“Fairfield was essential to me in my nursing career, and provided the foundation and tools I needed to be successful,” she said. “It’s an honor to be on the Advisory Board, and I’m sure a lot of my role will be helping with the new campus in Central Texas.”

Indeed, Dean Kazer has acknowledged that her former student has already been a tremendous asset by facilitating the affiliation between Fairfield and Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin Hospital – where Mooney works as a patient navigator – for clinical placements.

“The Ascension healthcare organization has hospitals throughout the Austin area, as well as outpatient clinics and a mental behavioral health facility,” Mooney said. Before Fairfield committed to building a new nursing school in Texas, “they reached out to local alumni to ask them about the area. Since I’m a nurse, I was able to give them a little extra insight about healthcare in the region, and I’m very happy that I was able to connect Dr. Kazer with the nursing leadership at Ascension.”

Born and raised in Central Texas, Mooney was encouraged to go out-ofstate for college and spent four “terrific” years at Fairfield. After a few postgraduate years working in New York, she moved back to Texas. In her role as a patient navigator, she acts as a liaison between insurance groups and Ascension’s clinic staff to ensure good patient care.

While there’s a nursing shortage around the country, the problem is magnified in the Austin area, which has been one of the fastest-growing metro regions in the country for more than a decade. The new Texas program, due to welcome its first cohort in May 2023, will alleviate some of that gap by focusing on educating seconddegree students in an accelerated, 15-month program.

“Establishing this branch of the Fairfield Egan nursing program in Austin, and knowing that there will be the same level of quality nurses in the area is fantastic,” Mooney said. “I’m excited to be on the Board, and think it’s wonderful that Fairfield will have a presence here in Texas.