Faculty

Jayne Willis is a nationally recognized nurse executive and educator whose career has focused on building high-performing healthcare systems that deliver excellence in quality, safety, patient experience and workforce engagement. Over four decades, she has held progressive leadership roles culminating in service as chief nurse executive and vice president for nursing at Orlando Health, where she helped advance system-wide strategies for high reliability, nursing excellence and transformational leadership. Willis brings this extensive leadership experience to the University of Central Florida where she serves as the Nurse Executive Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program director. In this role, she prepares emerging and experienced healthcare leaders to drive organizational transformation and improve health system outcomes, and mentors doctoral students in applying evidence-based leadership, quality improvement and systems thinking to complex healthcare challenges.

Education

• DNP, University of Central Florida
• MSN, University of Florida
• BSN, Florida State University

Selected Awards & Honors

• Friend of Sigma Award, 2026
• Joyce DeGennaro Memorial Excellence in Nurse Leadership Award, Sigma Theta Epsilon Chapter, 2025
• FNA President’s Award, Florida Nurses Association, 2023
• Outstanding Alumni Leadership Award, UCF College of Nursing, 2024

Selected Professional Activities

• President, Florida Nurses Foundation
• Board of Directors, Florida Organization for Nursing Leadership
• Team Leader, Nursing Action Coalition of Florida