Casey Green, MSN, RN, CCRN-CMC, CFRN, CTRN, CEN, TCRN, CPEN, CNRN, NRP
For Casey Green, nursing has never been about following a perfect path, it has been about embracing every opportunity to learn, lead, and help others succeed. Throughout a career spanning emergency nursing, critical care, transport medicine, education, and leadership, she has remained committed to empowering nurses while building communities where every voice is valued. As a 2026 Illinois Nurses Foundation 40 Under 40 Awardee, Casey continues to inspire others by proving that meaningful leadership begins with showing up, speaking up, and lifting others along the way.
A Journey Shaped by Possibility
Originally from Maryland, Casey began her nursing career after earning her Associate Degree in Nursing from Howard Community College before continuing her education with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Maryland and a Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Education from Wilmington University. Her pursuit of doctoral studies at Rosalind Franklin University ultimately brought her to Illinois.
Throughout her career, Casey has embraced a wide range of roles, including emergency nursing, adult and pediatric critical care, critical care transport, nursing education, ICU leadership, and her current positions as an External Transfer Center Nurse Coordinator at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and a Rapid Response Nurse at Northwestern McHenry Hospital. While each role has presented different challenges, they have all required the same qualities: calm leadership, teamwork, and a commitment to helping both patients and nurses receive the support they need.
Creating a Community That Inspires
Casey is passionate about helping nurses recognize the strengths they already possess while giving them the confidence and resources to continue growing. She believes nurses demonstrate leadership every day, whether advocating for a patient, mentoring a colleague, improving a process, or stepping forward during moments of uncertainty.
Through Critical Care Casey, she has built a thriving professional community that reaches more than 50,000 healthcare professionals through social media, LinkedIn, podcasts, presentations, mentorship, and educational programming. By openly discussing leadership, certification, resilience, graduate education, career setbacks, and belonging, Casey has created a space where nurses feel supported, encouraged, and reminded that their voices matter.
Showing Others, They Belong
Beyond nursing, Casey has served as both a paramedic and volunteer EMT and firefighter, experiences that strengthened her ability to remain calm under pressure and reinforced the importance of teamwork, service, and courage. Those lessons continue to shape her leadership philosophy today.
For Casey, courage is not always found in dramatic moments. Often, it is choosing to speak up, helping someone believe in themselves, or encouraging another nurse to pursue an opportunity they never imagined possible. Her own journey has included unexpected turns and moments of reinvention, but those experiences have taught her that success is not defined by a perfect career path. Instead, lasting impact comes from showing up with authenticity, supporting others, and creating opportunities for the next generation to thrive.
The Illinois Nurses Foundation proudly recognizes Casey Green as a 2026 40 Under 40 Awardee for her dedication to nursing leadership, mentorship, critical care, and professional development. Through her commitment to empowering nurses and building communities of belonging, she continues to inspire healthcare professionals to lead with confidence, resilience, and purpose.
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