Debra Hernke is the Chief Nursing Officer for Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. She has been CNO there for the past 3 years. Prior to that she held a variety of positions at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, including staff nurse in Nephrology for a period of time. She obtained her Associate Degree in Nursing from Rochester Community College and her Bachelors & Master's Degrees in Nursing from Winona State University in Minnesota. She is currently enrolled in the Doctorate of Nursing Practice program at the University of North Florida. She is single, and has a son and daughter-in-law living in Minnesota and another son and his finance living in California. She is an active volunteer including being on the Board of Directors for Angelwood, a group home for developmentally disabled and in February, participated in a Medical Mission trip to Haiti. She has done a number of presentations in the past related to communication and conflict. Dealing with difficult families and patients, however, comes with experience, trial and error.