Lucy N. Marion, Ph.D., M.N., B.S.N., served as the Dean of the College Nursing at Augusta University for 15 years until her retirement in December 2019. In addition to serving as the CON Dean, she served as the Associate Vice-President of Academic Affair at the Augusta University Medical Center. Dr. Marion continues to hold the Kellet Distinguished Chair of Nursing, an endowed chair supported by the MCG Foundation.

Dr. Marion began her nursing academic career at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing as a Clinical Instructor in 1968, one year after receiving her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from USC. She earned her Master of Nursing degree from USC in 1974 and her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Nursing Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1990. She achieved the rank of Associate Professor at USC and served there until 1993. Dr. Marion furthered her career as the Associate Dean of Academic Nursing Practice and Department Chair at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 1994 to 2004. She also served as the Clinical Chief at the University of Illinois Medical Center, 1995-1999.

As a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) and American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, USPHS Primary Health Care Policy Fellowship, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellowship, Dr. Marion received awards for promoting and integrating nursing education, NIH-funded research, and practice. Her grant funded projects integrated primary and mental health care for people with serious mental illness. Her practicerelated scholarship focused on creating and evaluating community-based programs for vulnerable populations. As a nationally certified Family Nurse Practitioner for over 30 years, she provided direct care to vulnerable people, families, and groups within the faculty practices at the three universities where she served.

During her tenure as the CON Dean at Augusta University, Dr. Marion implemented the Doctor of Nursing Practitioner program in 2005, which at the time, was the only such program in Georgia and only one of ten in the nation. Among her many honors and awards, she received the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) State Award for Excellence Advocate for Georgia in 2018.

In addition to her teaching and administrative faculty responsibilities, Dr. Marion was a pivotal member of various professional nursing organizations and task forces as detailed below:

• Sigma Theta Tau, International
• American Nurses Association
• American Public Health Association
• National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF)
• American Academy of Nursing (AAN)
• Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science, AAN (founding member)
• American Association of Occupational Health Nursing
• Doctor of Nurse Practitioner (DNP) Task Force, Chair
• Academic Advisory Committee on Nursing (AACON)
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing (member dean)
• Greater Augusta Healthcare Network (founding member)
• Board of Directors, Project Access (Richmond County Medical Society, Augusta, GA)
• CSRA Nursing Workforce Task Force
• Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition Steering Committee
• American Association of Nurse Practitioners (merger of AANP, ACNP, NANP)