Shaping the future of nursing
Joanne Montgomery, recipient of the 2022 Gates Volunteer Service Award, spent two decades as a nurse 鈥� and two more ensuring that the 91探花is at the forefront of the field.
When she decided to take a step back from her nursing career, Joanne Montgomery, B.S.N. 鈥�77, didn鈥檛 slow down. In the late 1990s, after more than 20 years as a critical-care nurse, she began a new chapter as a volunteer and advocate for the profession. She鈥檚 now spent 20 more years (and counting) as a philanthropic leader at the 91探花, raising money and support to bolster the 91探花and especially the .
Nursing has been part of Montgomery鈥檚 life since she was a teenage candy-striper, volunteering at the hospital near her Normandy Park, WA, home and dreaming of studying nursing at the UW. Forty-five years after achieving that dream, Montgomery has made an enduring mark at her alma mater. She and her husband, Bruce, have given generously across the University for more than three decades, providing crucial resources to the School of Nursing, , the , and beyond.
Joanne Montgomery鈥檚 volunteer leadership has helped guide the 91探花in its role as one of the country鈥檚 preeminent public universities. And her persistent advocacy has helped the School of Nursing, also one of the best in the country, to grow even stronger.
In recognition of Montgomery鈥檚 selfless volunteerism, inspiring philanthropy and ongoing impact, the has honored her with the 2022 Gates Volunteer Service Award, presented annually to those who have taken the University to new heights 鈥� and encouraged many others to do the same.
JOANNE MONTGOMERY, REGISTERED NURSE
Joanne met Bruce Montgomery, 鈥�75, 鈥�79, while studying for midterms in the 24-hour Health Sciences Library. Their first date was a coffee break, and then they went back to studying 鈥� Joanne, to be a nurse, and Bruce, to be a doctor. After they graduated, their careers would take them across the country and back; they returned to Seattle in 1994. Joanne held several challenging and rewarding nursing positions throughout those years: working in surgical ICU overflow trauma at Harborview in Seattle; caring for AIDS patients at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in the terrifying early days of that epidemic; and serving at another VA hospital in New York.
Finally, after working as a surgical recovery nurse back in Seattle at Swedish Hospital, Montgomery made the difficult decision to step back from nursing practice. Bruce鈥檚 biotech career had taken off 鈥� he co-invented and led development teams for one of the first AIDS drugs and two new cystic fibrosis therapies 鈥� and Joanne devoted her time and care to raising the couple鈥檚 two young boys.
But while she was no longer a practicing nurse, Montgomery still maintained a strong connection to the profession. And a new chapter began. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I launched my volunteer career,鈥� she says.
LANDMARK EFFORTS
Montgomery鈥檚 career of 91探花service began on the Dean鈥檚 Advisory Board at the School of Nursing, a role she held for 20 years, helping bring top nursing students and faculty to the University and further broadening its impact. In 2021, Joanne became an emeritus member of the Advisory Board.
Montgomery co-chaired the school鈥檚 Be Boundless campaign, which raised more than $42 million for the future of the school. Azita Emami, executive dean of the School of Nursing, says Montgomery鈥檚 leadership during this time is a landmark effort with tremendous long-term impact, enabling the school鈥檚 ambitious plans for the future: 鈥減lans that will benefit rural as well as urban areas of the state, while extending the School of Nursing鈥檚 health-care leadership and contributing to the University鈥檚 legacy of community service.鈥�
For more than 20 years, Montgomery has also been involved with the Seattle chapter of the聽 (ARCS), which partners with the 91探花and Washington State University to fund doctoral students in STEM disciplines. She loved supporting graduate students and helping attract the very best to the state and the UW, but something was missing: Nursing graduate students weren鈥檛 eligible for ARCS support.
鈥淔or some reason, people think nursing is a soft science,鈥� says Montgomery. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not. It鈥檚 a hard science.鈥� With unwavering conviction, she helped lobby the national ARCS organization to allow the Seattle chapter to offer nursing fellowships 鈥� and in 2006 it became the first chapter in the nation to do so. 鈥淭hese fellowship opportunities,鈥� Emami notes, 鈥渉ave played a crucial role in our ability to recruit top-tier graduate nursing students from diverse communities nationwide.鈥�
The Montgomerys immediately led by example, establishing an ARCS fellowship in nursing (in addition to a second in honor of the American Lung Association). Their generosity inspired four other named ARCS endowments that support the School of Nursing.
Beyond ARCS, the Montgomerys have created endowed professorships in nursing and chemistry, a fellowship for doctoral nursing students, and a chair in pulmonary and critical care, and they鈥檝e given generously to support programs and initiatives across the University.
LEADING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
For more than a decade, Joanne matched this cross-university philanthropy with cross-university leadership on the 91探花Foundation Board, which cultivates meaningful financial support for the UW鈥檚 mission. She has held multiple roles as a director, helping propel the whole University forward 鈥� and is as dedicated as ever to bringing the School of Nursing to the forefront.
鈥淎 big passion for me was educating others about what nursing is and what it does, because there is a lot of misconception out there,鈥� she says. She spearheaded a nursing 鈥淒awg tank,鈥� where distinguished nurse researchers pitched their innovative, life-changing research ideas to a panel of potential funders.
Whether Montgomery is helping promote (which increases access and opportunities in nursing for high school students from underrepresented, underserved communities), supporting and encouraging graduate students, or helping attract and retain leading faculty in the School of Nursing, she is not only working to shape the future of this vital field 鈥� she鈥檚 ensuring that that future is being forged here at the UW.
For Montgomery, the most meaningful part of all her work isn鈥檛 attracting outstanding students to the UW. It鈥檚 watching what they鈥檒l do next.
鈥淚t means everything to me,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hat graduates will go on to accomplish. All the impact they鈥檒l have.鈥