Speaking & Work With Me
Bringing Clarity, Science, and Humanity to the Rooms That Shape Organizations
Dr. Nelms partners with executives, leadership teams, and organizations ready to move beyond surface-level culture work toward the kind of transformation that actually holds.
The Work Is Personal. The Impact Is Organizational.
For more than 25 years, Dr. Nelms has worked at the intersection of healthcare leadership, behavioral science, and organizational psychology, not as a theorist, but as a practitioner who has led, struggled, rebuilt, and learned from the inside out.
Her work with organizations is grounded in the same scholar-practitioner rigor that shapes her writing and her Ascend & Emerge Method™. Whether she is on a stage, in a boardroom, or embedded with a leadership team, the goal is the same: to help leaders and organizations build the internal capacity to sustain excellence without sacrificing the people who make it possible.
Ways to Work Together
How Dr. Nelms Works With Organizations
Keynote Speaking
For conferences, summits, and executive forums
Dr. Nelms delivers keynotes that challenge conventional leadership thinking and leave audiences with a new framework for how they lead themselves and others. Her talks draw on behavioral science, organizational psychology, and lived leadership experience to address the questions that keep executives up at night.
- Trauma-Informed Leadership: What It Really Means and Why It Matters Now
- The Sustainable Leader: Performing at the Highest Level Without Burning Out
- Psychological Safety as a Leadership Discipline
- The Invisible Employee Experience: What Leaders Miss and What It Costs
- Leading Through Complexity: The Internal Work No One Talks About
Organizational Consulting
For healthcare systems, mission-driven organizations, and executive teams
Dr. Nelms works directly with organizations navigating culture transformation, leadership development, and the complex human dynamics that determine whether strategy actually lands. Engagements are tailored, evidence-informed, and built around the specific challenges your organization is facing.
- Culture assessment and transformation strategy
- Psychological safety and belonging initiatives
- Leadership team development and cohesion
- Trauma-informed organizational practices
- Executive leadership coaching and advisory
Leadership Development Programs
For organizations investing in their next generation of leaders
Drawing on the Ascend & Emerge Method™, Dr. Nelms designs and facilitates multi-session leadership development experiences for cohorts of emerging and mid-level leaders. These programs go beyond skills training to build the internal capacity, self-awareness, and relational intelligence that define leaders who last.
- Cohort-based leadership development programs
- The Ascend & Emerge Method™ facilitated curriculum
- Workshop series on emotional sustainability and renewal
- Customized leadership retreats and intensives
- Manager and director-level leadership cohorts
The foundation behind the work
Credentials & Background
Dr. Jacqueline Nelms is a healthcare executive, scholar-practitioner, and thought leader with over 25 years of progressive leadership experience. Her career spans administrative and financial operations, revenue cycle, patient access, enterprise integration, and organizational development across complex health systems. She holds a Doctor of Health Science, a graduate degree in Strategic Leadership, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, a foundation she has built upon through decades of executive practice, doctoral research, and the development of original frameworks for sustainable leadership and human performance. Dr. Nelms brings the same rigor she applied in the boardroom to the stage, the page, and the organizations she partners with.
Academic Preparation
Doctor of Health Science (DHSc)
Doctoral research focused on law enforcement mental health and PTSD, connecting behavioral science and organizational leadership with the needs of trauma-exposed first responder populations.
Master of Science in Strategic Leadership (MSSL)
Graduate preparation in the behavioral and organizational sciences that underpin all of Dr. Nelms' practice and published thought leadership.
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BS)
Foundational business education providing the operational and strategic grounding that has informed over two decades of healthcare executive leadership.
Areas of Expertise
Certifications
Certified Mental Health First Aider — Public Safety
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Specialized training in recognizing mental health concerns and supporting connection to appropriate help within public safety settings.
Certified Master Life Coach
Transformation Academy
Advanced coaching certification supporting executive and leadership development engagements.
CITI Program Certification — Human Subjects Research
Social and Behavioral Research Track
Training in the ethical conduct of research involving human subjects, grounding Dr. Nelms' scholar-practitioner approach in rigorous research standards.
Leadership Roles
Healthcare Executive
25+ Years of Progressive Leadership
A career defined by translating complex organizational priorities into scalable operations, measurable performance improvements, and stronger patient access outcomes — with deep experience across enterprise integration, strategy execution, technology governance, and operational leadership in complex health systems.
Vice President, Board of Directors
Badge Wives of Tampa Bay, Inc.
Fiduciary oversight, strategic planning, governance, and community engagement supporting families in high-stress public safety populations.
Facilitator, Leadership Fellows Program
North Tampa Chamber of Commerce
Executive mentor program facilitator, guiding emerging leaders through cohort-based development and peer mentorship.
Speaking Engagements
A presentation on improving the accuracy and transparency of patient financial estimates, helping healthcare organizations better serve patients while strengthening revenue cycle performance.
Presented to the National Association of Healthcare Access Management on strategies for transforming financial performance through patient access operations.
A featured online video interview in which Dr. Nelms shared her experience and methodology for improving patient estimate accuracy through careful analysis of operational data.
A presentation for law enforcement families exploring what officers and their loved ones carry — covering the LEO mindset, the missing transition home, the invisible strength of spouses, and resilience as a family system. Grounded in the message: what you're feeling is real.
A presentation on the hidden emotional toll of caregiving professions, connecting the science of burnout and compassion fatigue to the lived experience of trichology practitioners.
Spoke on mental health and the stressors of PTSD at a faith-based women's networking organization, connecting psychological science with lived experience and community support.
Published Contributions
Healthcare Finance News
How Revenue Cycle Technology Helps Small Hospitals Manage Denials
Published Contributor
NAHAM Access Management Journal
How Patient Access Can Boost the Bottom Line
Published Contributor
LinkedIn — Weekly Leadership Article
Published weeklyOriginal weekly thought leadership exploring leadership, behavioral science, resilience, and human performance.
Author
LinkedIn — Elevated Leadership Insights
Monthly series, quarterly themesA quarterly-themed leadership insights series published monthly, featuring Mindset Mondays, Leadership Wednesdays, and Purpose Fridays. Each quarter carries a unifying seasonal theme.
Author
Proprietary Frameworks
Ascend & Emerge Method™
A proprietary four-pillar framework for sustainable leadership transformation: Internal Mastery, Inner Renewal, Strategic Leadership, and Thriving Growth.
Mindful Elevation®
A thought leadership and intellectual property platform exploring the intersection of leadership, behavioral science, resilience, and human performance. Mindful Elevation® is the home of the Ascend & Emerge Method™ and other original frameworks developed by Dr. Jacqueline Nelms.
Get in Touch
Let's Talk About What's Possible
Every engagement begins with a conversation. Tell Dr. Nelms about your organization, your goals, and what you're trying to build, and she'll respond personally.
Dr. Nelms reviews all inquiries personally and responds within 3–5 business days.
Explore the work behind the practice