INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Hester Klopper, PhD, MBA, RN, RM, FANSA, of Potchefstroom, South Africa was installed last week as the first non-North American president of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) at the society’s 42nd Biennial Convention in Indianapolis, Ind.
Dr. Hester Klopper
STTI boasts a robust global network with 492 chapters throughout 90 countries; now, international leadership will provide a new perspective for the 90-year-old organization.
“Dr. Hester Klopper’s installation as president of the honor society marks an important step as we become more intentionally global,” said STTI Chief Executive Officer Patricia E. Thompson, EdD, RN, FAAN. “She will be an inspirational leader whose global vision will prove valuable now and in the future.”
The role of nurses in influencing government policy and enhancing health systems worldwide are focal points for Klopper. At her direction, STTI has taken the lead in creating the Global Advisory Panel on the Future of Nursing, which will meet for the first time in Switzerland in March 2014.
Also central to Klopper’s work is the leadership and capacity development of young scientists. In South Africa, Klopper coordinates the PLUME program, funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), to support the development of post-doctoral candidates’ research.
In her presidential call to action, Klopper detailed the four themes of her biennium of service: servant leadership, connectedness, transformation, and gratitude.
“By their very nature, nurses epitomize servant leadership,” Klopper said. “I am thrilled to see the transformational impact STTI members continue to make on a global scale. I am deeply honored to be entrusted with the leadership of this global organization.”
Klopper has extensive networks in global health, public health, policy development, nursing, and health care. She is the chief executive officer of the Forum for University Nursing Deans in South Africa (FUNDISA) and a research scholar with more than 60 peer-reviewed publications.
Learn about Klopper here.