Chamberlain Leadership

Dr. Joanne Disch serves as chair of the Chamberlain University Board of Trustees. She is currently Professor ad Honorem at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and serves as chair of the board of directors of Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee, WI. She received her BS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; her MSN in Cardiovascular Nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham; and her PhD in Nursing from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Disch began her career as a staff nurse in cardiovascular intensive care. She has served as a chief nurse executive in two major medical centers, as interim dean at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, as president of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the American Academy of Nursing, and as board member and chair of the national board of AARP.

Her research has centered on nurse-physician relationships and on quality and safety within health care organizations. In 2014, she and two colleagues co-authored the award-winning text Person and Family Centered Care. She has received many awards for her work including two from Sigma Theta Tau International; the President’s Award from the American Academy of Nursing; and the Marguerite Rodgers Kinney Award for a Distinguished Career from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

Dr. Anderson is currently a healthcare consultant for RMA Consulting of Arizona and a consultant/surveyor for Global Healthcare Accreditation. From 2009 to 2016, she was Chief Executive Officer of Cardon Children's Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona, a Banner Health hospital. Prior to that she held CEO, COO and CNO positions for healthcare organizations in the East Coast, Midwest and Southwest. In addition to serving as the Joint Commission Commissioner for nine years and on the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees for three years, she was on the Board of the Joint Commission International and was the ACHE Regent for Arizona.

Dr. Anderson is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and a member of American Hospital Association Committee of Performance Improvement. She serves her church as an elder and executive committee member, chairs the personnel committee and the organ committee.

Dr. Anderson has received a number of awards for her service to the nursing and business communities. In addition to receiving the Distinguished Achievement Award from Arizona State University College of Nursing, Dr. Anderson was a selected participant in The First International Institute: Executive Nurse Leadership in the United Kingdom and the United States, Florence Nightingale Trust in London, England. She was awarded the American Organization of Nurse Executives Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. Dr. Anderson was named Arizona Business Magazine's 2012 Healthcare Leadership Award "Hospital Executive of the Year" and one of their “Fifty Most Influential Women in Arizona Business.”

Dr. Karen Cox was appointed President of Chamberlain University in 2018. She is responsible for managing all undergraduate and graduate programs, which includes 21 physical campuses, as well as online programs.

Prior to joining Chamberlain, Dr. Cox served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Children’s Mercy –Kansas City, an independent, academic medical center. Dr. Cox led the organization to receive Magnet designation by The American Nurses Credentialing Center, becoming the first hospital in Missouri and the region in 2003 when she was Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer. Dr. Cox started her healthcare career as a licensed practical nurse.

Previously, she was elected to the American Hospital Association, Section on Maternal and Child Health Governing Council (2013-2016) and was appointed to the Children’s Hospital Association, Child Health Committee (2013-2017). Dr. Cox was named a Fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellowship Program (1999-2002) and was appointed to a term on the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, U.S. Health and Human Services (2006-2011). She also served as board chair of the National Initiative for Children’s Health Quality, as board member and chair of the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City board of directors (2009-2015) and was an inaugural member of the National League of Nursing Foundation Advisory Council.

Dr. Cox has contributed articles to publications including Nursing Outlook, Modern Healthcare, American Journal of Nursing, Nursing Economics, Seminars for Nurse Managers, Journal of Nursing Administration, Nursing Leadership Forum, Nursing Administration Quarterly and Journal of Public Health Nursing.

Dr. Cox is also the current President of the American Academy of Nursing (2017-2019) and a Fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives. She holds an associate degree in nursing from Excelsior College, a bachelor’s in nursing degree from the University of Kansas and a master’s and PhD in nursing from the University of Missouri –Kansas City.

Rita Wray is a member of the Chamberlain University Board of Trustees. She is the founder and chief executive officer of Wray Enterprises, Inc., a national independent healthcare consulting firm. Previously, she served as deputy executive director of the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration and held the position for nearly a decade.

With more than 35 years of service, Wray has made significant contributions as a leader in numerous professional organizations. She is secretary for the International Women’s Forum/MS; member of the board of directors for the International Ballet Competition; former treasurer for the National Black Nurses Association; chairperson of the State Initiative for the American Academy of Nursing, Institute for Nursing Leadership, National Advisory Council; chairperson of Sustainability Committee for the Nurses On Boards Coalition; former national first vice president of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women; commissioner for the MS Commission on the Status of Women; vice chairperson of the MS Public Service Contract Review Board; co-lead for the Mississippi Action Coalition – Future of Nursing/Campaign for Action.

Among many notable recognitions, Wray was named one of Mississippi’s Top Ten Leading Business Women in 2000, inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2008 and named Honorary Secretary of State of Louisiana by Louisiana’s Secretary of State Tom Schedler in 2012.

Wray holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of North Alabama and a Master of Business Administration degree from Jackson State University. She is certified in nursing administration through the American Nurses Association and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.

Angie Millan is a member of the Chamberlain University Board of Trustees. She currently serves as Nursing Director for Children’s Medical Services (CMS) at the County of Los Angeles’ Department of Public Health. In this position she plans, directs, coordinates and administers nursing programs for CMS, which encompasses California Children’s Services; Child Health and Disability Prevention; and Child Welfare Public Health Nursing Program. She has been with Children’s Medical Services since 1999.

Millan was previously national president and board member of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN), past member of Nursing Advisory Council of the Joint Commission and a member of the Commission to End Healthcare Disparities. She currently serves as a board member for NAHN, as commissioner for the office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission, and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Women’s Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI).

Millan was inducted as fellow of the American Nursing Academy in 2012 and is a recipient of 2015 NAHN Nurse of the Year and 22nd Senate Woman of the Year award.

Millan holds both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from California State University.  She earned Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from Western University of Health Sciences and she is licensed to practice nursing in the state of California and Washington, D. C.

Chris Nash is a member of the Chamberlain University Board of Trustees. Nash joined Adtalem in 2010 as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer and was appointed CIO in 2013. As CIO, he is responsible for all aspects of Adtalem’s IT strategy, planning and operations including academic technologies, business support services, application development, infrastructure, project management office and enterprise architecture.

Prior to Adtalem, Nash served as Chief Technology Officer for Millward Brown, one of the world’s largest market research companies. He was responsible for global strategy and supported all technology solutions used by 84 offices across 54 countries. Before that, Nash served in a variety of IT roles over 12 years at Kraft Foods. He led numerous manufacturing, supply chain, customer service initiatives and account management. Nash has also worked at Greenbrier & Russel Consulting and Rand McNally.

A native of Chicago, Nash holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Beloit College.