Distinguished Alumni Award: Carol Watson

Carol Watson, PhD, RN, CENP, FAONL, FAAN, is the recipient of the 2025 College of Nursing Distinguished Alumni Award. A two-time graduate of the College of Nursing, Watson (70BSN, 73MA) is an educator, mentor, advocate, and leader. Her accomplishments include impacting state and national legislation as clinical director of neuroscience services at University of Iowa Health Care and president of the American Association of Nursing Leadership, improving work environment at Mercy Medical Center and other facilities through evidence-based facility design, developing initial courses for the Doctor of Nursing Practice - Health Systems: Administration/Executive Leadership program, and contributing to the development of the Quality Assurance Model Using Research, a precursor to the Iowa Evidence-Based Practice Model. 

“Dr. Watson’s legacy has been transformational,” writes her nominator. “She has focused on transforming the care environment for nurses and patients… [and] played a pivotal role in mentoring future nurse leaders, encouraging them to innovate and disrupt care delivery systems.”

Outstanding Young Alumni Award: Jonathan Szczesny

Jonathan D. Szczesny II, BSN, RN, CCRN, TCRN is the 2025 Outstanding Young Alumni award winner. Szczesny, a December 2022 RN-BSN program graduate, worked in the Neurological and Trauma Intensive Care Unit at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Neenah, Wisconsin. He often assisted with trainings in the Intensive Care Unit and co-chaired the unit’s preceptor committee. Szczesny’s nominators praised his teaching abilities, along with his “intense focus on providing exceptional care and fostering a culture of conscious learning and improvement.” 

In summer 2024, he relocated to Iowa City and began the college's Nurse Anesthesia program.

► Read more from the 2024 Iowa Nursing Magazine