Dr. Stacey Ocander is the Vice President of Workforce Initiatives & Education for the Nebraska Hospital Association and past Dean of Health Careers & College Health Advisory Officer at Metropolitan Community College. She has her doctorate in Education Administration: Adult and Higher Education with specialty in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of South Dakota, a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology and a B.S. in Education & Athletic Training from Wayne State College. She started her healthcare provider journey as a CNA & spent many years working in orthopedic surgery, sports medicine, & rehabilitation.
Stacey is the Chief Consultant of Norikar and Associates and the Lead Curriculum Designer for the Nebraska Health Careers Pipeline Initiative. She is committed to growing leaders from within organizations & helping to develop people to their fullest potential through the identification of a vision, set of core values, and an implementation plan. She is committed to finding solutions to workforce issues through education and collaboration with industry and community partners. As the lead consultant on the National Health Careers Pathways Program (H2P), Stacey led the development of a core curriculum in entry level healthcare professions across 150 community colleges, high schools, and workforce organizations.
As a Past Board Officer of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs and Past-President of the National Network of Health Programs in Two-Year Colleges, Stacey believes strongly in the value of Certificates and the associate degree as the entry-level to the career pathway. She is a strong advocate for diversity of lived experiences, reducing health disparities, lifelong learning and professional mentoring, and believes these are the responsibility of all professionals. Stacey serves on several community boards and national boards, and volunteers her time to a multitude of projects involving equity and serving people in need.