The NLI is designed to:
The Nurse Leadership Institute (NLI) is a yearlong leadership development program that strengthens new and experienced nurse leaders. NLI nurses aim to become full partners in developing health care delivery models that improve health outcomes for Maryland residents. Nurses selected for this program demonstrate the leadership potential needed for this challenge.
The program is funded by Maryland Higher Education Commission through the Nurse Support II program. This funding allows us to offer the NLI program to selected fellows at no cost to them.
The NLI is a competitive, yearlong multi-pronged leadership program for both nascent and seasoned nurse leaders in academia and practice.
NLI Fellows are seen as the future leaders who will collaborate on and coordinate efforts to improve health care delivery in Maryland. Nurses selected for this program must have demonstrated the leadership potential to meet rising health care and academic changes and challenges.
The program curriculum is designed with Maryland nurse leader input and aligns with many of the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL) competencies. The program builds skills in nine categories:
Selected candidates, their mentors, and organizations must commit to full participation over the one year period. 
In July 2015, the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission approved and awarded $2.5 in Nurse Support Program II (NSP-II) funding for the Nurse Leadership Institute at the University of Maryland School of Nursing to Patricia Franklin. This five-year, statewide initiative was designed to build Maryland’s nursing leadership capacity.
Read: "Building Maryland's health care leadership capacity: The Nurse Leadership Institute at the University of Maryland School of Nursing," published in Nursing Outlook, Sept.-Oct. 2020.
A previous Maryland NSP II grant, awarded to the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, supported a two-year leadership consortium among five Maryland schools of nursing. Building on the success of that project, this grant-funded program administered through the Commission expands the size, scope, and funding of the original grant.
In 2020, a second, $1.7 million five-year grant was awarded to Yolanda Ogbolu to continue building the next generation of nurse leaders. From 2020 - 2025, the NLI will provide training for 200 practice and academic leaders and their mentors.
To date, 269 nurse leaders and an additional 242 nurse mentors have completed the NLI program.
The NLI’s ultimate goal is to develop nurse leaders that are well prepared to improve the health of Maryland's population. Coordinated and collaborative practice is essential to the development of effective health delivery systems in the state. The program provides nurses with the leadership expertise needed to actively address the changing landscape of health care and academia.