GALA FOUNDERS
Recognized by the AANA Diversity and Inclusion Committee, NAPF has been a professional network for LGBTQ+ CRNAs since its inception as GALA in 1995.
We thank the GALA founders for their vision in creating this community during a pivotal time for gay rights.
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The first-ever GALA event was a boat ride down the St. Croix River in Minnesota during the 1995 AANA Congress. There were 75 CRNAs and nurse anesthesia students present. This event was organized and announced by mail! 1995 was pre-social media and everyone was contacted via letter invitations.
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With gratitude for GALA founders: Former AANA Vice President (1987-1988) Thomas "Tom" G. Healey, MA, CRNA; Former AANA President (1981-1982) Dr. Sandra “Sandy” Kilde, EdD, CRNA,APRN; Joy Majors, CRNA; and Former AANA President (2005-2006) Brian Thorson, MS, APRN, CRNA.
Thomas "Tom" G. Healey, MA, CRNA
Former AANA Vice President (1987-1988)
Thomas G. Healey, MA, CRNA, 68, died December 5, 2013. Tom graduated from Sacred Heart High School and attended the University of Connecticut before serving as a senior naval corpsman in anesthesia in Danang, Vietnam. He studied at St. Mary's College and Hospital in Minneapolis, Minn., where he became chief nurse anesthetist and director of the Nurse Anesthesia School. He received his MA in education from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.
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He served as director of anesthesia services at Abbott Northwestern Hospital for more than 20 years, and was an assistant professor at St. Mary University. He retired to Scottsdale in 2010, and was also an adjunct instructor at Midwestern University in Glendale, Ariz.
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He was a national officer of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) and served on many of its boards.
Dr. Sandra “Sandy” Kilde, EdD, CRNA
Former AANA President (1981-1982)
Dr. Sandra “Sandy” Kilde, EdD, CRNA, a pioneering force in nurse anesthesia and a compassionate leader, left an indelible mark on our profession. In addition to serving as president for both AANA and the Minnesota Association of Nurse Anesthetists, she served on numerous committees for both organizations. Kilde received the AANA Program Director of the Year award in 1992 and the Helen Lamb Outstanding Educator award in 2005.
During Sandy’s tenure as president, the AANA Board of Directors recommended that all applicants for a nurse anesthesia program have a baccalaureate degree prior to admission. According to her 2021 nomination for the Agatha Hodgins Award, this vision was the first action taken that led to all students graduating with clinical doctoral degrees by 2025. The AANA Foundation, supporting CRNA/Nurse Anesthesiologist research and education, was also formed during her tenure as AANA President in 1981.
Beyond her professional achievements, Sandy was co-founder of GALA—a testament to her courage and authenticity. She led with integrity, fostering a community defined by fun, camaraderie, and shared purpose.
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​Sandra J. Kilde passed away on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at age 86. She was surrounded by her loving family at her home in Eleva, Wisconsin, under the compassionate care of Mayo Home Health and Hospice. Sandy’s passing marks the end of a remarkable journey, but her influence will forever be felt in the classrooms, operating rooms, and hearts of nurse anesthetists nationwide.​
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The 2025 NAPF Scholarships will be awarded in memoriam of Dr. Sandra “Sandy” Kilde, EdD, CRNA.​​​
Sandy, Joy and Dennis
(left to right) at the AANA Presidential banquet for Dennis (2014)
Joy Majors, CRNA
Joyline Majors, CRNA of Palisade, MN born May 17, 1928 passed away Friday, March 24, 2023 at her home.
Joyline Majors, CRNA was a leader, advocate, and visionary. President of MANA from 1978- 1979, she retired from the University of Minnesota Hospital, Minneapolis. She enjoyed being outdoors doing yard work and planting trees.
Joy organized and led the GALA group from its inception in the early 90's until 2019. Joy was 91 years old when she handed the reins and rolodex to our current President, John Gianitsis, MSNA, CRNA.
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Joy was a visionary for patient advocacy and LGBTQ+ inclusion in the profession of Nurse Anesthesiology.
The 2024 NAPF Scholarships were awarded in memoriam of Joy Majors, CRNA.
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Brian Thorson, MS, APRN, CRNA
Former AANA President (2005-2006)
Brian Thorson, MS, APRN, CRNA is former AANA President (2005-2006) and recipient of the Ira P. Gunn Award in 2017. Thorson has been a part of every major legislative advancement for nurse anesthesia in Minnesota over the last 30+ years. His efforts have resulted in Medicare reimbursement policy being changes, defining CRNA practice in Minnesota’s Nurse Practice Act, and the 2002 Minnesota supervision opt-out from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services for CRNAs and other advanced practice nurses.
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Brian and his husband, Dennis Bless, share decades of love and commitment to one another, and advocacy for the CRNA profession. Dennis Bless, MS, APRN, CRNA, is former AANA President (2013-2014). Under Dennis’ tenure, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives were brought to the forefront of the AANA. In October 2015, the AANA Board of Directors engaged nurse anesthetists and external experts to create the AANA Diversity Task Force, chaired by Dr Wallena Gould, EdD, CRNA, FAANA, FADLN, FAAN. Dr Gould is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer for the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program and served as AANA Chair of the Diversity Task Force from 2015 - 2016. In 2016, The AANA Board of Directors voted to make diversity and inclusion a core value of the AANA.
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​Brian Thorson & Joy Majors knew one another from MN. They had a meeting in 1992 and decided to each invite LGBTQ+ CRNA colleagues to what would become GALA. ​
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As of 2025, CRNA Brian Thorson is the last surviving GALA Founder. ​​​
Brian Thorson (left) and Dennis Bless (right) married in 1992; they live in MN
Recording LGBTQ+ history is resistance
