About
Mission Statement
To enhance and promote the unique and multifaceted contribution of the Clinical Nurse Specialist to population health from wellness to acute care; to advance the practice of nursing; and to improve the effectiveness of healthcare systems.
Our Goal
To address topics impacting the advance practice of the CNS to increase visibility of CNSs through participation on appropriate state and local committees to act as a resource group and provide continuing education programs for the CNS to support the coalition of advanced practice groups, such as CNSs, ARNPs, CRNAs and CNMs.
Our Logo
- Circles: represent the three spheres of CNS practice and impact – the patient, nurses and nursing practice and systems/ organization.
- The Lamp: a symbol of the care and devotion the nurse administers to the sick and injured in the practice of Nursing.
- Color of Blue: the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.
- Dark Blue: represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness.
- Light Blue: is associated with health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and softness.
2026 OACNS Board of Directors
Officers:
- President – Erica Melick
- President-Elect – Candace Becker
- Immediate Past President - Brandy Burgess
- Treasurer – Michelle Pope
- Secretary – Stephanie Moore
Committee Chairs:
- Director-at-Large Legislation – Stacie Hanes
Co-Director-at-Large for Membership – Kristen Walcher and Kathie Walker - Director-at-Large for Nominations – Tammy Hanks
- Co-Directors-at-Large for Public Relations/Social Media – Beth Pitman and Kacy Aderhold
- Director-at-Large for Continuing Education Committee – Brittni Meyer & Chris Mumford
Student Representatives:
- Amber Bowman
- Cori Fritzler
Administrative Assistant - Chantry Oxner
Erica Melick, DNP, APRN-CNS, ACCNS-AG
President
Erica Melick, DNP, APRN-CNS, ACCNS-AG is an advanced practice registered nurse who specializes in cardiology and provides care in the Heart Failure Clinic at OU Health Physicians in Oklahoma City. She has spent the majority of her career working with cardiology patients, including specifically, interventional cardiology, structural heart, electrophysiology and heart failure. Erica earned a…
Candace Becker, APRN-CNS
President-elect
Candace Becker, APRN, CNS-BC is a board certified Clinical Nurse Specialist. She graduated from University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and completed her Master’s Degree at University of Oklahoma, Health Sciences Center. Her background includes ICU, PCCU, outpatient ambulatory surgery, adjunct faculty for local ADN program, home health, acute and chronic…
Brandy Burgess, DNP, APRN-CNS, ACCNS-AG
Immediate Past-president
Brandy Burgess, DNP, APRN-CNS, ACCNS-AG, is an advanced practice registered nurse clinical nurse specialist specializing in critical care and pulmonology. She has over 25 years of patient care in many different areas of nursing, including academia, critical care, long-term acute care, and as a respiratory care educator, with the majority of her career spent in…
Michelle Pope, MSN, APRN-CNS, AGCNS-BC, CPN, CNE-ret
Treasurer
Michelle is board certified as an Advanced Practice Clinical Nurse Specialist, caring for patients with Multiple Sclerosis. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Kansas, a Master of Science in Nursing from Graceland University, and a post-master’s certificate as a clinical nurse specialist from the University of Oklahoma. She has…
Stephanie R Moore, DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC
Secretary
Stephanie is a Nephrology CNS at Nephrology Specialists of Tulsa. She joined the staff in June of 2021 after being with Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa for 10 years. She is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She earned a Doctor of Nursing practice from Oklahoma City University, a Master of Science…
Stacie Hanes, APRN-CNS
Director-at-Large Legislation
Stacie Hanes is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). She specializes in cardiology. Stacie graduated with her Associate Degree in Nursing from Oklahoma City Community College in 1995, then with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from The University of Oklahoma (OU) Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing in 2002….
Kristen Walcher, APRN-CNS
Director-at-Large Membership
Kristen is an advanced practice registered nurse, adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist who specializes in hospitalist medicine. Kristen graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with her bachelor’s in nursing degree in 2014. She completed her master’s of science in nursing in 2023 at the University of South Alabama and then obtained her certification for adult…
Chris Mumford, MSN, APRN-CNS, AGCNS-BC, MEDSURG-BC
Director at Large Continuing Education
Chris Mumford is a clinical nurse specialist practicing at Nephrology Specialists of Tulsa. He graduated in 2023 from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences with a masters degree of science in nursing. During his graduate studies he was a student representative for OACNS and a member of the Masters and Doctoral Student Nurse Association. With…
Brittni Meyer, MSN, APRN-CNS
Co-Director at Large Continuing Education
Brittni is a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health System who has a broad range of specialty care experience that includes cardiology, nephrology, neurology, sleep medicine, and pulmonology. Her passion and main role at the VA has been in pulmonology. She was drawn to pulmonology after watching her cousin live and suffer…
Kacy Aderhold, DNP, APRN-CNS, BC-ADM, CDCES
Co-Director at Large Public Relations
Kacy Aderhold is a practicing APRN-CNS in diabetes and metabolism in adult endocrinology at Harold Hamm Diabetes Center in Oklahoma City. Kacy is board certified in advanced diabetes management and is a certified diabetes care and education specialist. Kacy is passionate about patient education and utilizing pharmacotherapy and technology to improve outcomes and reduce burden…
Beth Pitman, MSN, APRN-CNS, CNE
Co-Director at Large Public Relations
Beth Pitman is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Clinical Nurse Specialist (APRN-CNS) with 13 years of experience in acute and critical care settings. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center (OUHSC) and the supervising provider at the John W….
Katie Walker, DNP, APRN-CNS, CCNS
Co-Director at Large Membership
Katie Walker is an Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist with more than 30 years of healthcare experience. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Langston University in 1997 and began her nursing career in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. She later worked as an Advanced Practice Provider for a cardiology group in Tulsa….