Top Nurses and Late Lt. Gov. Sheila Y. Oliver to Be Recognized

On Mar 11, 2024

The New Jersey State Nurses Association (NJSNA) will honor 19 nurses for outstanding professional career accomplishments and present a special award at its Divas and Dons Gala on Thursday, April 11 at the Pines Manor in Edison.

Through its annual Divas and Dons in Nursing celebration, the Institute for Nursing calls attention to the outstanding achievements of accomplished New Jersey nurses. Proceeds from the event fund scholarships for nursing students and nurses who are advancing their education. The Institute also provides quality continuing education programs and grants for nurses involved in research.

“The mission of the Institute for Nursing is to preserve the heritage, principles, values and practices of our health profession through the support of scholarships, education and research,” said Margaret Dangerfield, EdD, RN, CNE, chair of the Institute for Nursing, the foundation of NJSNA. “Our goals include raising money to expand scholarship and research programs. We want to bring more nurses into the profession and continue to develop quality educational programs to keep nurses current on major advances in health care. This effort is vital to improving the quality of patient care in New Jersey.”

The 2024 honorees are:

MEMORIAM OF THE LATE LT. GOVERNOR

Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, New Jersey’s 2nd Lieutenant Governor

DIVA AND DON HONOREES

• Lynda Arnold, MHA, BSN, RN, NE-BC – director, Family Health Services, University Hospital
• Rocel Besa, PhD, RN, CV-BC, NPD-BC, CNE, CPPS – magnet program director, Hackensack Meridian Health, Jersey Shore University Medical Center
• Akia Blandon, DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-C, PMHNP-BC – associate professor and dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Helene Fuld College of Nursing
• Carline Eliezer, MSN, APRN, AGNP, D. Min (h.c.) – controlled substance coordinator/integrity compliance specialist, VA NJ Healthcare System
• Linda Flynn, PhD, RN, FAAN – dean and professor, Rutgers School of Nursing
• Jonathan A. Gapilango, MSN, RN, OCN, CCRP, NE-BC – administrative director, Oncology Performance, Measures & Accreditation, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital @ New Brunswick
• Linda M Gural, MSN, RN – legal nurse consultant
• Maureen Harding, MSN, BSN, RN – senior vice president, Patient Care Services, RWJBarnabas Health
• Atiya Jaha-Rashidi, RN, MHA – chief equity officer and vice president, Community Relations, RWJBarnabas Health|Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of NJ
• Trish O’Keefe, PhD, RN – senior vice president and chief nurse executive, Atlantic Health System, president, Morristown Medical Center
• Susan Politsky, PhD, RN, NEA-BC – director of professional development and nursing research, Virtua Health
• Katherine Soss Prihoda, DNP, PPCNP-BC – clinical associate professor, Rutgers School of Nursing- Camden
• Rosita Rodriguez, DNP, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, WHNP-BC – associate professor, Montclair State University—School of Nursing
• Michael Rupp MSN, RN, LNHA – nurse manager, Riverview Medical Center
• LtCol (r) Debbie Skeete-Bernard, MSN, MPA, MHCA, RN-BC, RN FN-CSA – Patient Aligned Care Coordinator, Veterans Administration New Jersey Healthcare System
• Yolanda Scipio-Jackson, BSN, RN, RP – clinical care coordinator, Veterans Administration New Jersey Healthcare System
• Hilda Ventimiglia, MSN, RN – director, Holy Name Community Health, Holy Name Medical Center
• Munira Wells, PhD, RN – associate professor, Seton Hall University College of Nursing
• Mary Wachter, MSN, RN – executive director, State & Local Government Affairs, Genentech

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