Denise Ray, Piedmont System Chief Nursing Officer, and CEO, Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, has won the 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Nursing Leadership Award.

She was selected among 59 nurse leaders who were nominated from across Georgia and attended the awards program on May 10. The award recognizes a nurse leader serving in an administrative capacity who demonstrates advocacy, vision and collaboration to improve patient care and the nursing workplace.

"I work for our nurses and feel honored that they entrust me with ensuring they can provide the best care to our patients," Ray said. “I want to thank each of them for their commitment, dedication, compassion, professionalism and care. They have worked tirelessly to comfort our patients and their families. I am so proud of our nurses!”

Ray was nominated by the Piedmont Nursing Executive Council, which cited her role in building a new model for nursing education, championing professional development for nurses, integrating thousands of nurses into the system, and more. In her role, Ray oversees nearly 9,000 nurses in the Piedmont system.

The nomination reads, “Every decision she makes starts with a simple question: ‘How will it improve the lives of our nurses and our patients?’ Denise never wavers from that focus, which has served Piedmont’s nurses well during the last two years of battling the COVID-19 pandemic.”