RoseAnn DeMoro is the Executive Director of National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses.
While pursuing a sociology doctorate at the University of California at Santa Barbara, she decided to shift careers and joined the Teamsters as a labor organizer. In 1986, she joined the California Nurses Association and helped the organization grow into one of the most powerful unions in the country, eventually combining in 2009 with other major nurse associations to form National Nurses United.
As one of the fastest-growing organizations in the U.S., National Nurses United represents 170,000 registered nurses. Under DeMoro’s leadership, the group has become known for running well-publicized and creative campaigns and taking on some of the toughest opponents in politics and government. To date, the organization has led influential campaigns for limits on managed care abuses, landmark reforms for patients, such as campaigning for the expansion of Medicare to cover more patients, record improvements for registered nurses, and reforms on nurse-to-patient care.
As America experienced repercussions from the financial crisis, DeMoro and her organization offered a healing prescription by addressing economic inequality through their Main Street Campaign and support of the Robin Hood Tax — a tax on trade in stocks and other financial transactions that they estimate could raise up to $350 billion each year. They lead the effort to pass the Robin Hood Tax in the U.S., and are a major leader in efforts to pass the tax worldwide.
Although not a nurse herself, DeMoro’s ability to effectively organize and champion the rights of nurses — as well many Americans who are uninsured or struggle to afford healthcare — has garnered her respect and recognition. She has been profiled in publications such as The New York Times and Business Week, and has in the past been named one of the “Top 25 Women in Healthcare” by Modern Health Care Magazine.
