RN, M.Sc., FAAN
Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Nurses Association
With four decades of progressive experience in the health-care system, Mike Villeneuve has worked in all the domains of nursing practice — direct care, administration, education, research and policy.
Mike was appointed chief executive officer of CNA in June 2017. He leads the Ottawa-based organization’s team and operations as it works for its more than 139,000 members across all 13 Canadian provinces and territories and hundreds of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. In his role, he is helping to implement a forward-leaning vision for professional nursing in Canada and the related services needed at CNA to support that transformation.
Since 2000, Mike has held teaching, executive and consulting roles with the federal Office of Nursing Policy, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris, the Academy of Canadian Executive Nurses, CNA and its National Expert Commission, and the Lawrence S. Bloomberg faculty of nursing at the University of Toronto. Prior to returning to CNA as CEO, Mike led his own consultancy in health policy analysis, research, strategy and communication, serving governments, professional associations, unions and universities across Canada and internationally.
During the 1990s, Mike was an educator and then patient care manager in the neuro intensive care and neuro/trauma/plastics units at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. One of three authors of CNA’s centennial history book, Mike also is author of Public Policy and Canadian Nursing: Lessons from the Field (2017), the first Canadian text focused on nursing and public policy.
Mike lives on unceded Algonquin territory in rural Eastern Ontario, where he is proud to serve on the Board of Directors at Winchester District Memorial Hospital—one of Ontario’s highest-performing small community hospitals. Mike was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2019.
After more than twenty years of national leadership in supporting nursing students and newly graduated nurses through professional role transition, Nursing the Future (NTF) is concluding its current operational chapter.
Since 2004, NTF has served as a vital bridge for new nurses, educators, and leaders navigating the vulnerable early months of practice. Through evidence-based programming, national partnerships, and a commitment to building a safe “cul-de-sac” for early-career nurses, NTF has supported thousands across Canada in cultivating connection, confidence, and professional identity.
We extend deep gratitude to our partners, including the Canadian Nurses Foundation, the Canadian Nurses Association, the Canadian Nursing Students Association, provincial ministries, healthcare institutions, and countless contributors whose belief in transition-to-practice support made this work possible.
While formal operations conclude, the scholarship, curriculum, intellectual property, and program infrastructure developed over two decades remain intact and available for strategic partnership and collaboration. For further dialogue on potential collaborations, please contact Dr. Duchscher directly: newgraduates@nursingthefuture.ca
We welcome conversations with ministries, health regions, academic institutions, and professional associations interested in advancing initiatives such as:
The mission of healthy and supported professional role transition remains urgent. The work continues, sustained through scholarship, partnership, and shared commitment to the future of Canadian nursing.
With enduring gratitude,
Dr. Judy Duchscher - Founder & CEO, Nursing the Future
Kathryn Corneau - Program Director, Nursing the Future
For our FULL letter of Gratitude CLICK HERE
