Meredith Foxx Appointed as Executive Chief Nursing Officer

Cleveland Clinic has named Meredith A. Foxx, MBA, MSN, APRN, PCNS-BC, PPCNP-BC, CPON, Executive Chief Nursing Officer (ECNO) of the Stanley Shalom Zielony Institute for Nursing Excellence.

In her role, Foxx will oversee the practice and education of Cleveland Clinic’s 23,000 nursing caregivers, including nurse leaders, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), registered nurses (RNs) and nursing support staff.

Foxx has served as interim ECNO since June 2020, when K. Kelly Hancock, DNP, RN, NE-BC, FAAN, was appointed as the health system’s first-ever Chief Caregiver Officer. Previously, Hancock led the Nursing Institute as ECNO and Cleveland Clinic main campus Chief Nursing Officer for nearly a decade.

An accomplished and respected leader and nurse

“Meredith is an accomplished and well-respected leader within our organization,” said Hancock. “She is dedicated to nursing excellence and will continue to build on our reputation as one of the top nursing organizations in the country.”

Most recently, Foxx was the Associate Chief Nursing Officer (ACNO) for APRNs and Nursing Quality and Practice. She was named to the APRN ACNO position – a first-of-its-kind at Cleveland Clinic – in 2016. Soon after, she also assumed the Nursing Quality and Practice ACNO role. In her ACNO position, she was responsible for the oversight and supervision of the scope of practice, recruitment, quality, credentialing and privileging of the health system’s 1,600 APRNs, as well as system-wide metrics and scope for nursing quality and practice.

Some of her most notable recent career accomplishments include leading nursing quality and practice integration into Cleveland Clinic’s several newly acquired hospitals, as well as spearheading the launch of a unique APRN/PA (Physician Assistant) onboarding program, known as ‘Transition to Practice.’ The 12-month Transition to Practice program frontloaded investment and training that offered standardized system-wide onboarding for all new graduate APRN and PA hires, training participants clinically and didactically to successfully transition into their clinical decision-making roles. The program focused on refining the skills and knowledge of new graduates, as well as experienced APRNs and PAs who were changing specialty practice areas, and has been widely successful.

Prior to her executive leadership positions, Foxx also served as Senior Director of Advanced Practice Nursing for 6 years, providing strategic leadership for Cleveland Clinic’s APRNs and direct supervision for the health system’s 40 inpatient Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs). She also spent several years as a pediatric CNS and a staff nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit.

A history of professional advancement

Foxx’s rich career history includes many notable examples of her efforts to advance the profession of nursing. Her dedication and expertise is noted throughout the healthcare industry through organizations such as the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL), American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses (OAAPN), and the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON).

She is the past secretary for APHON and past president of the Ohio APHON chapter. She served as a content expert and chair for the ANCC’s pediatric CNS exam and role definition study and is chairperson for the Cleveland Clinic nursing organization’s image and branding council, and legislative and health policy council.

She holds a dual certification as a CNS and as a nurse practitioner in pediatrics, and has served as clinical faculty for advanced practice nursing students at several colleges and universities. Foxx earned her Master’s degree in Business Administration from Case Western Reserve University, as well as a Master of Science in Nursing degree and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the 2012 recipient of the APHON’s Jean Fergusson Excellence in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nursing Practice Award and a recipient of the 2018 AANP State Award for Advocacy Excellence.

“I am proud and honored to be given the opportunity to lead Cleveland Clinic’s talented Nursing Institute,” says Foxx. “Our nursing caregivers are at the center of every care team. I’m excited to work with this team in an environment that allows them to grow, learn and practice to the best of their ability.”