Jennifer Fleenor, Northside Hospital Atlanta

Watching Jennifer Fleenor guide nurses, comfort families and troubleshoot complex cases at Northside Hospital Atlanta, it’s hard to believe she once considered herself shy.

Today, as a nurse clinician in the 22-bed critical care unit, Fleenor is often the first person that new staff members meet — and the first person that they turn to when they need help.

That instinct to connect is what colleagues say sets Fleenor apart and makes her a good choice for a 2026 AJC Celebrating Nurses award. She was presented the award Thursday during a ceremony at Curate Event Space.

“She really cares about people,” said Caitlin Brown, the unit’s service coordinator and the person who nominated Fleenor for the award. “And that’s what makes her such a good nurse.”

Fleenor has spent nearly three decades in nursing — much of that time at Northside Hospital. Today, her role extends far beyond bedside care. She leads onboarding for new nurses, serves as a clinical resource during complex cases, organizes training and competency programs, and helps guide systemwide nursing initiatives.

Even with all those responsibilities, Fleenor still prioritizes time with patients.

“I try to go into every patient’s room every day,” she said. “The patient interaction is definitely the best part. There are patients I still think about every day.”

Fleenor’s path to nursing began early. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, she grew up in North Carolina, where an aunt who worked as a nurse first planted the idea.

“In my young mind it just sounded like something I should do,” Fleenor said.

By ninth grade, her mind was settled.

Fleenor attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — proudly calling herself a Tar Heel — and worked at the university hospital for three years before coming to Atlanta as a travel nurse in 2001.

What began as a temporary stop turned into a long-term home.

“I consider myself a Northside lifer,” she said with a laugh. “I’m probably not going anywhere.”

Over the years, Fleenor has grown into a leadership role that colleagues say quietly shapes the culture of the unit.

Brown remembers working with Fleenor when she joined the team in 2015, as the surgical unit was just getting started. Fleenor was the clinician guiding staff and helping build the team.

“She really motivated me to pursue leadership,” Brown said. “Now I’m actually her manager, which is kind of funny. I’m lucky to have her. She’s always the first person to drop everything and help someone on the team.”

Fleenor serves as president of Northside’s Shared Governance System, a voluntary program that brings nurses from across the hospital together to discuss quality improvements, retention and best practices.

The role pushed her outside her comfort zone.

“I’ve always been a pretty introverted person,” Fleenor said. “Public speaking was never something I loved. But nursing kind of forces you to jump in, and it’s really helped me grow as a person.”

Her work in 2025 included helping roll out clinical safety initiatives, participating in investigations aimed at improving patient outcomes and supporting quality-of-care programs across the hospital.

Colleagues say she’s committed to supporting nurses at every stage of their careers.

Fleenor encourages staff to pursue professional certifications, organizes learning sessions with physicians and educators and checks in regularly with new nurses and their preceptors to make sure they feel supported. She also reviews nominations for staff recognition programs.

“She doesn’t seek recognition for herself,” Brown noted. “She creates it for others.”

Fleenor says one of her biggest motivations is helping younger nurses develop their skills and confidence — especially as hospitals across the country face nursing shortages.

Northside works with nursing students and externs who gain hands-on experience in the unit while still in school. Many of them, Fleenor hopes, will eventually return as full-time nurses.

“When someone leaves a shift and says, ‘Wow, I really learned a lot today,’ that’s a good day for me,” she said. “If I feel like I made a difference — that’s what matters.”

Technology has changed nursing dramatically during Fleenor’s career, improving safety through tools such as medication scanning and electronic records. But she believes the profession must still protect the human side of care.