Dr. Karen E. Alexander, PhD, RN, CNOR, CNE, an Inaugural Honor Graduate; Distinguished Alumni of The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas -Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nursing Education and Research. A beautiful wife, proud parent, clinician, nurse, educator, and a transformational leader who leads with an eagerness to educate, inspire, motivate, and mentor. A native New Yorker who served in Desert Storm as a Captain Commissioned Officer, earning medals, in the United States Air Force, retired after 22 years of service. Beginning as a Medical Surgical-Peri-Operative Nurse in 1986 to her current role as a visionary and innovative Professor. Dr. Alexander has been an educator since 2004. While leading as Program Director at San Jacinto College South Campus. She spearheaded initiatives that dramatically increased NCLEX-RN® pass rates from 68.9% to an impressive 88.9%, leading to the Texas Board of Nursing removing its “Warning” status. San Jacinto College South Campus achieved a perfect 100% first-time pass rate from 2012 to 2014—a feat that exemplifies her relentless pursuit of academic excellence.
Dr. Alexander served as President of UTMB Biosciences Alumni, Texas Nurses Association Legislative Liaison, a site visitor with the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), and a member of the UTMB Developmental Board.
Currently, the Director of Nursing and Associate Professor of College of Human Sciences and Humanities and founding Director at University of Houston Clearlake, she has successfully led the RN-BSN and MSN programs including the creation of the university’s first Hyflex modality program, including curriculum development, admission criteria, and program outcomes for the initial self-study and successful achievement of ACEN accreditation (2017) and the reaffirmation accreditation (2022). She also created a co-enrollment option for the Alvin Community College Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN) students to complete the UHCL BSN degree concurrently. During COVID-19, she implemented the UHCL Nurse Refresher/Re-entry program at UHCL-Pearland.
Her leadership extends beyond academia; she has served on numerous boards and committees. She obtained seventeen honors, including being inducted as a member of Sigma Theta Tau Honorary Nursing Society, The Association of Black Nursing Faculty, Excelsior College Alumni, American Nurses Association, Texas Nurses Association, Association of Operating Room Nurses, and Reserve Officers Association Lifetime Member.
She has published peer-reviewed articles and innovative work in simulation and use of AI in a recent article published in the Electronic Journal of General Medicine, titled “Using artificial intelligence to create case studies addressing social determinants in graduate nursing education.” She has contributed to numerous books and serves as a manuscript reviewer. Her most recent book contribution is Medical-Surgical Nursing Made Insanely Easy (3rd ed.). She also devotes time serving as a HESI and NCLEX live review instructor and at Back-to-School Health Fairs.
Her passion, perseverance, and innovation continue to transform the nursing profession. A legacy built on inspiring, educating, and leading the next generation of nurses to excellence!
