Dr. Yoder completed her BSN and MSN degrees from the Mennonite College of Nursing. She earned her DNP degree at Vanderbilt University.
She currently serves as the McLean County Coroner, an elected position she has held since 2014. She also works as an advanced practice nurse at Carle Medical Group.
Kathy’s nursing career began in critical care at BroMenn Regional Medical Center. She has since worked as a nursing supervisor at Methodist Medical Center, an advanced practice nurse in neurosurgery at both OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and Carle Foundation Hospital, and as an advanced practice nurse in emergency trauma at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center.
While at Carle Foundation Hospital, she conducted research on a cooling brain helmet, funded by the Department of Defense, for traumatic brain injuries. She has worked with Illinois State University research on fall related deaths.
Helping students is important to Kathy, who has been an instructional associate professor at Illinois State University in both undergraduate and graduate programs and an adjunct at Illinois Wesleyan University.
She regularly speaks with America’s Promise participants and is a frequent panel member for the college’s Leadership Academy events.
Kathy supports the college by serving as a member of the Dean’s Cabinet and has been the vice president of the Sigma Theta Tau, Theta Pi executive board. She is a past president of Mennonite’s Graduate Student Nursing Organization. Her community involvement is extensive and includes her work on the Advocate BroMenn/Eureka Governing Council and the Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board.
