Phyllis J. Waters, Ph.D., RN, Professor and Carol and Odis Peavy Endowed Chair in Nursing at the University of St. Thomas Peavy School of Nursing (PSON), serves as a core faculty member in the Graduate Nursing Program and previously served as Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Professional Advancement. She currently teaches graduate courses in advanced theoretical foundations of nursing and the application of transformational leadership theory in 21st-century complex nursing environments. In addition, Dr. Waters facilitates academic-practice collaboration between the PSON and clinical partners in a wide range of service settings in the Houston healthcare community. Before her current role, Dr. Waters held positions as a System Level Director of Practice and Executive Nurse Advisor for Strategic Planning and Evaluation at both Harris Health System and University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Clinical Services. From 1994-2003, Dr. Waters was the Associate Dean for Practice for UTMB School of Nursing. In these roles, she led several strategic initiatives designed to facilitate clinical-academic collaboration in practice and research, developed and implemented nursing professional practice models to promote practice excellence, and facilitated leadership development as well as strategic organizational development. While living in Ohio, Dr. Waters led a federally funded project for the state of Ohio focused on the strategic advancement of professional nursing and co-founded and served as a principal in a nurse-owned consulting firm serving the Midwest. For over 40 years, Dr. Waters has served in a wide range of clinical and academic leadership roles. Throughout her career, she has been committed to clinical-academic partnerships in creating healing environments, developing nurses’ leadership capacity, and advancing nursing excellence. Dr. Waters professional and research foci are in creating healing environments, theory-informed, evidence-based practice, and transformational leadership. She has had the opportunity to publish as well as present at national, regional, and local forums on these subjects.