Joyce Batcheller

Dr. Joyce Batcheller is the President of The Nurses Legacy Institute and CEO/Founder of CNO Space. She is a former system Chief Nursing Officer in central Texas Additionally, she serves as an Executive Nurse Advisor with AMN Healthcare and is the founder of the Chief Nursing Officer Academy.

Dr. Batcheller holds the position of adjunct professor for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing in Lubbock, Texas and is the president-elect for the Texas Nurses Association.

Dr. Batcheller is an innovative healthcare leader known for her ability to transform nursing and improve patient outcomes. She inspires nurses and other healthcare professionals to reach their full potential. One of Dr. Batcheller’s unique talents is her ability to create a compelling vision to engage, empower, and stimulate innovation among her peers.

Dr. Batcheller has extensive experience in leading large system changes within a complex multi-hospital system. She served as chief nursing officer for 19 years of the largest health care system in Central Texas. She created and implemented system wide shared governance model and led a pilot site for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Institute of Healthcare Improvement Transforming Care at the Bedside Project, eventually implementing its principles into patient care at all system facilities. Under her watch, nine of the system hospitals achieved American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) designation — four with Magnet® and five with Pathway to Excellence®.

Dr. Batcheller has specialized in chief nursing officer on-boarding and authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on the subject. She is an innovative health care leader who is highly sought for speaking engagements nationally.

Dr. Batcheller holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, TX.

Barbara Cherry

Dr. Cherry’s original nursing degree is a diploma from Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Lubbock, Texas. She progressed through the BSN and MSN degrees and also earned a Masters of Business Administration from Texas Tech University. In 2006, she received her Doctor of Nursing Science (DNSc) degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee.

The first half of her nursing career was spent in management and administrative positions in critical care and nephrology nursing. About 25 years ago, she moved into the academic setting at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, first as a policy analyst and lead for special projects for the university including coordinating the team to establish the Garrison Institute on Aging. In 2007, Dr. Cherry moved to the School of Nursing to lead the development of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program. She has numerous publications and presentations and was awarded University Distinguished Professor in 2015. She currently teaches leadership and finance for students in the graduate nursing program at Texas Tech. One of Dr. Cherry’s proudest scholarly achievement is being co-author and editor of Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends and Management, with the 10th edition being published in 2024. Through this book, Dr. Cherry along with her co-author Dr. Susan Jacob, have influenced thousands of nursing students, practicing nurses and faculty. She is also proud to serve as Treasure for The Nurses Legacy Institute, providing another opportunity to influence nursing across the nation.

Emmanuel Sanchez

Emmanuel Sanchez is currently serving as Director of Education Technology for the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing. Emmanuel is in charge of multiple special projects and works with web developers and instructional designers to keep on the cutting edge of technology. Emmanuel graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelors of Science in Engineering, Mathematics, and Wind Energy in December of 2018. He was part of the inaugural One Team Fellows for the TTUHSC.