Umamaheshwari (Uma) Venugopal, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CCRN

Email: president@nainausa.org

Dear NAINA Family and Friends,

It is an honor and privilege to serve as the 10th President of the National Association of Indian Nurses of America (NAINA) for the term 2025-2026. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to lead and serve the organization alongside dedicated and passionate group of nursing professionals with a vision to Engage, Educate, and Empower. Our accountability for the term includes upholding our visionary leaders’ shared values of fostering a culture of collaboration, mutual respect, and well-being to strengthen our community. This creates opportunities and pathways for nurses to grow personally and professionally, align with the emerging trends, meet the challenging healthcare demands, and advocate for policy changes.  

Engage: NAINA fosters a sense of community in bringing together nurses of Indian origin/heritage nationwide. Our active engagement and collaboration will expand community outreach efforts locally, nationally and across the borders. These activities promote community well-being and enhances professional development fostering leadership skills, networking opportunities and career advancement in nurses. Furthermore, they promote interdisciplinary collaboration where best practices can be shared in a supportive and inclusive environment.

Educate: Our expertise, passion, and dedication will inspire innovation, making a significant impact to our profession and communities. NAINA remains dedicated in offering continuing education hours for nurses of all disciplines to stay current with the latest innovations, evidence-based practices and research through national and international workshops, webinars and conferences. Our mentorship programs will be the key to fostering a culture of learning, empowerment, resilience and collaboration while building strong leaders with diverse and multitalented skillsets. 

Empower: Let us unite to make our collective voices heard in Washington D.C. Thanks to our legendary leaders, NAINA’s partnership with the American Nurses Association (ANA) allows us to advocate for policies that promotes a healthy work environment, climate change initiatives, prioritizing well-being and improved patient outcomes. NAINA empowers you to pursue leadership roles ensuring a seat at the table to influence meaningful change.

I sincerely thank our founders, leaders and members for being my inspiration. Please join me in walking the walk together to elevate NAINA ‘s growth and success. I’m grateful for your trust, commitment, and ongoing contributions to our shared mission and vision. Let us begin this term together with confidence.

Together, we shall make a difference every day, for I believe in YOU.

Cheers and blessings for a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous year ahead!

Sincerely,
Umamaheswari (Uma) Venugopal
President

Thank You

Umamaheswari Venugopal
MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CCRN-K
President

Mrs. Umamaheswari (Uma) Venugopal, the past president (2021-2022) of the American Association of Indian Nurses of New Jersey Chapter 2 (AAIN-NJ2) is a versatile leader, mentor, and an inspiring role-model with about twenty plus years of experience in many leadership roles. The foundational nursing education from India provided the strength to pursue her passion and talent to lead and teach in the United States. She exemplifies nursing excellence by incorporating transformational and situational leadership into her practice, modeling the way to transform the health of our nation by inspiring and encouraging the fellow nurses to be the change agent. Mrs. Uma Venugopal currently practices as a full time non-tenure track professor and an Administrative Supervisor/Diversion Lead – Nursing. 

“I attribute my success to this – I never gave or took any excuse. – Florence Nightingale”