Naomi Judd, acclaimed entertainer and former registered nurse, will be the keynote speaker for the PARTNERS 2012 Spring Luncheon, slated for Thursday, April 26 at the River Oaks Country Club. Net proceeds from the event benefit programs to support nursing education, research and student services for The University of Texas Health Science Center School of Nursing. Event chair is Judi McGee.

First known to the world as half of country music’s mother/daughter duo, The Judds, Naomi Judd experienced unprecedented success. The Judds sold 20 million records, scored 15 number one hits and received over 60 industry awards. At the peak of the duo’s musical career, Judd was diagnosed with hepatitis C, which she acquired from an infected needle when she worked as a registered nurse in Tennessee.

After retiring in 1991 to fight the potentially fatal liver disease, she went on to become a New York Times best-selling author and motivational speaker. In the fall of 2010 she rejoined daughter Wynonna for The Judds: The Last Encore Tour. Last April, The Judds starred on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in their first reality series, The Judds, which captured that final tout and their storied relationship. This month, the series is re-airing on Great American Country Network. 

“In a variety of mediums, Judd uses her fame and her experiences as a registered nurse to help people around the world,” said UT Health School of Nursing Dean Patricia Starck, D.S.N.

“We all very much look forward to hearing her inspiring story at this enjoyable annual event in support of nursing education.”

During the luncheon, PARTNERS will recognize board members who are nurses or former nurses. Honorary chairs will be three women in the family of legendary heart surgeon Denton Cooley — his wife, Louise Cooley; daughter Susan M. Cooley, Ph.D., R.N.; and her daughter, Mary Plumb Senkel, R.N., who is currently a student in the school’s Master of Science in Nursing program. All three are nurses and life-time members of PARTNERS.

Susan Cooley said, “For many of our nursing students, the PARTNERS Scholarships mean the difference between staying in school or not. And, of course, we want our nursing students to graduate in order to get qualified professional nurses into the workforce.”

PARTNERS stands for Promoting Advancement Resources in Nursing Education, Research and Students. The organization was formed in 1994 to lend support and encouragement for students and faculty of the UT Health School of Nursing through scholarships, endowments, faculty research grants and series to students. Among other contributions, PARTNERS supplies the school’s traditional pins each year for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing pinning ceremony at commencement. To date, the organization holds a $1.47 million endowment to support its projects.

Tickets for the PARTNERS Spring Luncheon start at $125. To order, call 713-500-2003.