Maria Allen represents all that we strive to portray in the spirit of Human Kindness. As a leader, she is fair and disciplined and at the same time, she is caring and supportive of all her staff. It is not unusual to see Maria pushing a bed, holding a patient's hand, or providing support and assistance to any member of her staff. In a quiet steadfast manner, Maria has built a team that is cohesive and cooperative with one another. She leads by example and always strives to promote excellence and provide compassionate caring support to all staff. She exemplifies the best of nursing and even more importantly, the best of our human condition. She treats patients and staff with the utmost respect and compassion and she works tirelessly to promote that culture in her department. I am proud to have Maria as a colleague and find her commitment to her staff and this institution worthy of recognition.

She received a total of nine nominations. One of her employees had this to say:

“I am personally nominating our very humble, awesome, professional nurse manager. She is involved in patient care, she understands human nature, and she is compassionate. She is a leader that brings up people and doesn't put us down. She teaches us to become an effective leader by her example.”