MSN, RN, NE-BC
Renae Kendall, MSN, RN, NE-BC is a transformational and mission-focused nurse leader with over 30 years of healthcare experience at a Magnet® and Baldrige Award- winning organization. She brings a diverse background in clinical care, nursing informatics, and executive nursing leadership, with a proven track record of leading organizations through complex change while elevating nursing practice and patient outcomes.
For more than five years, Renae served as the Magnet Program Director for Deaconess Memorial Medical Center (Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center) , where she successfully led the organization to its first Magnet designation in 2020 and achieved Magnet with Distinction® in 2024. In this role, she developed and implemented a comprehensive Magnet® strategic roadmap aligned with the hospital’s nursing strategic plan and broader organizational goals. She built a robust shared governance structure that was adopted across inpatient and ambulatory settings, including physician clinics, leading to improved RN satisfaction, enhanced clinical outcomes, and recognition through 11 Magnet exemplars.
Renae excels in uniting multidisciplinary teams to execute strategic nursing initiatives and has mentored nurse leaders in transformational leadership, evidence-based practice, and exemplary professional practice. She serves nationally as Chair of a Nursing Excellence Consortiums for Magnet Program Directors and as a Press Ganey Magnet Advisor, where she supports peer organizations in advancing nursing excellence.
She also designed and maintained her hospital’s Professional Practice Model strategic plan and was instrumental in aligning nursing strategy with system-level goals. Her leadership has advanced quality, workforce engagement, and professional development across the organization. A skilled speaker and educator, Renae has presented nationally on workplace violence and internationally on nursing’s role in patient experience, shared governance, and strategic planning.
Earlier in her career, Renae held leadership roles in nursing informatics and Information Technology, where she led system-wide EHR implementations, clinical documentation redesigns, and major IT infrastructure upgrades—all supporting improved clinical quality and data-driven decision-making.
Renae transitioned into her current role as System Manager of Magnet for Deaconess Health System, where she now oversees Magnet strategy across multiple hospitals, collaborating with system CNOs to align nursing excellence efforts across the enterprise.
Renae holds a Master of Science in Nursing from PennWest California and both Bachelor and Associate degrees in Nursing from Indiana State University. She is board-certified as a Nurse Executive and remains deeply committed to empowering clinical nurses as leaders, innovators, and partners in healthcare delivery.