The Orvis School of Nursing has appointed Tarnia Newton, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, as its associate dean for Inclusive Excellence and Belonging. Newton will join the School on Sept. 1, 2026, bringing more than two decades of experience in nursing, academic leadership and community engagement.

As a member of the leadership team, Newton will help foster a culture where students, faculty and staff can thrive in an environment grounded in dignity, mutual respect and belonging. She will collaborate with campus and community partners to advance initiatives that support student success, faculty development and organizational excellence.

"From our earliest conversations, it was clear that Dr. Newton brings both a record of innovative transdisciplinary scholarship and a genuine passion for creating communities where individuals feel they belong and can thrive," Charles Yingling, DNP, dean of the Orvis School of Nursing, remarked. "I am excited to welcome her to the Orvis School of Nursing and confident that her leadership will help further strengthen our culture and advance our commitment to inclusive excellence in nursing education, research, and service."

Newton joins the University of Nevada, Reno from the University of Arizona College of Nursing, where she serves as an associate clinical professor and outreach education and community engagement coordinator. Her leadership includes serving as equity, diversity and inclusion co-director for the College of Nursing and as co-chair of the UArizona Health Sciences PRIDE Health Equity Alliance, advancing health equity for LGBTQ+ communities and allies.

Across these roles, she has shaped initiatives focused on faculty development, student engagement and community partnerships. Her leadership is also informed by earlier experience in the hospitality industry, where a focus on health and safety was inseparable from making people feel welcomed and cared for, an ethic she carries into her work on belonging.

A board-certified family nurse practitioner, Newton brings that leadership to research that addresses health disparities and honors the voices of the communities most affected by them. Using participatory and arts-based methods such as Photovoice and pop-up exhibits, her work brings community members into the research itself. It turns their lived experience into advocacy that informs healthcare education and practice.

Throughout her career, Newton has worked to expand educational opportunities and strengthen pathways into healthcare professions. She has led outreach programs connecting students with nursing careers, developed experiential learning opportunities and built partnerships with schools, community organizations and healthcare providers.

“I am excited and deeply honored to join the Orvis School of Nursing,” Newton remarked. “Throughout my career I have worked to honor the voices of the communities we serve and to open doors for those too often left outside them. I look forward to partnering with students, faculty, staff and our surrounding communities to build a place where every person feels welcomed, respected and able to thrive.” 

In her new role, Newton will provide strategic leadership for initiatives that promote inclusive excellence, support student well-being and strengthen faculty recruitment and retention. She will also help integrate belonging-focused practices across the School's academic, research and community engagement efforts.

Newton earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Frontier Nursing University, a Master of Science in Nursing from Charles R. Drew University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida Atlantic University. She is a fellow of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Diversity Leadership Institute and has received numerous awards recognizing her contributions to teaching, leadership and community engagement.