MNA Board of Directors Selects Longtime Labor Leader and Dedicated Healthcare Advocate Joe-Ann Fergus, RN, PhD, as Next Executive Director

Veteran MNA leader and devoted champion of patient and worker rights Joe-Ann Fergus to guide the union through its next era of advocacy and organizing

CANTON, Mass., Oct. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The elected Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) Board of Directors have announced that Joe-Ann Fergus, RN, PhD, has been appointed the next Executive Director of the Commonwealth's largest healthcare union of nurses and healthcare professionals. Fergus has held multiple leadership roles with the MNA for more than two decades and will step into the position following the transition from Interim Executive Director Roland Goff and former longtime Executive Director Julie Pinkham, RN.

"Joe-Ann has dedicated her career to lifting up nurses and healthcare professionals, and we are thrilled to welcome her as the next Executive Director of the MNA," said Katie Murphy, MNA President and a practicing ICU nurse. "She brings not only decades of experience within our union but also the passion, wisdom, and vision needed to guide us through the challenges and opportunities ahead. With Joe-Ann at the helm, we are confident that the voices of our members will be stronger than ever."

Fergus is a trusted leader within the MNA whose passionate advocacy has contributed significantly to the organization's success over the last two decades. With a strong background in labor advocacy, organizational leadership, and a deep commitment to advancing workers' rights, Fergus has successfully advocated for improved patient care and working conditions, as well as fair and equitable treatment for patients, healthcare workers, and communities.

"I am deeply honored to be stepping into this amazing role as Executive Director," Joe-AnnFergus, RN, PhD, said. "The MNA is strongly positioned to amplify the voices and power of our members and workers everywhere. This is a period filled with opportunities to organize new members, empower and mobilize our existing members, nurture and mentor emerging leaders, and strengthen relationships with coalition partners who share our vision for better working and living conditions for workers, patients, and communities."

Fergus began her MNA journey as a staff nurse and an elected bargaining unit leader at the Visiting Nurses Association of Boston, later joining MNA staff as an Associate Director in Labor Relations. She went on to serve as Director of Member Services, and as Acting Director of the Division of Nursing, Health & Safety, and Labor Education. Across these roles, Fergus has managed staff, overseen organizational transitions, built collaborative partnerships, and co-authored critical mission statements that have helped guide the MNA's work and impact.

Fergus's professional and academic background further underscores her expertise. She earned a PhD in Nursing/Public Policy from UMass Boston, an MA in Dispute Resolution, and a BSN from Simmons. She has taught as an adjunct professor of nursing, developed continuing education programs, and represented MNA on state, regional, and national panels.

"Joe-Ann's leadership comes at a pivotal time for our union and for healthcare in Massachusetts," said Katie Murphy. "Her deep experience, commitment to inclusivity, collaboration, and transparency, and unwavering commitment to caregivers and patients will ensure that the MNA not only meets the challenges we face but becomes stronger than ever. With Joe-Ann guiding us, the board is confident we will continue to shape the future of nursing and protect the care our communities deserve."

Fergus directly succeeds Interim Executive Director Roland Goff, a longtime MNA Director of Strategic Campaigns who provided steady leadership and labor expertise during a transition period following the May 2025 retirement of Julie Pinkham, RN, who served as Executive Director for more than two decades. Pinkham's tenure included historic milestones such as the union's disaffiliation from the American Nurses Association, passage of landmark legislation on mandatory overtime and ICU patient limits, creation of the Taft-Hartley pension fund, and the founding of the NENA organizing collective. Pinkham also steered the union through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and, most recently, through Steward Health Care's bankruptcy.

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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 26,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on healthcare issues affecting nurses and the public.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association