Alison Ridge joined Benedictine University in June 2012 as MSN Program Director and Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing and Health. Prior to joining Benedictine, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community, Systems, and Mental Health Nursing at Rush College of Nursing in Chicago, IL. Over her twelve years on faculty at Rush, she taught didactic and practicum courses in three pre-licensure programs and online at the master’s and doctoral level. Her doctoral project included the development of an online training course, demonstrating her passion and commitment to online learning. Her administrative expertise grew during the seven years she served as a clinical nurse manager of a geropsychiatry unit followed by eight years as a Project Director on two NIH funded research grants. She received her BSN, MSN specializing in psychiatric nursing, and DNP in systems leadership from Rush College of Nursing. Her practice has focused on the care of acute and chronically ill adults with mental health issues and over the last ten years she has concentrated on promoting young children’s social emotional development through her work with the Chicago Parent Program, an evidence-based parent training program delivered in the community to diverse parents. She became a Certified Nurse Educator in 2011, is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, and the National League for Nursing. She has received recognition in leadership, mentoring, and teaching.