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��ɫӰ�� announced today that — following a nationwide search — it has named Suzanne Burke Lehman ‘93, MSN’11, DNP’18 as the next Dean of the School of Nursing. Lehman, an associate professor in the School of Nursing and assistant dean of undergraduate nursing at ��ɫӰ��, has served as interim Dean of the School of Nursing since August, 2023.

“We are thrilled to claim the leadership and influence of Dr. Lehman in her new leadership role as Dean of the School of Nursing,” said Dianne Oliver, PhD, co-provost and senior vice president, ��ɫӰ��. “By combining her passion for innovative education/practice partnerships, workforce development, and health and education equity, our School of Nursing will continue to anticipate and meet the needs of every student who enters the program. I cannot think of a better qualified professional and educator to take on this work.” 

For more than 30 years, Lehman has provided healthcare leadership and service in a variety of community, education, and practice settings. She has brought her extensive leadership experience and service to the University and the community in the areas of nursing education, healthcare access and quality, diversity, and social justice. Lehman’s nursing career began as a Registered Nurse at Gillette Children’s Hospitals and Clinics in 1993. She later joined the Metropolitan Visiting Nurse Association and Minneapolis Health Department, where she provided state-mandated health consultation services to early childhood programs in the City of Minneapolis before returning to bedside care at Gillette Children’s Hospitals and Clinics in 2000. Lehman began her academic career at St. Kate’s in 2006 and was promoted to associate professor in 2012. As a faculty member, she was instrumental in developing the St. Kate’s Nurses of Color student organization in the nursing programs and leading initiatives to address health and education equity at the University and within the Twin Cities healthcare community.

“I believe that health and healing is an extension of our history and culture at St. Kate’s,” Lehman said. “Our School of Nursing is in a unique position to support our students to succeed in their degree programs and future professions. We have outstanding students, faculty and staff who are passionate and dedicated to excellence in the classrooms, clinicals and community. That is what excites me most about this opportunity.”

Lehman was named the Sr. Anne Joachim Moore Nursing Fellow in 2016, and over a 3-year period developed and implemented a fellowship project related to supporting increased minority student retention and graduation in the Department of Nursing. That work led to Lehman co-founding and facilitating the Nursing Diversity Collaborative, a nursing education/practice partnership to increase registered nurse and nursing faculty workforce diversity at ��ɫӰ�� and Minnesota Children’s Hospitals and Clinics. She was named assistant dean of undergraduate nursing in 2021.

It was her passion for equity and inclusion in the nursing profession that earned Lehman recognition for the St. Kate’s Sister Amata Catholic Mission in Action Award twice: first in 2018 as a nominee and again in 2021 as an award recipient. Through the award, she was recognized for her commitment to St. Kate’s Catholic mission through demonstrated service to faculty, staff, and students and to the building of a more inclusive community. The 2021 awards panel noted her ability to balance the demands of her position with the compassion and attention that make her students and colleagues “feel truly seen and heard.” One nominator wrote, “her warmth and support has enabled her community members, inside the nursing program and out, to adapt to the rapidly shifting challenges of COVID-19. Dr. Lehman and her investment in our community enriches our University more than professionally and academically, but rather on a human-to-human level.”

Lehman received her Bachelor of Arts in Nursing from St. Kate’s in 1993. She returned to St. Kate’s again for a Master of Arts in Nursing Education in 2011, and again for a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2018. Other professional honors that Lehman has been recognized with include a 2022 Twin Cities Business Magazine Notable Leader in Healthcare; 2020 ��ɫӰ�� Nursing Faculty Excellence award; 2018 African Nurses Network Excellence in Education award; 2013 National League for Nursing LEAD Fellow. She is the Board Chair for the Community University Health Care Center, and has served in an advisory capacity for multiple healthcare systems.