Clareen Wiencek

Clareen Wiencek, PhD, ACNP, FAAN, serves a one-year term as a director on the AACN Certification Corporation Board of Directors from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. She also serves a one-year term as co-chair of the AACN – AACN Certification Corporation Nominating Committee. She held a three-year term as a director from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024. Wiencek also served as president of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) board from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, and president-elect from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016. She completed a three-year term as a director on the AACN board from July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2014, and concurrent service as a director on the AACN Certification Corporation board from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014.

Wiencek has over 45 years of experience as an educator and researcher, a palliative care nurse practitioner, and a bedside nurse and nurse manager in acute and critical care. For the last 20 years, Wiencek focused on integrating palliative care and critical care. She was a professor of nursing at University of Virginia School of Nursing from 2015-2024 and director of Loyola University New Orleans from 2024-2025. She held various research, staff nurse and management positions at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) in Cleveland and clinical positions in California, Indiana and New York.

Currently an AACN ambassador, Wiencek served on the Chapter Advisory Team (2006-2010), the Evidence-Based Practice Resource Work Group (2010-2011) and the AACN Nominating Committee (2011-2012). Wiencek has been a frequent contributor to AACN’s peer-reviewed journals and a presenter at the annual National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition.

Her honors include AACN’s Circle of Excellence award in 2010, the UHCMC APN Clinical Excellence Award in 2010 and the UHCMC Robert Gallienne Excellence in Critical Care Award in 2008.

Wiencek earned a doctorate in nursing from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati, as well as a medical-surgical nursing master’s degree and acute care nurse practitioner certification from Case Western.