Devon Berry

Devon Berry on Manual Activity

Devon Berry is a nurse, educator and leader who most recently served as the Executive Associate Dean for Oregon Health & Science University. He is also committed to helping those who work in academic nursing and other nursing environments grow in their health as leaders. Dr. Berry has found that the intentional engagement in manual activity can relax one’s mind, provide periods of exercise, and create practical benefit for others.

As an executive leader, Devon Berry, RN, PhD, regularly prioritizes mundane manual activity. These activities include tasks such as mowing the lawn, washing the dishes (by hand!), hand mopping the floors, weeding the garden, cleaning the garage, folding laundry, making the bed, cleaning windows, and hand-washing his children’s always dirty shoes. As a nurse and an organizational leader, Devon Berry recognizes that the brain benefits from breaks. When engaged in activity that keeps the hands and the body busy, his mind is helpfully distracted from the more cerebral work that many nursing leaders are continually preoccupied with.

Serving as a dean, director, manager, supervisor, or other nursing leader, says Devon Berry, can place great demands on the mind which may, at times, be unrelenting and hard to “turn off” at the end of the work day. Intentionally engaging in distracting activity that requires the mind to re-focus provides a much needed escape. Dr. Berry often finds that after these activities, he feels more at ease and answers that previously eluded him come more easily. Nursing leader Devon Berry believes it is important for nursing leaders to take care of themselves so that they can take care of others. Although manual activity can sometimes seem like a burden, redeeming the work as a healthy brain break can provide a source of refreshment for our minds.

Nurse Devon Berry on Preventing Burnout

Dr. Devon Berry is a nursing leader, educator, consultant, and organizationalist. Serving most recently as the Executive Associate Dean at the OHSU School of Nursing in Portland, OR, he is currently taking a mid-career “gap year” to pursue an MBA, establish a digital publishing footprint, reflect on career goals, and spend time with family. Nurse Devon Berry believes that taking time to step back from the intensity of professional life is key to stepping forward in professional success.

Devon Berry believes that too few professionals take time to step back and evaluate their professional journey to the detriment of their own quality of life. Dr. Berry shares that this may lead to a professional sense of burnout evidenced by personal dissatisfaction with job performance, lack of fulfillment or meaning in the job setting, and a negative outlook on one’s own job environment. As an organizational leader, prior associate dean, and nurse, Devon Berry believes that the best treatment is prevention. He has witnessed many colleagues who suffer, for years at times, due to the overwork and high-stress levels associated with academic life.

While many things can be done to promote burnout prevention in this setting, Dr. Devon Berry believes that a key role a leader must play is in creating a culture that normalizes the behavior of taking extended breaks from work. As good leaders will confirm, happy and rested employees are far more productive than unhappy and tired employees. In the world of academic nursing where the pressure of deadlines and production are never-ending, Nursing leader Devon Berry strives to create such environments by both encouraging and supporting time off for employees as well as setting the example of taking time off himself.

Nursing Leader Devon Berry on Sports in Family Life

Devon Berry, PhD, RN, is a nurse and a leader who has served in academic settings for over 10 years. Serving most recently as the executive associate dean at the OHSU School of Nursing in Portland, Oregon, he has also led as a Director, Executive Director, and Senior Consultant at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Earlier in his career, Dr. Berry functioned as both a nursing faculty member and nurse researcher at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, OH. As a nursing leader, maintaining balance in life is a priority. One of the main ways Devon Berry accomplishes this is by spending time with his family as a husband and father. For many families, this means being involved in organized sports.

Sports play can play a large role in family life. In the U.S. three out of every four families have at least one child involved in sports. Some sources indicate that more than 45 million children play sports in the U.S. Given sports’ prominence in American life, finding opportunities that are appealing to different families and different children is not difficult. At times, the greatest challenge is deciding which sports to be involved in and limiting the amount of time committed to sporting activities.

Involvement in sports leads to many secondary benefits beyond the fun of participation. Many children learn teamwork, self-discipline, confidence, perseverance, and tolerance for discomfort. In addition, families get to experience the camaraderie that can form among the many diverse families that are often drawn by sports. All of this can lead to rich family time that offsets the stresses of the workplace and keeps the leader balanced in their mindset when approaching their work.

Devon Berry, Nurse Leader, on Leading at Home

Devon Berry, PhD, RN, is a nurse and executive leader who most recently served as the executive associate Dean at the OHSU School of Nursing. Over the course of Dr. Berry’s career, he has served as a teacher, a researcher, a leader, and a practitioner. He desires to see nursing leaders be healthy and successful and believes that the formula for effectiveness begins at home. During the pandemic, Devon Berry, nursing leader and prior associate dean, recommends exploring new family activities to make the most of the changes impacting daily life.

Cycling together as a family is a great way to learn to work together and to have fun. Three big ideas are important when taking up this activity for the first time. First, make sure that everyone has the right equipment. At a minimum, this includes a bike and a helmet. Bicycles can be expensive if purchased new. These days, many options exist for purchasing used bicycles online. If you purchase a used bike, always make sure it is safe for use. Second, teach all members of the family basic bicycle safety. A few places to start include operating the bicycle and rules for riding on trails and streets.

Third, family cycling provides many opportunities to learn to work together. Riding as a group requires respect and care for others, spatial awareness, and collaboration. Translated into family life, each of these skills or values plays an important role in healthy family relationships. Great leadership starts at home. Learning to lead and serve family members in a way that strengthens the stability and happiness of the family leads to greater success at work

Devon Berry, Nursing Leader, on Birds in the PNW

Nursing leader Devon Berry is a native of the Midwest that is now putting roots down in the Pacific Northwest. Relocating for work, he previously served as the Executive Associate Dean at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) after occupying leadership and faculty roles at Wright State University, University of Cincinnati, and Cedarville University. As an experienced associate dean in nursing, Devon Berry has learned to slow down and enjoy small things such as birds.

