The Speakers

Dr. Devin Carr is the Chief Nursing Officer for the Southern Region of MaineHealth where he leads a four-time ANCC Magnet designated nursing team. Devin joined MaineHealth in 2020, coming from the University of Michigan Medical Center (U of M) in Ann Arbor where he served as the chief nursing officer for the University Hospital and the Frankel Cardiovascular Center. Prior to U of M, he served as the Administrative Director of the Surgery and Transplant Patient Care Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville Tennessee. 

He has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare in a variety of clinical, academic and leadership roles. Devin is also licensed as a registered respiratory therapist and holds national certifications as an Adult Health Clinical Specialist, Nurse Executive–Advanced, and as a Certified Professional in Patient Safety.  Additionally, he was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2025.

Devin holds a DNP from Concordia University Wisconsin, a MSN from Clarkson College, and a BSN from Middle Tennessee State University.

Karen Gorton, PhD, MSN, RN, MS is currently Sigma's President-Elect, as well as the Director of Nursing Education Programs at Red Rocks Community College. Prior to starting at Red Rocks, she served as the Associate Dean / Associate Professor in the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing at the University of Wyoming. During her time there, she not only facilitated curricular change in several programs but mentored faculty and staff, served on several College and University level committees and was seen as a resource related to resilience, ethics in the era of AI and well-being.

Prior to her time in Wyoming, she was an associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Health Studies at the University of Missouri – Kansas City where she taught across the graduate programs, focusing on Nursing Education within the PhD program. Dr. Gorton has held a variety of leadership positions in academic nursing since 2005, all while maintaining her faculty role.  Dr. Gorton has also held administrative and teaching roles at the University of Colorado College of Nursing, the University of Northern Colorado School of Nursing and Carroll University.

Dr. Gorton has been active in Sigma across many levels, first as a member of a petitioning honor society, via membership in multiple chapters, as a Regional Coordinator as well as the Chair of the RCCC. In addition to these roles, she served as Vice President and as a member of the Governance Committee. Currently, she is President-Elect of Sigma during the 2025-2027 Biennium.

When asked why she continues to engage with Sigma, Dr. Gorton said “I believe that it is a critical component of the professional role to engage in giving back to the profession, paying it forward to the next generation of nurses and supporting my colleagues in positive change for Nursing worldwide.”

She transitioned to Nursing in 1998 and has worked in a variety of roles across practice and academia. Dr. Gorton earned her BSN from Carroll College/Columbia College of Nursing Intercollegiate Nursing Program, her MS in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a PhD in Nursing Education from the University of Northern Colorado. Prior to her nursing career, she earned a BS from Wheaton College and a MS from Indiana University and held certification as an athletic trainer until 2015.  

In her free time, she loves to cycle, ski and hike.