Nurse Awards

King County Nurses Association presents annual Shining Star Awards to nurses who demonstrate excellence in their areas of practice or contribute significantly to the nursing profession or within the community. Recipients must be a member of King County Nurses Association.

Congratulations to our 2025 Shining Star Nurse Award Winners! 

Nominations for our 2026 nurse awards are accepted anytime with a deadline of March 13, 2026. Awards will be presented in spring at the Annual Gala. Once eligibility has been verified, we will contact you with more in-depth questions about the nominee.

2025 Award Winners

We are pleased to honor the KCNA 2025 Shining Star Awards! Join us in celebrating these exceptional nurses who have made considerable contributions to the King County nursing community:

Chris Henshaw, EdD, RN

Chris Henshaw, EdD, RN has over 25 years’ experience as a nurse educator and over 40 years’ experience as a nurse with a background in cardiac, med-surg and long-term care. Her career includes serving as Associate Dean at Seattle Pacific University for 11 years and managing the residency program at Virginia Mason for over nine years. Chris currently works as an adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University. 

Chris earned a BS in Nursing from Washington State University and graduated from Seattle University with an EdD in Educational Leadership.

Chris is currently the Board President of the King County Nurses Association. She previously served as secretary, as well as on the nominating, scholarship, bylaws, and program committees of KCNA. She is part of the Professional Nursing Health Care Council of WSNA. Chris is also on the Board of the Washington Respiratory Care Foundation.

From the standpoint of KCNA as an organization, Chris has been a significant source of stability, leadership and strength throughout her many years of involvement with KCNA.

We are honored to present Chris Henshaw with a 2025 Shining Star Award. Congratulations!

Annika J. Hoogestraat, BSN, RN, CCRN, IBCLC

Annika J. Hoogestraat, BSN, RN, CCRN, IBCLC is a career ICU nurse. She has been at Seattle Children’s Hospital for the past 20 years (Cardiac ICU charge nurse and ACE/ECLS nurse). She has clinical experience in ICU, pediatrics, neonatal, cardiac and associated technology. She is a strong believer in building a strong team by supporting others as they safely learn and gain assurance in their craft. Annika is most passionate about quality of care as well as accessibility. 

As the Co-Chair of SCH WSNA, she has honed her skills as an effective representative and facilitator of fair resolutions between the hospital and the 2,200 nurses she represents. Annika also recently helped write HB 1567, a first-of-its-kind bill establishing licensing requirements for healthcare administrators, holding them accountable for patient outcomes with the purpose of prioritizing people over profits. While this bill ultimately failed this legislative session, it went much further than anticipated and gained national attention for its innovative approach.

Annika has a BSN from Seattle University and is currently pursuing an MBA in Healthcare from Western Governor’s University. Her goal is to responsibly advocate and impact patient focused improvement in healthcare accountability, safety, quality and policy.

We are proud to honor Annika with the 2025 KCNA Shining Star Award!