The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) elected Dr. Cindy Rubenstein, the founding Director of Nursing at Randolph-Macon College, to its nominating committee this week. Her two-year term of service will begin on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

The AACN is a voice for academic nursing, representing more than 890 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions nationwide. AACN works to establish quality standards for nursing education, assists schools in implementing those standards, influences the nursing profession to improve health care, and promotes public support for professional nursing education, research, and practice.

Rubenstein joined the RMC faculty in 2018, successfully developing a new BSN program at the College. That program gained accreditation in 2021 and graduated its first class of nurses in May of 2023.

With over 20 years of experience as a nurse educator, Dr. Rubenstein has led research efforts focused on childhood obesity prevention, nursing education, and political self-efficacy in BSN students. Her scholarly activities have been presented at local, regional, and national meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Rubenstein was awarded a Leadership Excellence Award from the Virginia Nurses Foundation in November 2025.