(PHILADELPHIA, January 29, 2026) – The Board of Trustees of TruMerit has elected Sylvain “Syl” Trepanier, DNP, RN, CENP, FAONL, FAAN, as its new chairperson, along with five new trustees, to help guide the world’s largest credential evaluation and assessment organization as it works to advance a global health workforce in a transformative era of digital health and demographic shifts.
Trepanier, who has served on the TruMerit board since 2022, is System Chief Nursing Officer at Providence, serving as the voice for nursing at the senior executive level and representing nursing practice for 40 thousand nurses, 52 hospitals, and 1,085 clinics in seven states. He succeeds Dr. Pamela Maraldo, CEO of Girls Inc. of New York City, who departs after serving her eight-year term, including four years as chairperson of the Board.
“Dr. Trepanier is an inspirational leader whose organizational transformation and system standardization expertise will assist TruMerit’s own evolution in supporting an ever-evolving global health workforce addressing the complexities of health systems and population health needs,” said Peter Preziosi, TruMerit’s President and CEO. “We look forward to his contributions as Board Chair while expressing our deepest gratitude to Dr. Maraldo, who courageously led the board through a period of critical transformation that opened the door to a new future for TruMerit and the healthcare professionals we serve globally.”
The board also elected existing board members as the following officers:
- Selena Gilles, DNP, ANP-BC, CNEcl, ANEF, FNYAM, FADLN, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, Vice Chair
- Stacey Ocander, EdD, Treasurer
- Zainab Osakwe, PhD, MSN, RN, NP, Secretary
The five trustees who joined the board this month are:
- Nancy Allen, BSN, a nationally recognized leader in health science education who serves as Executive Director of the National Consortium for Health Science Education (NCHSE), where she provides strategic and operational leadership to strengthen membership, advance the National Health Science Standards, and expand career readiness opportunities for students. Under her leadership, NCHSE has secured endorsements from the Tri-Council of Nursing, the American Association of Respiratory Care, and other national organizations.
- Lauren Arnold, PhD, RN, head of strategy and growth for healthPrecision, has a 25-year track record of successfully bringing to market transformative technologies in clinical decision support and AI. She is also Managing Director of Affinity Healthcare Advisory, a consulting service focusing on the Middle East and Africa in healthcare strategy, digital health and technology, workforce planning, and population health planning.
- Catherine Torrington Eaton, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor and associate program director in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. As a certified speech-language pathologist since 2005, she has worked in various medical and education settings in the United States and Europe treating patients with acquired and developmental communication disorders.
- Karen Grimley, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, FAAN, as Chief Nursing Executive at UCLA Health and Assistant Dean of the UCLA School of Nursing, leads professional nursing practice and care delivery across UCLA Health’s five hospitals and more than 260 ambulatory clinics, overseeing more than 5,000 bedside nurses. Under her leadership, UCLA Health has earned multiple accolades for nursing excellence, including Magnet designations, Beacon Awards, and Lantern Awards.
- Thomas Kearns, BSc, RPN, RGN, RNT, MSc, EdD, FFNMRCSI, FAAN, is a Professor of Nursing and the former Executive Director (Executive Dean) of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at RCSI, University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ireland. He also serves as Co-Director of the Global Innovation and Leadership Academy, which hosts the faculty’s WHO Collaborating Centre, and served from August 2017 to September 2018 as interim CEO of the International Council of Nurses.
Stepping down from the board at the completion of their terms are Julie Fairman, Endowed Nightingale Professor in Honor of Nursing Veterans Emerita at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing; Lynwood Brooks, President Emeritus of the Health Professions Network; Jack Needleman, Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health; and Barbara Green, Senior Vice President, Office of the President at the Greater New York Hospital Association.
“We welcome our new trustees with great enthusiasm and eagerly anticipate the knowledge and perspectives they will bring to the board’s work. We also extend our gratitude and deepest respect to our departing trustees for their invaluable guidance, creativity, and steadfast dedication to the task of putting TruMerit on the right course for the future,” said Preziosi.
For more information on members of the TruMerit Board of Trustees, click here.
About TruMerit
TruMerit is a worldwide leader in healthcare workforce development. Formerly known as CGFNS International, the organization has a nearly 50-year history supporting the career mobility of nurses and other healthcare workers—and those who license and hire them—by validating their education, skills, and experience as they seek authorization to practice in the United States and other countries. As TruMerit, this mission has been expanded to building workforce capacity that meets the needs of people in a rapidly evolving global health landscape. Through its Global Health Workforce Development Institute, the organization is advancing evidence-based research, thought leadership, and advocacy in support of healthcare workforce development solutions, including globally recognized practice standards and certifications that will enhance career pathways for healthcare workers.