Building Community: Wildcat nurse leader works to strengthen alumni ties and provide support

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Head and shoulders photo of Chloé Littzen-Brown, Alumni Council President

Chloé Littzen-Brown, PhD, RN, AE-C, assumed the role of Alumni Council President on July 1, 2025, succeeding Melissa Goldsmith. Brown is a 2021 graduate of the College of Nursing’s PhD program and brings a passion for community, advocacy, and service to her new leadership position. She views this appointment as an exciting new chapter in her dedication to nursing and alumni engagement.

“I am excited to work alongside our amazing Nursing Alumni Board and promote a community of outreach and support for our current and future alumni members,” says Brown. “Having an active and collaborative alumni board and council is essential in supporting current and future alumni through community, networking, and celebration!”

When asked why she stepped forward to lead the council, Brown highlights the importance of connection and service: “I wanted to promote collaboration among our alumni board and outreach to our current and future nursing alumni members to strengthen our growing and vital community.”

Looking ahead, she envisions an inclusive, responsive Alumni Council that addresses the needs of its community.“ My goal is to collaborate and listen to the needs of our current and future alumni, as well as our board members who have served for years before me, to ensure a thriving and successful council that benefits our community.”

Brown’s professional journey demonstrates a strong dedication to both scholarship and advancing health equity. Her dissertation focused on the work-related well-being of young adult nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her research interests include well-being, nursing theory, nursing philosophy, integrative health, and mixed methods. Chloé’s clinical background is in pediatrics, with a primary focus on pediatric intensive care. Her career encompasses roles as a nurse, researcher, and educator, each of which reinforces her belief in the power of alumni to build community and promote meaningful change within the nursing profession.

Brown currently serves as an assistant professor at the University of Portland, School of Nursing and Health Innovations. She has held notable roles, including secretary of the Arizona Foundation for the Future of Nursing, secretary of the International Philosophy of Nursing Foundation, and co-director of the Institute for Vital Practice. She is also the co-author of The Double-Edged Sword: An Evidence-Informed Workbook for the Well-being of Nurses and the Places They Work (American Nurses Association, 2023), a publication that highlights her dedication to supporting the nursing profession.

Throughout her career, Brown has actively volunteered with numerous organizations, taking on both leadership and non-leadership roles to help her community. She continues to practice bedside nursing in the pediatric intensive care unit, pediatric respiratory step-down unit, and pediatric home care settings.

Brown is also enthusiastic about supporting the next generation of Wildcat Nurses. Her advice to prospective students is sincere and practical: “Find a professor or instructor you admire and reach out to them. Ask them how they got where they are. We have an amazing faculty at the U of A College of Nursing, and they are all willing to help you achieve your dreams. An email and a phone call can help you take a big step into your future. That’s how I found my way to the college and met some of the most incredible professors who have helped shape my world today.”

As she begins her two-year term, Brown is dedicated to encouraging meaningful engagement and open communication with the alumni community. “Please never hesitate to reach out via email or phone to ask a question, ask for help, or even just to chat. I am, as is the board, always here to assist and want to ensure our nursing alumni community is thriving.”

With her energy, experience, and collaborative spirit, Brown is prepared to help steer the College of Nursing’s Alumni Council toward an exciting and connected future.