By Sarah Morgan Johnson
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing alumnus Thomas W. Barkley, Jr., PhD, ACNP-BC, ANP, FAANP, FAAN (PhD 1994), is the recipient of the 2025 National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties’ Friend of NONPF Award. This award recognizes an individual who has positively impacted NONPF through their generous contributions and unwavering support of the organization’s mission. Barkley received the award on April 12 at the Annual Awards Gala in Denver.
For more than 20 years, Barkley has considered NONPF to be his professional home as a nurse practitioner educator and a leader in nurse practitioner continuing education. He said he is humbled to receive such a prestigious honor from the organization that has meant so much to his career.
“Receiving the Friend of NONPF Award is an extreme honor. NONPF is an integral support network for nurse practitioner educators as we work through the challenges of NP education. The annual NONPF conference has helped me collaborate with my colleagues and fellow nurse practitioner educators throughout the country year after year,” Barkley said.
NONPF President Shannon Idzik, DNP, ANP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, said Barkley has been an extraordinary advocate for nurse practitioner education.
“As the leader of a highly recognized nurse practitioner certification review program, Barkley has helped over 100,000 nurse practitioners achieve nurse practitioner success. Beyond his monumental impact, Barkley has demonstrated support for nurse practitioner faculty through his generosity and commitment to pharmacology professional development, ensuring nurse practitioner educators stay at the forefront of advanced practice knowledge. Barkley also supports NONPF events and receptions that foster community among nurse practitioner faculty nationwide. His contributions go far beyond financial support—he is truly a friend to so many of us,” Idzik said.
Barkley has championed NONPF’s mission to optimize quality and cultivate leaders in nurse practitioner education. He considers it a privilege to give back to such an impactful organization.
“It doesn’t matter how much you have, but the practice of giving back is so important. It’s rewarding to know you’re making a difference, even if it’s a small one. To me, one of the most rewarding parts of life is having gratitude for what you have and giving back to others,” Barkley said.
Barkley is the President of Barkley & Associates, Inc., a company dedicated to providing nurse practitioners certification review, clinical updates and continuing education courses. He also is Professor Emeritus of the Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing at California State University, Los Angeles. Barkley has presented hundreds of continuing education courses to thousands of nurse practitioners. Additionally, he has published more than 100 peer-reviewed texts and is the primary editor of four nurse practitioner textbooks. Barkley is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. He was inducted into the Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame and was named one of 70 UAB School of Nursing Visionary Leaders. In 2024, he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.