Nursing

Mrs. Janet Gardner began her nursing career 21 years ago as a pediatric nurse in a children’s hospital in Utah. Her acute care nursing years were primarily spent in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and nursery areas caring for mothers and their babies. She began teaching Community Health about 6 years ago and this led her to discover a love for educating new nurses. She completed her Master’s Degree in Nursing Education at the University of Arkansas 20 years after receiving her BSN, showing it is never too late to pursue your dreams. She joined the faculty of John Brown University in May of 2017. Her passion is to encourage nursing students to find a way to connect to their patients in all interactions. If it is a baby in the NICU or a homeless person at the shelter, she believes we have the privilege of being the hands and feet of God through our calling as nurses. She strives to show this in all she does in the classroom and clinical settings. She is honored to be able to openly express the connection between nursing and our relationship with the Lord as a professor at JBU.

Mrs. Gardner has been married to her husband Kent for 17 years and has 3 children: Max, Zachary and Samantha. In between transporting her boys to and from the golf course and her daughter to Girl Scouts and choir, she enjoys experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen and spending time outdoors in Northwest Arkansas.

Dr. Ellen Odell received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Case Western Reserve in 2008; she received her MSN from George Mason University in 1992. She holds an Arkansas license as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and has over 30 years of experience in nursing, with the past 20 years primarily in nursing education. Dr. Odell has previous experience as a program director, as well as both undergraduate and graduate teaching. She began working with John Brown University (JBU) in 2013 as a consultant for their proposed BSN program and began full time as program director in 2014.

Because of her dedication and drive, JBU has a state-of the-art fully accredited nursing program. She is highly esteemed by her students as Jacqueline Craddock ’18 says,

“Dr. Odell’s dedication to this program and her students is unsurpassed. Her vast knowledge, approachable attitude, and personal faith radiates from her life both in the classroom and personally. Her office door is always open and I have personally seen her burn the “midnight oil” on several occasions. Yet, no matter the time of day, she is always available. She goes above and beyond what most can only dream of doing.”

Dr. Odell often opens her home to students to relax poolside or attend a Super Bowl party featuring some of her delectable cupcake creations.  She has been married to her husband, Dan, for 34 years, and they have three grown daughters.