NJADONA Board of Director s Biographies Judith McFarland RN (President) - Ms. McFarland has been working in Long Term Care for 40 years and currently is President of NJADONA. She has been a charge nurse, in-service coordinator, assistant director of nursing and lastly a director of nursing for 29 years. Judie addresses issues and concerns which are faced by fellows DON s in her column Dateline DON which runs in NADONA s Director Magazine. She is certified as a certified Director of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care and is a member on NADONA s Academy of Fellows. She was awarded Nursing Administrator of the year by both NJADONA and NADONA in 2004 and has earned NADONA s circle of excellence award for the past 5 years. Ms. McFarland serves on all NJADONA committees. Judie attended Clara Maass School of Nursing and that is where her nursing career began. Judie has been both a nurse and wife to her husband Jim for 45 years. She is a native of New Jersey and has resided in Byram Township since 1965. Steven Missaggia RN, CDONA, FACDONA (Vice President/Newsletter Editor) - Steven Missaggia has been in health care since 1981; bringing to the NJADONA Board, a vast experience in various settings, including acute cardiac care, Infectious Disease, sub-acute, LTC, psychiatry and most recently hospice/palliative care. He is currently serving as the Vice President to the board, as well as the Newsletter Editor. Mr. Missaggia has an18 year LTC Administration background; in both profit and not-profit settings. Mr. Missaggia is a certified Director of Nursing through NADONA and a member of NADONA s Academy of Fellows.
Yolanda Golebiowski BSN/RN-BC/RAC-CT/CDP (Secretary/Monmouth County )- Yolanda has worked in Long Term Care for the past fourteen years, she has firsthand experience as a Unit Manager, MDS Coordinator, Staff Development, ADON and DON. She has managed privately owned LTC facilities and CCRC s with oversight of all aspects of LTC. Yolanda is board certified in Gerontological Nursing through the American Nurses Credentialing Center and an Item Writer to ANCC; MDS 3-0 certified through The American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators and certified Dementia Practitioner through ANCC. She is a dementia instructor. Yolanda is and advocate for person centered care and a member of the New Jersey Alliance for Culture Change, inspiring new leaders. She is a board member for NJADONA and a volunteer parish nurse. Yolanda s accomplishments include a nomination of nursing excellence in 1990 and ADON of the year in 2012. She is a freelance writer to NJADONA. Her favorite pastime is ballroom dancing and she has competed in several competitions. Her philosophy is a passionate vision to bring about change in LTC and the aging services. She believes all persons deserve to be treated with dignity, honoring their preferences and their individuality; therefore, creating an environment that celebrates life regardless of disease, building enduring relationships between staff, residents and families. Kathleen Powell RN/BSN/CRRN/CALA (Treasurer/Education Committee/ Somerset County) - Kathleen has been working in Long Term Care for over 25 years, and has devoted her life to the care of the frail and elderly. She is licensed as a Certified Assisted Living Administrator and is a Certified Registered Rehabilitation Nurse. Kathleen is an active member of NJADONA, NADONA, ANA and NJSNA. She currently serves on the Executive board of NJADONA as the treasurer and the Somerset County representative. Kathleen graduated from Seton Hall University with a BSN degree in 1981.In her spare time Kathleen enjoys boating, hiking and reading. Ms. Powell is currently semi-retired and pursuing volunteering and part time work in the field she is so passionate about.
Pat Alfano (Essex County) Pat started as a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant working Psychiatry. She later became a Registered Nurse and worked in acute care, home care and then found her love in Long Term Care. She has worked for many years as a Director of Nursing in Bergen County and as an Assistant Administrator in Newark. Pat, in collaboration with a Hospice company was instrumental in opening the first Hospice Unit in long term care. She has been a member of NERBEC- the Northeast Region Bioethics Coalition. Pat also is a state board member of the NJADONA where she presently serves as secretary. Marjorie Berleth (Burlington County) - Margie was a 1963 RN diploma graduate of Thomas Jefferson University School of Nursing and has practiced nursing for over 50 years. Experiences included pediatric, OR and emergency room, labor and delivery, school nursing, family practice, visiting nurse, and geriatric nursing. She has been an instructor for Special Needs students in the field of Health Occupations and an adjunct instructor for Burlington County College s RN program. She spent the last 29 years of her career as Director of Nursing Services at the Masonic Home of NJ and presently works part time for CareKinesis, a pharmacy provider for PACE Programs throughout the United States. Margie obtained her Bachelor s degree in Education from Rowan University (then, Glassboro State College) and Master s degree in Health Administration from St. Joseph s University in Philadelphia.Margie is a founding member of NJADONA/LTC serving first as an alternate and then as a full member and has held positions as Historian, Vice President and President. Margie has served on NADONA s education committee and represented the National Association at the Medical Director s Think Tank in Washington DC. Margie is a certified Director of Nursing through NADONA and a member of NADONA s Academy of Fellows. She was awarded Nursing Administrator of the Year by both NJADONA and NADONA in 1992. Margie was born and raised in New Jersey, has 2 sons, a daughter and 6 grandchildren. She and her husband are residents of Edgewater Park, NJ.
