Lauren Haggard-Duff, Katey Peterson and Lindsey Sabatini, instructors at the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas, were named to the Arkansas Action Coalition's second cohort of "40 Nurse Leaders Under 40" this spring.

The designation honors emerging nurse leaders in the state who are under the age of 40.

The 40 honorees include nurses at health systems, nursing schools and school districts across the state, chosen based on criteria of commitment to excellence, service and outreach in their community or professional organization, leadership qualities, and contribution to the advancement of the nursing profession. The Arkansas Action Coalition received more than 60 nominations from across the state. The honorees were chosen by a panel of nurses within the organization.

Haggard-Duff has been a registered nurse for 17 years and has 13 years of teaching experience. She serves as co-lead of the leadership pillar of the "Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action." She earned a Master of Science in nursing from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a doctorate from Capella University.

Peterson has been a registered nurse for three years and has 1½ years of clinical teaching experience. She works at a local hospital specializing in cardiology. Peterson received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the U of A.

Sabatini has been a registered nurse for nine years and has seven years of teaching experience. Her specialties include critical care nursing, simulation and informatics. Sabatini received her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing from the University of Arkansas and is working on her doctorate in nursing, also at the U of A.

The Arkansas Action Coalition, which includes representation from state health care providers, consumer advocates, and policymakers as well as business and academic leaders, was formed to promote recommendations made in a landmark report by the Institute on Medicine titled "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health." One of the categories of the recommendations is promoting nurse leadership, which was one of the driving forces behind creation of the "40 Nurse Leaders Under 40" recognition program.