Maxine E. Lindsay-Shillingford ’98 MSN ’23, a highly decorated U.S. Army Combat Veteran and experienced nurse leader, will deliver the keynote address at Mount Saint Mary College’s 63rd Annual Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 15.
Lindsay-Shillingford is poised to inspire hundreds of master’s degree candidates with her talk. The next day, Donna M. Carroll, Ed.D., President of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), will serve as the keynote speaker for the college’s bachelor’s degree ceremony.
Her keynote speech will be homecoming for Lindsay-Shillingford, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Mount in 1998 and her Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner track, in 2023.
On being selected as the 2026 Commencement speaker, she said, “I cried and I felt a sense of pride. As the product of the Mount and as an immigrant, I stand not only my ancestors’ shoulders, but on the shoulders of those who have believed in me and invested in me. And now, I have the opportunity of conversing with my fellow Mount graduates, with the goal of encouragement and optimism to live in one’s purpose with a life of service.”
Currently a Chief Nurse Manager within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Lindsay-Shillingford oversees specialized initiatives providing virtual primary care and mental health services to members who are transitioning from service. Her career, spanning nearly 30 years, is defined by extensive leadership in both civilian and military healthcare systems, including serving as Director of Nursing at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center and as a Chief Nursing Executive in the United States Army Reserves.
“I first came to the Mount 34 years ago as a high schooler on a bus from the South Bronx,” Lindsay-Shillingford explained. “Following my acceptance at the Mount though the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), I encountered Sr. Ann Sakac, former Mount President, Dr. Virginia Davidson, an English professor, Sr. Cecilia Murray and the HEOP staff, Ms. Edwena Chance, Dwight Henry, and the other team members.”
She continued, “I was mentored and coached by the academic and nursing faculty. The Dominican Sisters’ foundational beliefs, tradition, and values aligned with my life purpose of service, hence my entire professional career has centered around service.”
Lindsay-Shillingford’s distinguished military service includes deployments in support of Operations Inherent Resolve and Spartan Shield, where she served as Chief Nurse of a U.S. Military Hospital in the Middle East. Her accolades include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the VA COVID-19 Hero Award for Innovation (CHAI) for her work leading a FEMA mass vaccination site. She is currently pending her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Duke University in 2026.