It's election time! PAPN Texas Board of Directors and Committee Chairs 2025-2026 (Proposed)

It’s election time for PAPN Texas! The following candidates are running for their respective roles. Voting will open Friday, August 29, and close Friday, September 12. Be sure to cast your vote during this period to support our leadership team.

PAPN Texas Board of Directors and Committee Chairs 2025-2026 (Proposed)
Lisa Anderson          President               Term ending 2026
Michelle Hext          President Elect          Term ending 2028
Kayli Dozier Joachim   Secretary              Term ending 2026
Linzi Leighton         Treasurer             Term ending 2027

Representatives At-Large
Toni Brent            Term ending 202

Stella Logan            Term ending 2027
Meshel Stewart        Term ending 2026
Becky Spenser         Term ending 2027

Positions Appointed by the Board

Committee Chairs
Communications         Amy Owens
Education               Open
Legislative              Becky Spenser
Membership             Martina Gallagher
Nominations            Open
Student Rep             Katie Hanel
Conference              Open  

 
President-elect
Michelle Hext
Term ending 2028 (President elect 2025-2026, President 2026-2027, Past President 2027-2028)
Michelle Hext, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, FNP-C, ENP-C, PMHNP-BC
Michelle Hext is a psychiatric nurse practitioner with additional nurse practitioner specialties
including pediatrics, emergency and family nurse practitioner certifications and experience. She
attended graduate school at UTMB, McNeese University and UT Health Science Center
Houston. She is a clinical assistant professor for UT Tyler SON and she owns a private mental
health practice serving children and individuals with autism. She has a passion for teaching and
professional APRN advocacy. She serves as a legislative ambassador for Texas Nurse
Practitioners and as an active contributor to the AANPCB PMHNP exam task force.

Treasurer
Linzi Leighton
Term ending 2027
Linzi Leighton MSN, PMHNP-BC graduated with a degree in psychology from Arizona State
University and earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt in 2012. Lindsey has
served several terms as Treasurer for PAPN Texas and previously held this position for PAPN
Houston. 

At-large Representative
Toni  Brent
Term ending 2026
My name is Toni Brent DNP APRN PMHNP-BC born and raised in San Antonio, Texas where I
currently reside. I am the oldest of two children and was raised by a single mother who was an
educator for over thirty years. She stressed the value of education and knowledge. I knew I
wanted to be a nurse at an early age and have been a practicing registered nurse for thirty-eight
years in mental health in a variety of clinical settings. I have been a psychiatric nurse practitioner
for twelve years since graduating in 2011. My goal has been to decrease the stigma of mental
illness in our society. My passion for psychiatry allows me to provide compassionate,
nonjudgmental, honest, and ethical quality care. I believe in a holistic approach that encompasses
mind, body, and soul functioning together for optimal mental health and emotional well-being.
My belief is to treat others as you would like to be treated. My love of God inspires me to be the
best provider and person I can be.
As a nurse practitioner I believe in providing education, mentorship and preceptorship to future
nursing and nurse practitioner students to ensure establishment of a firm foundation. I am an
active and founding member of The Alamo Area Psychiatric Nurses Association (AAPNA)
where we meet and network. Our mission is to form a cohesive unit to promote the advancement
of nurse practitioners in Texas to independent practice. I am also a member of PAPN Texas. I
desire to meet with legislators and stress the importance of independent practice which will
provide needed care to persons in underserved areas. Educating communities on mental health
issues and the importance of health equity and allocation of resources. Finally, the love of my
profession will always propel me to go above and beyond the call of duty.

At-large Representative
Michelle Stewart 
Term ending 2026
Meshel Stewart, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, is a Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health
Nurse Practitioner based in Texas with over 20 years of diverse healthcare experience across
inpatient and outpatient settings, including critical care and psychiatry. She earned her post-
master’s PMHNP certification from Maryville University in 2023 and holds a Master of Science
in Nursing with a focus in Leadership and Administration from the Cizik School of Nursing at
UTHealth Houston. Meshel currently provides virtual and in-person outpatient mental health
services to patients ages 5 and older across Texas. She is an active member of the American
Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA), Houston Area Nurse Practitioners (HANP), and the
PAPN Texas business owners discussion group. A strong advocate for mental health awareness
and equitable access to care, Meshel is dedicated to delivering compassionate, evidence-based
care to individuals and families throughout Texas.

At-large Representative
Stella Logan 
Term ending 2027
Stella Logan graduated with her BSN from the University of Cincinnati. After working as an
ICU nurse, she went on to obtain her MSN with clinical specialty in psychiatric-mental health
nursing from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio. She worked as a Clinical

Nurse Specialist in a variety of inpatient, outpatient, private and public facilities in Ohio, Indiana
and Oregon, and served on the faculty at Oregon Health Sciences University School of Nursing.
She moved to Texas in 1991, and after working in school health joined the faculty at the
University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. She obtained a post-masters certificate as a
FPMHNP from the University of Texas at Arlington after which she was instrumental in the
development of the UT Austin PMHNP program. She continues to serve as an affiliate faculty at
UT Austin School of Nursing, has a clinical practice focusing on people with serious mental
illness and intellectual disabilities, and maintains involvement in various professional
organizations at the local, state, and national levels. She has been a member of Psychiatric
Advnaced Practice Nurses of Austin (PAPNA) for over 20 years, and is one of the founding
members of Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurses of Texas.

At-large Representative
Becky Spencer
Term ending 2027
(And Legislative Committee Chair)
Becky Spencer is an Adjunct Professor in the College of Nursing at Texas Woman’s University,
and private practice owner/clinician of Blooming Beginnings Mental Health, PLLC. Dr. Spencer
has over 30 years of experience in nursing practice with pediatric, neonatal, and maternity
populations. She is currently working in private practice as a psychiatric mental health nurse
practitioner with a specialty focus in reproductive psychiatry and perinatal mental health. She
teaches Health Policy in the graduate programs in nursing at Texas Woman’s University. She is
an editor and author of 2 interdisciplinary textbooks and has authored over 20 publications in
peer reviewed journals. She has received grants to support her research and work from the
Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the U.S. Health Resources and Services
Administration, Sigma Theta Tau International, and Texas Woman’s University. Dr. Spencer
received her BSN and postmaster’s PMHNP certificate from the University of Cincinnati, her
MSN from Research College of Nursing, and her Ph.D. in nursing from the University of
Kansas.