Dr. Margaret Hourigan

Margaret Hourigan, EdD, RN, retired from Saint Joseph’s College as the Chairperson of the Department of Nursing after dedicating 12 of her 15 years of employment to that role. Although essentially retired, she continues to teach nursing part-time, online, in the RN to BSN program as an Adjunct Professor for Purdue University Global.

She thoroughly enjoyed a rewarding and fulfilling nursing career, including staff nursing in med-surg, intensive care, and cardiac care, teaching intensive and cardiac care for staff development in various hospitals in different states, and teaching emergency nursing and advanced cardiac life support for Emergency Medical Services across Maine. Before joining SJC, she was Senior Vice President for Nursing and Clinical Services for Stephens Memorial Hospital and Western Maine Health Care Corporation.

She is a board member of Northern Light Healthcare Foundation and serves on their Governance Committee. Prior community service included membership on the Northern Light Mercy Hospital Board of Trustees and serving on its Quality Committee, which she chaired for several years; membership on the Northern Light Healthcare Quality Committee; membership on the Maine State Board of Nursing, which she chaired for two years; membership on the Maine Hospital Association Board of Trustee, in the designated seat for the Maine Organization of Nurse Executives. She was active in several professional nursing organizations throughout her career. She was a member of the Leadership Maine Delta Class.

Her formal nursing educational journey involved graduating from Peter Bent Brigham Hospital School of Nursing with a diploma, earning a BSN from the University of New Hampshire, an MS (adult education) from the University of Southern Maine, an EdM and an EdD from Teachers College/Columbia University.

She lives with her husband (Nicholas Noyes) in Portland. To ensure an adventurous retirement, she created a small home business – Poggy Purses Plus: bags & blankies – sewing and selling custom-made fiber purses, totes, wallets, quilts, etc.