Jennifer Herr, Northeast Georgia Medical Center

Herr was presented the award at a luncheon Thursday at Flourish Atlanta in Buckhead.

Herr’s compassion for patients knows no bounds, said co-worker Brittany Smith, who nominated Herr for the award.

“In the face of an emergent phone call from our eye doctor, she displayed an extraordinary level of empathy and care,” Smith wrote.

Smith explained that the doctor was seeing one of the unit’s discharged patients for a follow-up visit when the patient suddenly stopped breathing. His office staff called 911, and the eye doctor called the NICU, asking for help in performing CPR while waiting for help to arrive.

Herr took the call and talked them through the procedure.

“Jennifer’s calm demeanor and reassuring voice provided solace not only to the eye doctor but also the entire team involved in the critical situation,” wrote Smith.

“Her genuine concern for the patient’s well-being radiated through her every word and action, embodying the true essence of nursing as a profession rooted in compassion and humanity.”

To Herr, she was just doing her everyday job.

“You build on your experiences and your critical thinking. It’s almost automatic,” Herr said of the medical emergency. “You know what you need to do and focus on that one task at a time. You become one with the task.”

Herr grew up in Miami and wanted to be a nurse since age 7. She worked her way through nursing school as a certified nursing assistant.

After years of caring for newborns in hospital nurseries, she got her first experience working in a NICU in San Diego.

“I went in and just loved it and never wanted to leave,” she said. “Although I have done other things in my career, this has always been my passion.”

Herr has been married for 42 years to Michael Herr, a career U.S. Navy officer. They have one daughter and three grandchildren. The couple live in Flowery Branch.

Being a nurse “has provided me with opportunities to move all around and take care of people of different ages, but my passion is definitely the NICU babies,” Herr said. “The smaller (the babies) are, the more passionate I am about them.”

Herr has been with Northeast Georgia Medical Center for 16 years and is an assistant nurse manager on the unit. Even so, she is out on the floor helping other nurses and fills in where needed, including at night and on weekends and holidays.

“We’re a team and I want to make sure we have all the links in place that can support that team,” she said.

During her time off, Herr breeds and shows Burmese and Bombay cats, traveling to shows throughout the Southeast in an RV.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be able to do that and have the support of my director and my team to be allowed to recharge by doing my cat shows,” she said.

At 65, the veteran nurse of more than 40 years has no plans to retire. “I told them I’m going to be older than dust, and they’ll have to take me out in a dustpan,” she said.

“This has been the best career I could have ever imagined,” Herr added. “I did have some speed bumps getting through nursing school, but I was determined. I don’t know whether I love it so much because I had to work so hard to get where I am, or I love it so much because it really was the best fit for me.”

Read about our other 2025 winners