Meet Our Leaders

 Elaine Alston is a nurse with passion for global health. Helping the underserved with limited to no access of healthcare services became an obsession. After a homecoming in 2010 to her native land of Johannesburg, South Africa, Elaine wanted to give back to the country she instantly fell in love with. Unbeknownst to Elaine, during that homecoming, she discovered her grandmother was a nurse. That ignited a fire in her that she already had within, so she began “to walk,” as she so often states, and felt a calling to serve those in need. The grassroots development of Nurses with Purpose was never intended on becoming a full-fledged organization but unbound love and unrelentless drive led the organization to steady growth. Nurses with Purpose, Inc was established in 2017 having 1 mission a year,  to now serving throughout the globe with multiple missions a year.  

Alston creates a platform for nurses worldwide, to be exposed to humanitarian relief in the best possible way, putting emphasis on the nurses well- being throughout the mission  by creating a well balanced medical mission trip. The enrichment program allows the working-class nurse to realize volunteerism is an integral part of his or her career which creates a harmonious balance for the nurse and the beneficiaries served. 

Annually, Alston awards a nursing student to attend a medical mission trip through the Emilia Foundation, in honor of Elaine’s grandmother. She believes in introducing the power of giving back in the early stages of one’s nursing career building cultural competency. Alston believes that Nurses with Purpose will continue to touch the lives of not only the people they serve, but the nurses that play vital roles in this global movement.    

Dr Kezia Nixon-McDaniel hails from the great state of Virginia. 

She is a graduate of Norfolk State University's Associate and Bachelorette degree Nursing Program.

In 2009 she graduated with her Masters as a Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of North Dakota. 

She relocated to South Carolina in 2009 and has proudly served as a Family Nurse Practitioner since.  

In addition to her Masters she went on to complete her Doctorate in Nursing Practice at the University of South Carolina. 

Since 2017, Dr Nixon has honorably served as the Clinical Board Director of Nurses with Purpose and is committed to improving

healthcare access abroad to underserved communities through medical missions. Dr Nixon states, "I love my job. My journey in

nursing has been an incredible experience. Like others, I have had my weak days. It is then that I am reminded that God’s grace

is sufficient for me. His power works best in weakness  2 Corithians 12:9.” 

Kezia Nixon DNP, FNP-BC

  LaShawna Tukes, an expert in newborn care, is a Travel RN in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. She is an active team member of Nurses with Purpose where she serves as a Board Advisory Director. Prior to working as a Travel Nurse, LaShawna worked as a Staff Nurse at Palmetto Health in Columbia, SC.  Ms. Tukes is a proud Alumni member of South Carolina State University where she earned a BSN degree in 2007. She later went on to earn a Master of Health Administration degree at Webster University. In her spare time, you can find LaShawna traveling, attending cultural events, and fine dining. Her desire to impact the lives of others through providing compassionate care and education for a healthy lifestyle is the basis of her foundation as a nurse.