems have never mattered more.
Maria Ledbetter, Hope Ferguson, and Josh Baxter bring decades of clinical experience, academic leadership, and a shared commitment to expanding access to care across Tennessee to their new roles. Together, they represent practitioners who understand firsthand what it means to recruit and retain nurses and serve patients in communities where healthcare access is most critical.
Maria Ledbetter, DNAP, CRNA, CNE
Maria Ledbetter has spent her career at the intersection of clinical practice and nursing education. An Associate Professor of Nurse Anesthesia at Samford University’s Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing, she has been a practicing CRNA since 1997, with a specialty focus in obstetric and neuraxial anesthesia. She holds a Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice from Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia and is dually licensed as an APRN in both Alabama and Tennessee, a distinction that gives her a working understanding of the licensure reciprocity questions the Board regularly navigates.
“Nursing education is where policy meets practice. I’m honored to serve on the Board and help shape the standards and pathways that will define what it means to be a nurse in Tennessee for generations to come,” said Ledbetter.
Ledbetter is also a Certified Nurse Educator and co-founder of the Thrive Wellness Initiative, a program built to support the well-being of graduate nursing students. In a profession grappling with burnout at every level of the pipeline, her investment in student wellness reflects a long-term view of what it takes to build a sustainable workforce: not just fill seats but keep people in the profession.
Hope Ferguson, DNP, MBA, APN, CRNA
Hope Ferguson’s career has unfolded on two demanding fronts simultaneously. As a CRNA at the Lt. Col. Luke Weathers VA Medical Center in Memphis, she provides anesthesia care to some of the nation’s most deserving patients. As a Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves, she serves in senior nursing executive roles across two commands, navigating the kind of high-stakes leadership environments that translate directly into regulatory governance.
“Tennessee’s nurses serve every corner of this state, and the Board must reflect that breadth of experience and commitment. I’m proud to bring my perspective as a veteran, a CRNA, and a lifelong advocate in the nursing profession to this work,” said Ferguson.
Ferguson earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and her MBA from the University of North Alabama. She was recognized last year with the 2025 UTHSC Most Outstanding Alumna Award. She also made history as the first African American president of the Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists, a milestone that reflects both her professional standing and her commitment to the broader nursing community in Tennessee.
That commitment is perhaps most visible in the mentorship program she founded: the Distinct Alliance of Nurse Anesthetists, designed to guide aspiring CRNAs in the Memphis area toward the profession. Ferguson knows the pipeline matters. She is now in a position to help shape the regulatory environment that either widens that pipeline or constricts it.
Josh Baxter, DNP, MBA, CRNA
Josh Baxter brings more than 19 years of CRNA experience to the Board, along with the operational perspective of someone who has led healthcare systems through significant institutional change. As Clinical Director of Perioperative Services at Nashville General Hospital, he has overseen initiatives that expanded access to advanced surgical care for underserved patient populations, including the launch of Nashville General’s robotic surgery program, a major capability addition for a safety-net institution that serves patients who would otherwise go without.
“Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, and in Tennessee we have an opportunity to build a pipeline that’s strong, diverse, and prepared for the challenges ahead. I look forward to making sure our licensure standards and education policies reflect the reality of where care is delivered and who is delivering it,” said Baxter.
Baxter holds both a DNP and an MBA, a combination that equips him to bridge clinical and administrative decision-making in ways the Board’s work often demands. He was named one of Whitman Partners’ 40 Fast & Future Leaders of Surgical Services in 2023, a recognition that speaks to his trajectory as both a practitioner and a leader.
Ledbetter, Ferguson and Baxter Are Changing the Game
The Tennessee Board of Nursing sets the educational standards that nursing programs must meet, establishes licensure pathways for new practitioners, and shapes scope of practice policy that determines what nurses, including CRNAs, can do and where they can do it. In a state facing a deepening nursing shortage driven by an aging workforce, escalating patient demand, and years of sustained burnout, those decisions have direct consequences for real patients.
The shortage is not evenly distributed. It is most acute in Tennessee’s rural and underserved communities, where a single staffing gap at a critical access hospital can mean a family drives two hours for care that should be available nearby. The Board’s decisions on licensure reciprocity, advanced practice oversight, and program accreditation will either help close that gap or widen it. Ledbetter, Ferguson, and Baxter each bring experience working in, educating for, and advocating within systems that serve exactly these communities.
TANA congratulates all three on their appointments and looks forward to the work ahead. Tennessee’s nursing workforce — and the patients it cares for — are well served by having these voices in the room.