The School of Nursing held a virtual luncheon on Sept. 30 that brought faculty, staff and alumni together to celebrate Black Alumni Week in Auburn. “While we cannot be together in the same room on campus, we are together in spirit that binds the Auburn Family no matter where each of us may be physically,” Dean Gregg Newschwander said, welcoming the group.
Dean Newschwander recognized the past winners of the Auburn Alumni Association’s Black Alumni Achievement Award who were present at the event, George Sneed (2016), Chris Martin (2017), and Keith Mathews (2019). He announced that Colonel Simona Black, DNP, RN, was the 2020 recipient of the Black Alumni Achievement Award.
Col. Black, a 1994 graduate of Auburn’s School of Nursing, received a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Texas and a doctoral degree in nursing practice from Vanderbilt University. With more than 25 years of military nursing and healthcare experience, she has served in Army nursing roles both domestic and overseas. Her most recent appointment was as the Command Inspector General at Regional Health Command in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Responsible for many nursing education and leadership presentations, Col. Black has a long history of advocating for positive work environments and investment in tomorrow's leaders. During her career, she has been recognized as the Fort Hood Nurse of the Quarter, two-time Meritorious Service Medal honoree, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. She is a member of the Army Nurse Corps Association, Girl Scouts of America, the American Nurses Association, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.
Col. Black, thanking the people who nominated her for the award, remarked on her journey from California to Auburn Nursing to her present role, “I came to Auburn in 1994 because Auburn was the school of choice for my family. I was fortunate to meet mentors like Professors Constance Hendricks and Katie Jackson. It was Prof. Jackson who planted the seed in me about joining the army nursing corps, and I spent 26 years there and made remarkable friends in the corps.”
AUSON congratulates Colonel Simona Black on her accomplishments!
War Eagle!
