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Okuno-Jones ’86 Named Distinguished Nursing Alumna

Sept. 13, 2018

Susan Okuno-Jones
Susan Okuno-Jones ’86

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Susan Okuno-Jones ’86 will be honored with the Illinois Wesleyan University School of Nursing[BROKEN LINK]’s "Distinguished Alumna Award for Excellence in Nursing" during Homecoming 2018 festivities, in acknowledgement of her leadership and innovation within the nursing field.

She will deliver her keynote address “Don’t Forget Your WHY” on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 9 a.m. in the atrium of the Center for Natural Sciences (CNS). Tours of the School of Nursing will be available after the presentation.

Okuno-Jones is currently Vice President of Operations in Patient Care Services and Chief Nurse Executive at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Illinois. Prior to this role, she served as Vice President of Nursing Practice and Innovation for Advocate Health Care, where she led the development of a system-wide, evidence-based approach to nursing professional practice.

She has held additional leadership positions including Magnet Program Director and Executive Director of Service Lines, in which she supported inpatient and outpatient sites of care.

After graduating from Illinois Wesleyan, Okuno-Jones earned her doctorate in nursing practice and master’s of science in nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago, in addition to American Nurses Credentialing Center certifications in Advanced Nurse Executive and Nursing Professional Development. She currently resides in Palatine, Illinois, with her husband Jon Jones ’87.

By Rachel McCarthy ’21