The world of healthcare management is a highly competitive one where true leadership becomes a scarce commodity. There are titles aplenty but very little vision. The distinction between leaders who are mere managers and leaders who lead transformation lies in qualities which cannot be instilled by means of classroom lectures and job descriptions. They have everything to do with the ability to spot the broken pieces of the puzzle, speaking out about their existence and sticking around long enough to see it solved.
Regenia Stull, DNP, MSN, RN, CNL-C, LNC, Chief Nursing Officer at The University of Kansas Health System, Liberty Market, is precisely such a leader. Unlike other leaders who prefer to delegate tasks or seek approval before action, she is the kind of leader who can see problems arising, call them out and decide to solve the issues herself.
Long before she held an executive title or earned a doctorate or stepped into a corner office, she was a bedside nurse with a restless, searching mind and an eye for everything that was not working as well as it should. Regenia noticed the friction in the workflow. She felt the weight of inefficiencies that wore her colleagues down. And while others vented and moved on, she asked a different question: not “why does this happen,” but “what would it take to change it?”
That question became Regenia’s compass. She went back to school and pursued every credential that would put her closer to the decisions that shaped the lives of nurses and patients alike. Regenia climbed, not for status, but for reach. She believed the higher she went, the more she could change. Today, Regenia is not just leading a nursing organization, she is redefining what nursing leadership looks like from the inside out, and the healthcare world is paying attention.
From the Bedside to the Boardroom
Regenia did not plan to become a nursing leader. She became one because she could not stop herself from caring about how things worked, and how they could work better.
Early in her career, while caring for patients at the bedside, she began to look beyond the immediate tasks in front of her. She started noticing patterns- things that slowed the shift down, processes that created friction, moments where a simple adjustment could make a meaningful difference. Regenia would talk with her colleagues, raise questions, and offer ideas. Her signature phrase in those early years was: “Someone should do something about that.”
Over time, as Regenia moved into leadership roles and returned to school to earn higher degrees, she realized something important- she was becoming that “someone”. The education was not just academic but was personal. Every degree she pursued brought her closer to the table where decisions were made, and closer to the ability to act on the instincts she had been developing for years.
Today, as CNO at The University of Kansas Health System, Liberty Market, Regenia has fully stepped into that role. She has become the “someone” who “does something about it”. And she takes that responsibility seriously.
A Philosophy Built on Trust and Listening
As a responsible leader, Regenia leads through a combination of servant and transformational leadership. These are two approaches that, in her hands, work together seamlessly.
When she faces a challenge or takes on an improvement initiative, she begins by seeking to understand the real issue, not the surface noise. She separates fact from emotion, asks many questions, and listens without interrupting. For Regenia, active listening is not just a communication technique. It is a foundational leadership skill; one she believes is far harder to master than most people realise.
Building a Workforce That Stays
Workforce challenges are among the most pressing issues in healthcare today, and Regenia approaches them with both realism and creativity. She knows that nurses are in high demand and is aware that the landscape is competitive. Regenia also knows that attracting and retaining talent requires more than a competitive salary.
She stays current in the literature, reading broadly and continuously to understand what nursing professionals are looking for, and what keeps them from staying. Regenia’s team has deliberately developed clear career pathways for nurses interested in joining the organization, creating structured opportunities for professional growth while enabling them to make meaningful contributions to the team.
Patient-Centered Care as a Living Principle
For Regenia, patient-centered care is not a policy statement or a line in a strategic plan. It is the lens through which every decision passes. She talks about it openly and often, bringing conversations back to the core purpose of everything her team does: the patients they serve.
No decision is made without considering its impact on patients. That principle is non-negotiable. It shapes how Regenia evaluates new initiatives, how she responds to operational challenges, and how she guides her leadership team. By keeping patients at the center of every conversation, Regenia ensures the organization does not drift toward institutional priorities at the expense of the people it exists to serve.
Collaboration as a Leadership Tool
Healthcare does not happen in silos, and Regenia has no interest in leading as though it does. She meets monthly with a multidisciplinary team to ensure shared goals across the organization- physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and administrators all working toward the same vision of care.
When disagreements arise, she does not avoid them. Regenia creates space for every perspective to be heard. She believes that the best decisions emerge from genuine dialogue, not from hierarchy. Her role in those moments is not to impose a conclusion but to help the group reach one together, collaboratively and thoughtfully.
Embracing Technology Without Losing the Human Element
Healthcare technology is advancing faster than any single leader can fully absorb, and Regenia is honest about that. She does not pretend to have all the answers when it comes to digital tools and innovation. What Regenia does have is a willingness to learn and a network of trusted experts she relies on.
She works closely with the organization’s health information technology specialists to evaluate new tools and determine which ones best fit the needs of the system. For her, the goal is always the same: find the right blend of technology and human care that maintains and advances patient safety and quality. Innovation, for Regenia, is not about adopting the newest thing. It is about adopting the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons.
A Vision for Nursing’s Future
Regenia envisions a future full of tremendous possibilities for nursing. She describes the profession as dynamic- one of the few capable of pivoting quickly, adapting profoundly, and reinventing itself in response to the world’s demands. While she acknowledges that the nursing landscape will change significantly in the coming years, she is not worried; instead, she feels energized by these transformations.
What will not change, she insists, is the heart of nursing: the intentionality, the care, and the commitment to the patient in front of you. How that care is delivered will evolve. The tools, the settings, the systems will all shift. And CNOs, she believes, must evolve with them. They need to stay current, think strategically, understand the business side of healthcare, and remain open to what currently seems impossible.
“We cannot allow ourselves to become stagnant or resistant to change,” Regenia says. “If we do, we are in the way.” It is the kind of honest, unvarnished thinking that defines her- no ego, no defensiveness, just a clear-eyed commitment to staying useful.
A Leader Who Chose to Do Something About It
Regenia began her nursing career with a compassionate bedside manner and a keen eye for improvement. She advanced not by pursuing titles, but by pursuing purpose. Now, as Chief Nursing Officer at The University of Kansas Health System, Liberty Market, she exemplifies that the strongest leaders are not those who have all the answers, but those who ask the right questions, listen attentively, and trust their teams to create something better. Regenia is a person of action, and the patients, nurses, and communities she serves benefit greatly from her commitment.
