CJA Provost and EVP Appointed to Virginia Health Authority

ORLANDO, FL – Virginia Governor Glenn Younkin has appointed Covenant Journey Academy Provost and Executive Vice President Dr. Shanna W. Akers to the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (VHWDA). With her extensive background in nursing and in both K-12 and higher education, Dr. Akers will provide the VHWDA with insight into the needs of Virginia’s health workforce and how to recruit the best people into professional health programs.

According to its mission statement, the VHWDA assesses health care workforce needs, sets education priorities, informs health care policy, and much more to create a competent and competitive health workforce statewide.

Dr. Akers said, "I am humbled to be appointed by Governor Glenn Younkin to serve on the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority. The Commonwealth of Virginia is positioned to provide outstanding leadership in healthcare for its citizens and to set an example for the nation. I am honored to serve at this critical time in healthcare to help shape the resilient, forward-looking health workforce Virginia needs to serve its citizens now and in the future.”

Dr. Akers’ appointment is for two years and began on July 1, 2023 and will end June 30, 2025.

Dr. Akers is an Educational Leader and a Registered Nurse with more than 27 years of experience as a former critical care (cardiac ICU and trauma ICU) nurse who served as the Director of the Cardiovascular Service Line of a two-hospital system prior to moving into academia. Dr. Akers has more than 14 years of experience in higher education serving as an institutional Administrative Dean for Undergraduate Programs and as Dean and Professor of Nursing for Liberty University School of Nursing, one of the largest Schools of Nursing in the nation, where she taught across all program levels, including critical care nursing, leadership, ethics, nursing education, and programmatic assessment among others at the doctoral and graduate levels. 

Dr. Akers earned her initial nursing degree at Louisiana Tech University, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Master in the Science of Nursing and Master of Business Administration. Additionally, she earned  her post-graduate degree Educational Specialist (EdS) in Educational Leadership and her Doctor of Education (EdD) in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University. 

She is a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) and board certified as a Nurse Executive-Advanced (NEA-BC). She is a member of several regional and national organizations including the Christian Nurses Fellowship, the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, and Virginia Nurses Association (VNA) where she serves as the Commissioner for Nursing Education.  

Founder and Chancellor of Covenant Journey Academy Mat Staver said, “We are thrilled with this appointment. Dr. Akers brings the right mix of impressive credentials, experience, and wisdom needed to advance the mission of the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority. Her real world and academic experience, leadership, and dedication to improving health care will enhance the quality of health care and those who serve the profession across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Having known Dr. Akers for many years and working closely with her at Covenant Journey Academy, I can say there is no better choice for this critically important position.”

The mission of Covenant Journey Academy is to provide a superior learning experience built upon the foundation of a Christian worldview. CJA's vision is to empower courageous generations of highly skilled people thoroughly grounded in a Christian worldview to transform the culture.

Covenant Journey Academy is the solution to the education crisis. Covenant Journey Academy brings high-quality private school education into homes and private schools around the world. The journey begins here and continues for life.

CJA is a full-service K-12 online Christian academy that is available around the world 24/7/365 with more than 150 courses all taught with a biblical worldview by certified teachers, along with more than 30 college courses taught by qualified university faculty. CJA also offers fourteen advanced placement courses, Honors courses, and offers six languages — Spanish, French, Latin, German, Chinese, and American Sign Language — from beginner to advanced. A Dual Enrollment options allows students to take college courses while in high school. Students can graduate with a two-year Associate of Arts degree while obtaining their high school diploma. CJA also offers an Honors high school diploma.

At Covenant Journey Academy, students are taught to critically think and reason based on the foundation of a biblical worldview.