The Barnes Family started DAISY  in 1999 to say a profound thank you to nurses for the extraordinary skill and compassion they provide patients and families every day. Our experience with nurses during son Patrick Barnes'​ eight week hospitalization showed us that direct care nurses do super-human work that is rarely recognized. We had no idea that today, more than 5,000 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing in all 50 states and 32 other countries and territories would honor their nurses all year long with The DAISY Award. Over 2,100,000 nominations have been written, describing how a nurse has impacted a patient or family. Clearly, the Barnes Family are not the only people compelled to say thank you to nurses!

The strategic value of this kind of meaningful recognition is now being proven in research study after study. Impacts include contribution to a healthy work environment, nurse satisfaction, compassion satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and cultural transformation. It's remarkable what happens when a healthcare organization focuses some attention on all the good that's going on.

We also honor nursing students with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students and nursing faculty with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty. Through our J. Patrick Barnes Grants, we support nursing research and EBP projects with grants to nurses.

Nursing & Residential Care

The DAISY Foundation

Deb Zimmermann

Professor Dickon Weir-Hughes

Peter Maher

Deanetha Smith Parks

Chelsea Moise

Bonnie Barnes

Cynthia Sweeney

The Leadership Team at The DAISY Foundation is responsible for steering the organization's mission to honor and recognize the extraordinary work of nurses and nursing students. This team formulates strategic initiatives, oversees program implementation, and ensures the foundation’s broader impact on global nursing communities. The Vice President For Nursing Emerita, Chief Executive Officer, and Co-founder work collaboratively to foster relationships with healthcare facilities, manage grants for nursing research, and promote a culture of appreciation and support within the nursing profession.

Leadership Team

Program Management Team

Leadership Team

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Team members

Other teams at The DAISY Foundation

Program Management Team