Rebecca McClanahan, MS(N) ’82
Rebecca McClanahan, MS(N) ’82, has dedicated her career to advancing nursing through education, policy and advocacy. A graduate of our master’s program in community mental health, she also holds her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Truman State University and pursued doctoral studies at the University of Kansas.
McClanahan spent more than 30 years as a faculty member at Truman State University, earning recognition for excellence in teaching and advising. She was a charter member of the Rho Omega Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and received the chapter’s first Leadership Excellence Award.
In 2006, McClanahan was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives, where she served two terms and became only the third nurse elected to the General Assembly. She served on committees focused on health appropriations, higher education, agriculture and the state budget, and was appointed to the MO HealthNet Oversight Committee and the Missouri SeniorRx Advisory Commission.
McClanahan has been a longtime leader in the Missouri Nurses Association (MONA), serving two terms as president, holding multiple executive board positions and being inducted into the association’s Hall of Fame. After several years as chair of MONA’s Political Action Committee, she recently transitioned into the role of fundraising coordinator, where she continues to advance nurse-friendly legislation and mentor future nurse leaders.
She also contributes nationally through Healing Politics, sharing her experience as a nurse-legislator to inspire nurses and midwives to engage in public service. Through decades of teaching, leadership and advocacy, McClanahan illustrates the values celebrated by the Citation of Merit Award.