Learning Objective #1: Discuss the decision-making process nursing faculty use to determine whether to allocate their professional time in service on community boards and policy-making groups

Learning Objective #2: Analyze nursing's contribution to health through service on community boards, and how that is valued or not valued in academic organizations

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How and why do nursing faculty decide whether to commit to board service given competing demands on time for the service component of the faculty role? How do they choose among the professional association boards and health care-related community boards? What value does community service hold in academic culture and academic leadership? Tenured nursing faculty chosen randomly from Big-10 Universities were invited to tell their stories and processes related to community service. The in-depth stories of seven faculty from six schools in six different states provide the data to answer these questions. Five themes emerged, including the primary of match with expertise and skills, the search for impact, comprehensive due diligence, institutional ambivalence to community service, and an amalgam of preparation. The data provides a complex matrix for decision-making that takes into account the local academic culture, the delicate and dynamic balance of service in relation to research and teaching, the way in which the faculty conceptualize an academic role, and the developmental stage of the faculty. This data makes visible the leadership in health and the voice of nursing through community board service.