The Pacific Northwest is home to a diverse number of birds. The Ranier Audubon Society is a helpful resource for learning about these birds. One of the first birds highlighted at the Society’s webpage is the House Finch. For any person who enjoys a beautiful bird song, the song of the House Finch is hard to beat. If you happen to see a male, you will also have the pleasure of noting his brightly colored head and breast feathers.

A second very common bird in the Pacific Northwest is the Downy Woodpecker. This is a bird that you will most likely hear before you see. The repetitive rat-tat-tat sounds of its beak being hammered against the trunk of a tree is a delight to those who are hearing it for the first time. Although this bird is a little harder to catch a glance of, when you do you wiill enjoy its black and white checkered wing pattern and the splash of red on its head.

A Nurse Runs a Marathon

Studying for his MBA at Western Governors’ University, Devon Berry is the outgoing Executive Associate Dean of the School of Nursing at OHSU and a PhD-prepared nurse. With a background in mental health research and practice, Berry considers self-care an important aspect of everyone’s life. One way Berry cares for himself is by running for exercise. He is currently training for the Portland Marathon.

For runners, the marathon holds a special place in the broad range of races available today. While there are almost 600 marathons held every year in the United States, according to marathontrainingschedule.com, very few Americans have actually completed these races. In fact, as few as one-half of one percent have run a marathon. Coming in at 26.2 miles, a marathon is a challenging endeavor. The largest Marathon in the U.S. is the New York City Marathon.

Most are not aware that the word “marathon” actually comes from the name of an ancient Greek town, according to livescience.com. Apparently, a soldier named Pheidippides, who ran 25 miles or so to let the Athenians know that the Persians had been defeated. Unfortunately, Pheidippides was not in great shape and actually died after delivering his message. The first marathon races were held to commemorate this soldier’s run.

Devon Berry, nursing leader, on finding beauty

Devon Berry is a nurse, a scholar, and a committed family man residing in Portland Oregon. In his career he has served in several universities including Cedarville University, University of Cincinnati, Wright State University, and most recently Devon Berry served as the Executive Associate Dean at the Oregon Health and Science University. Living in the Pacific Northwest, nurse Devon Berry has taken up nature photography as a pastime.

Over the past year, Devon has committed to posting an original photo every business day on Instagram. He often photographs flowers, trees, leaves, sunsets, sunrises, and other parts of the natural world. Year-round, most of Berry’s photographs are taken within walking distance of his home. His daily walks are part exercise, part meditation, and part photography. One of the greatest lessons Berry has learned through this ritual is how to look for beauty.

Devon Berry believes that looking for beauty requires a committed mindset. If you are not actively looking for beauty, he says, you will miss it every time. As a prior associate dean in nursing, Devon Berry has brought this discipline to his professional life. The professional world, like the natural world, is filled with beautiful moments. Instead of dew on a blade of grass or yellowing moss on a fence post, it is an act of kindness, a display of courage, or an expression of humility. Learning to see the professional world through this lens reduces stress and improves creativity. It is a practice that all can benefit from.

John Kotter’s Eight-Step Process for Leading Change

The recipient of a PhD in nursing from the University of Washington, Devon Berry is an experienced health care professional who spent four years overseeing the Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing as executive associate dean. Devon Berry’s leadership style is informed by his education, experience, and several books, one of which is Leading Change by Dr. John Kotter.

In his book, Dr. Kotter explores reasons why organizations are unsuccessful in their efforts to change. Placing particular responsibility on the leader, he presents an eight-step process with examples of how to implement such change. The process is derived from his own experiences, which include more than 40 years of observing leaders and organizations attempting to execute transformational strategies. While it was originally laid out in Leading Change, it has since been refined in Accelerate, which was published in 2014.

The first step of the process is to create a sense of urgency via a declaration or opportunity statement that stresses the importance of acting immediately. From there, leaders need to establish a guiding coalition to carry out activities; form a strategic vision; enlist a volunteer army; and remove barriers like inefficient or unproductive processes.

The sixth step in the process prompts leaders and teams to celebrate short-term victories. These milestones not only help track progress, but can invigorate and energize workers and volunteers to see that their efforts are making a difference. The final two steps are to sustain acceleration and institute change.

Trail Blazers Acquire Trio of Players from Sacramento Kings

In his most recent role as executive associate dean at the Oregon Health & Science University’s School of Nursing, Devon Berry oversaw strategy implementation and provided senior leadership for the school’s six Advanced Practice Nurse Registration programs. Outside of his professional pursuits, Devon Berry is a fan of football and basketball. He counts the Portland Trail Blazers as his favorite National Basketball Association (NBA) team.

The Trail Blazers added veteran depth to its roster on January 18 by acquiring 34-year-old forward Trevor Ariza as part of a five-player trade with the Sacramento Kings. Portland also acquired forwards Caleb Swanigan and Wenyen Gabriel, while the Kings received Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver, and a second-round pick in the 2024 and 2025 draft.

Originally selected by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2004 NBA Draft, Ariza played for eight different teams prior to joining the Trail Blazers. He averaged 6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game this season with the Kings. He recorded a career-best 14.4 points per game in 2013-14 with the Washington Wizards. Swanigan and Gabriel played limited minutes with the Kings this season.

Both Bazemore and Tolliver joined Portland this past offseason, but neither player met expectations. Bazemore averaged only 7.9 points per game after averaging 11.6 in fewer minutes during the 2018-19 season.