Donte Newsom, DNP, FNP-BC, is a family nurse practitioner working in interventional radiology at Allegany Imaging, PC, and UPMC Western Maryland. He is also an adjunct instructor for the family nurse practitioner program at Simmons University. Dr. Newsom earned a BSN, MSN, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice all from West Virginia University. A leader in human and civil rights in West Virginia, Dr. Newsom pursued his Doctor of Nursing Practice with the goal of opening pathways to improve nursing and health care practice. Newsom aspires to influence practice change and shape how care is delivered in the future. Donte currently serves as a board member with Fairness West Virginia, the statewide human/civil rights organization devoted to equal rights for all LGBTQ+ West Virginians. He also serves as a medical officer for Mountaineer Boys State, a board member for The Connecting Link, and on the WVNA Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI). Donte is a Fairmont, West Virginia, native and spent most of his life in north central WV. He currently lives in Mineral County.

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Dr. Rhonda Parker is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner for Barbour Behavioral Health and the Medical Director for the Medication Assisted Program she developed for Barbour Community Health Association. In addition, she owns Mountain Healing, a healing sanctuary nestled in the mountains of West Virginia that focuses on palliative care for individuals with serious illnesses. The practice emphasizes enhancing quality of life through comprehensive symptom management, alleviation of pain and emotional distress, and reducing hospital admissions, employing innovative treatments for resistant depression and other mental health conditions. Dr. Parker is also the founder of Leona Health and Wellness, LLC, a telehealth practice designed to meet the needs of individuals dealing with obesity and to address cellular aging in women with chronic health conditions. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina, a Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice from Frontier Nursing University, and a post-master's certificate in Psychiatric-Mental Health from the University of South Carolina. With over 20 years of clinical experience, Dr. Parker has expertise in areas such as ICU care, psychiatry, family medicine, palliative and hospice care, staff development, and leadership. She is board-certified in family medicine, psychiatric mental health, integrated mental health, palliative care, and hospice, and addictions. As an educator, she has served on the faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Department of Family Medicine and as an adjunct faculty member at Walden University in the PMHNP program. Mountain Healing offers continuing education for healthcare professionals created by Rhonda Parker. Dr. Parker previously held the position of Vice President for the Lowcountry APRN group, where she contributed to leadership and healthcare policy initiatives. Her DNP project led to the development of a legislative toolkit designed to help nurses advocate for changes at both state and national levels, which was later integrated into the DNP health policy curriculum at MUSC School of Nursing. Additionally, she represented the Lowcountry on the South Carolina Coalition for Access to Care for several years. Dr. Parker is a member of the West Virginia Nurses Association, and a WVNA Legislative Leader. She is the current WVNA APRN Congress Chair and the WVNA AANP State Liaison. Rhonda is the recipient for the 2024 AANP State Award for Excellence for West Virginia.

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Brenda is a retired West Virginia School Nurse. Prior to her retirement in 2020, Brenda was a Kanawha County Certified School Nurse for 10 years and the Lead School Nurse for Kanawha County Schools for 27 years. She has been a member of WVASN and NASN since 1991 and has served in several leadership positions within those Associations, including WVASN President and NASN Director from West Virginia. She was Chairperson of NASN’s Government Relations Committee from 1996 – 1998. Brenda is still an active member of WVASN and currently serves as the WVASN Government Relations Committee Co-Chairperson. She is also an active member of WVNA and ANA. Brenda lives in Charleston, WV with her husband, and is a proud mother of 2 and grandmother of 3.

Jodi Biller, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, is a Marshall alumna with a Doctor of Nursing Practice from West Virginia University. She has been a nurse practitioner since 2013 in the field of pulmonary medicine and has experience in pulmonary/critical care and long-term acute care. In addition to her clinical practice, she is the director of clinical improvement for MHC ACO and works closely with healthcare leaders at Mountain Health Network and Marshall Health to analyze, develop, and implement clinical programs that promote population health. In 2007, she completed an Associate of Science in Nursing from Marshall University/St. Mary’s School of Nursing. While working full-time in intensive care at St. Mary’s Medical Center and per diem at Cabell Huntington Hospital, she completed the RN to BSN (2010) and Master of Science in Nursing (2013). She has a passion for population health and healthcare policy and is driven to make changes for APRNs to provide care at the full extent of their scope of practice. Individualized patient-centered care is the foundation of her practice. In West Virginia, she has had three bills sponsored that have become state law. These included no managed care organization can deny payment to APRNs based on having a collaborative agreement, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners are now able to provide counseling to patients with substance use disorder, and APRNs and Physician Assistants can prescribe all medications except Schedule I and three days of narcotics while following the Opioid Reduction Act. Through team building and continued relationships, she works closely with legislative leaders in West Virginia and Washington, D.C. Dr. Biller finds gaps in care and creates workable solutions resulting in superior care for our community. Currently, she is the West Virginia State Liaison for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and chair of the Health Policy and Legislation Committee for the West Virginia Nurses Association.