Mary Sturdy-Martin, MSN, RN

Mary Sturdy-Martin, MSN, RN

AMN Healthcare’s Mary Sturdy-Martin Elected Mayor of Fontanelle, Iowa

In her almost three-decade career in the nursing field, AMN Healthcare Clinical Program Director Mary Sturdy-Martin has developed an in-depth understanding of the needs and challenges faced by patients, clinicians and healthcare institutions across the country.

Come January, Mary will apply her leadership abilities, collaborative style, and communication and mediation skills to her new role as the mayor of Fontanelle, Iowa. The town of about 600, set amid expansive fields of corn and soybean, is 65 miles southwest of Des Moines, the state’s capital.

“Fontanelle is my hometown and it seemed like a great opportunity to make a difference,” said Mary, who won the mayoral election held in early November. “Bringing people together and helping them to accept change will allow our community to move forward in a positive manner.”

In many ways, Mary’s choice to run for the mayor’s office of her hometown is not so surprising. She’s always had a passion for giving back to her community. Fellow residents, who recognized her leadership skills, ability to connect with people from all walks of life and find solutions for pressing issues, urged her to run for the office.

As mayor, Mary will focus on sound fiscal management to benefit all segments of the town’s population. She also wants to open up opportunities for businesses to grow and flourish while retaining the small town character of Fontanelle.

Mary will use her background and expertise in healthcare to improve the overall health and well being of area residents. One of her top priorities is to shore up mental health services in the region. She’s already meeting with community leaders, and representatives of law enforcement and emergency medical services to brainstorm ideas to improve and expand mental health services for Fontanelle and surrounding communities. She would like to develop a dog park, walking trails and a wading pool in the town square.

“All these will provide more opportunities for residents to exercise and connect with nature,” she said.

In 2020, proclaimed by the World Health Organization as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, Mary will continue to be the inspirational AMN leader she has been since she joined the organization three years ago.

“My goal is to continue my work to remove the stigma of mental illness in the community at large and within AMN among our clinicians and employees,” Mary said. “I want them to become aware of the importance of taking care of their mental health and make sure they know of the many resources that are available to help them to take of themselves and their families.”

Mary has worked on the frontlines of patient care as a psychiatric nurse. She is a nurse educator and mentor. As a senior administrator, she has led the development and implementation of innovative mental health programs in hospitals and health systems. She serves on the boards of the Iowa chapters of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA). She is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a Psychiatric Mental Health RN and as a Nurse Executive-Advanced.

In her current role as Clinical Program Director at AMN Healthcare, Mary is an integral part of the team that oversees the AMN Managed Service Program (MSP) for hospitals and other healthcare facilities nationwide. She works with AMN Nursing Leadership to standardize education and credentialing to ensure that qualified nurses are taking care of patients. She has made valuable contributions toward helping clients and clinicians understand their shared goals and common ground. Mary is also a mentor who provides coaching and counseling to clinicians as needed.

December 17, 2019

Boards: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA)

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