As Nurses’ Week comes to a close, Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) is pleased to announce the 2025* Nurse of the Year, DAISY Nurse Leader of the Year and Nursing Team of the Year award winners from hospitals in Green Bay, Sheboygan and Oconto Falls.

Nurse of the Year award recipients are honored for demonstrating passion, quality and excellence in nursing and carrying out the core values of HSHS: Respect, Care, Competence and Joy. They are nominated by nursing colleagues and chosen by nursing leadership and HSHS’ Professional Nurse Practice Council.

Nurse of the Year Recipients:

• Whitney Kosobucki, BSN, RN, HSHS St. Vincent Hospital, Green Bay – Emergency Department: “I serve as a strong advocate for my patients and their families, ensuring their needs are respected and addressed during vulnerable and often stressful situations. Equally important to me is caring for the colleagues I work alongside each day. To me, demonstrating kindness is as much about what you do as it is about what you say.”
• Heidi Gleason, BSN, RN, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, Green Bay – Center of Digestive Health: “I show compassion and treat others from all walks of life with respect, no matter your background. Any patient I care for, I treat them as if they are my family. Through times of joy and sadness, patients deserve to always feel heard and seen.”
• Stephanie Kurek, BSN, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, Oconto Falls – Emergency Department: “Working in a rural ER requires strong clinical judgement, adaptability, and the ability to function efficiently with limited resources. I am proud to serve at St. Clare Hospital and to care for the community I have grown up in and to make a meaningful difference.”
• Sara Kaffine, BSN, RN, HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital, Sheboygan – Gastrointestinal Department: “I try to show care through small, often unnoticed actions. My last questions before I leave a patient room is to ask, ‘Is there anything else I can do for you?” To me, these small acts are a meaningful part of providing thoughtful and compassionate care each day.”

*Nurse of the Year awards for the previous year are typically announced in spring/summer of the current year.

DAISY Nurse Leader of the Year:

• Jennifer Witterholt, MSN, RN, OCN, HSHS St. Vincent Hospital, Green Bay – Nursing Director of Inpatient Medical and Surgical Services “Jennifer is a servant-leader who has a passion for serving all people, which allows her to deliver exceptional outcomes while building trust and living our values,” said Robert Erickson, President and CEO, HSHS Wisconsin Market.
• Kayla Hinch, MSN, RN, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, Green Bay – Medical and Surgical Nursing Manager “In every domain from clinical excellence, operational management, staff development, and patient advocacy, Kayla embodies what a Nurse Leader should be,” said Jennifer Witterholt, Nursing Director of Inpatient Medical and Surgical Services.

In addition to the awards given to individuals for their excellence in nursing, HSHS also honors one nursing team from the entire system — across Illinois and Wisconsin — with the Nurse Team of the Year Award. This award is given to a team that has made a measurable and lasting impact on patient outcomes, safety, and experience.

Nurse Team of the Year:

• St. Vincent 9th Floor Medical Oncology Nursing Team, HSHS St. Vincent Hospital, Green Bay

According to their nomination form, the 9th Floor Medical Oncology team is a “highly skilled, compassionate group providing patient-centered care to individuals with complex medical and oncologic needs. The team is known for meaningful acts of compassion—celebrating final chemotherapy treatments, supporting patients at end of life, and caring for the mind, body, and spirit through presence and prayer.”

At HSHS, nursing is more than a career. HSHS nurses are at the forefront of delivering person-centered care, always exemplifying the highest standards of care, compassion and professionalism. To learn more about nursing careers at HSHS, visit https://www.hshs.org/careers/areas/nursing.

For more information about HSHS, visit hshs.org.

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About Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS)

Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) is a nonprofit Catholic health care ministry founded in 1875. Dedicated to our Mission to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through high-quality Franciscan health care, HSHS clinicians provide exceptional care centered on the whole person. Based in Springfield, Illinois, HSHS employs nearly 11,000 colleagues who provide care in 13 acute-care, children’s and critical access hospitals and home health and hospice programs in Central and Southern Illinois and Eastern Wisconsin. HSHS is aligned with more than 1,000 primary and specialty physicians and advanced practitioners through its owned affiliates HSHS Medical Group and Prairie Cardiovascular and its partnership with Prevea Health. For more information about HSHS, visit hshs.org.