Thelma Roach-Serry, BSN, RN, NE-BC

NOVA Immediate Past President

Central Virginia Health Care System, Richmond, VA

NOVA Chapter 420

Ms. Thelma Roach-Serry, BSN, RN, NE-BC is currently serving as NOVA Immediate Past President through December 2021. In this capacity, she is responsible for chairing the Bylaws & Policy and Nominations Committees, a member of the Executive and Finance committees, and serving with the board of directors among other responsibilities.

Thelma has been a professional nurse for almost 40 years and works in VISN (Veteran Integrated Service Network) 6, Central Virginia VA Health Care System at Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center Richmond, Virginia (RVAMC). Her love of nursing started when she was five years old hearing her aunt, Mary Walden, talk about her nursing training to become a diploma nurse. Her aunt had to leave Virginia to go north to Philadelphia and then New York to complete her nursing training requirements due to the Jim Crow laws in Virginia in the 1940’s. Through perseverance and having an “I can do all things” attitude, Mrs. Walden was able to complete her training requirements and graduated from Hampton Institute – School of Nursing; now known as Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. Hearing her aunt share her struggles and ultimate successes inspired and provoked Thelma to follow in her aunt’s footsteps to a career in nursing.  

Thelma was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Ohio where she attended high school and graduated with honors. She then proceeded to Washington, DC where she obtained a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Howard University (HU) – College of Nursing (a historically black university). She started her nursing career at Howard University Hospital in acute surgery and trauma. After marrying her husband, Henry P. Serry, also an alum of HU, she relocated to Richmond, Virginia. In 1985, she joined the RVAMC. Thelma’s vast nursing background includes medical-surgical, intensive care, emergency and ambulatory care nursing. She is certified in nursing administration and has held a variety of leadership roles throughout her nursing career, receiving numerous accolades. She is currently the nurse manager of Surgical Specialty Clinics and is a servant leader who loves working as a frontline manager. This role affords her the opportunity to mentor and influence aspiring future nurse leaders. She is confident that her purpose is to inspire others to function to their full potential and be all that they can be as nurse professionals.  

Thelma firmly believes that as professionals, we should not only serve in our places of employment but we must be involved in the advancement of the profession of nursing through active membership in professional nursing organizations. She has done just that at the college, local, state and national levels. Her service to nursing organizations started at HU where she served as the HU Student Nurses Association Chapter President and pledged Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority, Inc. Alpha Beta Chapter and was a founder and charter member of Alpha Delta Beta Chapter while at HU.  

Thelma has served the local nursing community on various boards and for the past eight years, she has served as the leader of the Cedar Street Baptist Church of God Health Ministry. At the state level, Thelma served as Vice-President of the Virginia Nurses Association and served on the Board of Trustees for the Virginia Nurses Foundation. At the national level, she has continued to serve as a volunteer and a voice for nursing through NOVA starting with the national membership committee and later NOVA board of directors. Thelma was the first to serve in the combined position of NOVA Secretary/Treasurer prior to serving as President-Elect and then as the national NOVA President from 2018-2019.

During the recent Nursing Organizations Alliance (NOA) Virtual Fall Summit, Thelma was elected to the NOA Coordinating Team that will now be referred to as the NOA Board of Directors. She will assume the new position January 1, 2021. Thelma is eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to work with the nursing organizations that form the Alliance.