Debra Harrison was the Chief Nursing Officer for Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida from 2006 – 2016. She retired in May, 2016 and joined MEDI as an Executive Coach early 2017. Her years of experience in nursing and hospital leadership give her a unique perspective of the challenges these leaders face. Prior to coming to Florida in 2006, she held a variety of positions at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, including Nurse Administrator for Critical Care, Nurse Manager, and Nursing Education Specialist. While in Florida, she led the nursing department in obtaining Magnet Designation, a national recognition for excellence in nursing. This Magnet designation assisted the organization to achieve US News & World Report #1 hospital in Jacksonville and #1 in Florida. She has given presentations on Transformational Leadership and while CNO, achieved an Overall Satisfaction rating for the nursing department of 87% and an Engagement score of 97%.
Debra began working with MEDI to be able to team with expert coaches while bringing her vast nursing leadership experience. In addition to coaching, she is working part-time as the Vice President of Clinical Analytics for Amera Medical Review (AMR), a revenue enhancement company assisting hospitals. She is also an Adjunct Professor for the University of North Florida in the Doctoral of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.
Debra obtained her Bachelors & Master’s Degrees in Nursing from Winona State University in Minnesota and her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of North Florida. She is an Assistant Professor of Nursing, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic and has board certification as Nursing Executive, Advanced. Professional memberships include AONE, ANA, AACN, Sigma Theta Tau International and HFMA. Areas of expertise include transformational leadership, quality, patient safety, advanced practice nursing, and Magnet designation. She and her husband live in Jacksonville, FL.