Understanding the roles of interest groups is an important element of examining policy change. There are a number of interest groups that affect the policy environment for nursing and that shape the profession's impact on health policy. This article is the first of a series featuring interviews with executive directors/chief executive officers of three major nursing organizations, focusing on their policy priorities and how these priorities are determined. The three organizations featured in this article are the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).