Carol Huston, DPA

School of Nursing
1982–2015

Over the course of her more than 30-year career, Carol Huston made a lasting, tangible impact on Chico State’s nursing program and the field of nursing education.

Huston is the coauthor of five influential textbooks on leadership, management, and professional issues in nursing and has published more than 100 articles in leading professional journals. Her co-authored book, Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing, has been translated into six languages, and Management Decision Making for Nurses was an American Journal of Nursing book of the year. She is also the codeveloper of the Marquis-Huston Model for Teaching Critical Thinking, which has been recognized internationally by nursing scholars.

After joining the nursing faculty in 1982, she served as Master Teacher (1999-2001) and received the Chico State Outstanding Professor Award in both 2002 and 2009 before assuming the position of director of the School of Nursing in 2010, which she held until her retirement in 2015. A skillful grant writer and fundraiser, she secured more than $1 million in grants for the University and led the fundraising effort to redesign the School of Nursing’s skills lab, which continues to provide students with cutting-edge educational technology.

She is the first nurse to serve as chair of Enloe Medical Center’s Board of Trustees and, in 2007, she was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing. Huston also served as president of Sigma Theta Tau International (2007-2009), the largest international nursing organization, and received advisory status with the United Nations and the World Health Organization. 

She received her BSN degree from University of Iowa in 1977, her MSN from Chico State in 1982, and her master’s and doctorate in public administration from the University of Southern California in 1997.