Joseph Boney MSN, RN, NEA BC, CDONA, FACDONA (Education Chair/Essex County) - Mr. Boney is certified in Advanced Nursing Administration through the ANCC, and is both a certified Director of Nursing and Fellow in the Academy of the National Association of Nursing in Long Term Care Administration. Joe is a former Director of Nursing and is now working full time in nursing education. He is presently the Director of Adjunct Faculty Development at Rutgers School of Nursing in Newark, NJ, and also holds the academic rank of Nursing Instructor. His volunteer efforts focus on ESL education, where he teaches English as a second language weekly in a community based program. Licensed in both New Jersey and New York, Joe resides in Staten Island, New York. Maureen Cholette (By Laws Chair/Burlington County) - Maureen Cholette has been working in Long Term Care for 37 years. She has been a staff nurse, Assistant Director of Nursing, Director of Nursing, and Assistant Administrator of Clinical Services. She was a founding member of NJADONA and has been a board member since 1993. She is a past vice president and legislative chair person. Ms. Cholette is a certified Director of Nursing through NADONA and a member of NADONA's Academy of Fellows. Maureen is board certified in Gerontological Nursing through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She was awarded Nursing Administrator of the year by both NJADONA and NADONA in 1995. Maureen was born and raised in New Jersey and resides in Browns Mills.
Patricia Feeley (Camden County) - Patricia is a registered nurse graduating in 2005 with an Associates of Science degree. Patricia has been employed by St. Mary s Catholic Home since October, 2006. Ms. Feeley displays professionalism, dedication and leadership earning the respect of administration, staff, residents and families. In her capacity of DON, the Department runs smoothly and efficiently, meeting the care and needs of 215 residents while orchestrating staffing of 50 nurses and 100 CNAs. Patricia is a member of the New Jersey and national chapter of the Association of Directors of Nursing Administration/LTC, Inc. since 2007 and is an active member of Healthcare Quality Strategies, Inc., (HQSI) for the last five years. She oversees student interaction in collaboration with our sub acute unit and Our Lady of Lourdes Nursing Program. Patricia serves as Chair on the LTC Working Group Steering Committee for a two-year term commencing April 2013 working in conjunction with the Cherry Hill Office of Emergency Management and the New Jersey Department of Health. Alicia Fereno RN/MSN (Ocean County/Newsletter & Education Committee) - Since coming to the United States, over 25 years ago, Alicia has worked in numerous positions in the Long Term Care/nursing field. After completing her Master s degree in 1991, Alicia decided to put her knowledge to good use and apply for a position as a Director of Nursing and to this day holds that very same title. During this span of time she also served as adjunct nursing instructor at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, NJ. Alicia has been a member of NJADONA since 1992, and is currently the Director of Ocean County. She is also on numerous committees in the association including; newsletter, education and chairman of the awards committee. Along with NJADONA, Alicia is also an advisory member of both the Ocean County College and Ocean County Technical School. She is also the Vice President of the Philippine Nurses Association. 2010 was a big year for Ms. Fereno as she was awarded the DON of the year award at the NJADONA annual convention as well as the Nurse Leader and Administrator Award in 2011 by the Philippine Nurses Association.
Linda Sue Patron RN/BC/CALA (Middlesex County) - Linda Sue has been the DON of the Francis Parker Home since June 25, 1991. During her 27 years in long term care, her focus has always been on providing excellent care to her residents, outstanding customer service to families and a feeling of staff satisfaction. Linda is also the Infection Control Officer and one of Parker s first certified Eden Alternative Associates. Ms. Patron has dedicated her life to the elderly. She is the Middlesex County representative to NJADONA. In 2005, she was awarded the DON of the year award and was also nominated on the national level. The Health Care Association of NJ also awarded Linda in 2007, giving her the Nurse of the Year award. Ms. Patron is Board Certified as a Gerontological Nurse by the American Nurses Credentialing Center; has completed both Basic and North Eastern Advance Courses in infection control, a member of APIC, won the NJADONA circle of excellence award for Parker Home from 2004-2008. Linda graduated from Middlesex County College, has two children, Marc and Scott, and a 3 year old granddaughter, Lauren Addison. Rowan J. Reyes RN/ASN/BS (Mercer County/Nominations Chair/Education Committee) - Rowan has worked in the health care field for the past 25 years. The past 14, she has been working as a Director of Nursing and is also managing the clinical operations of a 218 bed Long Term/Rehabilitation facility. She is a board member of NJADONA, the representative for Mercer County and serves on the education committee and nominations chair. She received her nursing degree from the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey School of Nursing and Middlesex County College, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business, with a specialization in Health Care Management, from Capella University. In her role as Director of Nursing, she has developed and implemented clinical initiatives to enhance people s skills for improvement to the delivery of high quality, value driven, and resident care for the achievement of organizational goals. Rowan lives in New Jersey with her family, and in her spare time enjoys reading.
Toni Swick RN/CDONA/FACDONA (Newsletter Committee) - After being in the nursing profession for 52 years, Toni has recently retired. Toni served on the NJADONA board for approximately 15 years, including being a past president, a position that improved many elements of her career. She continues to be a board member, writing clinical articles and mentoring. Also, contributing to the educational growth of its members and remaining on the Newsletter Committee. Toni is currently living in NC and enjoys every moment of retirement. Being with her grandchildren completes the circle of life. Sherry Robb Director of Association Affairs - Sherry graduated from Gloucester County College in 1983. She has been the Director of Association Affairs for NJADONA for 25 years. Also, Ms. Robb served as President for the New Jersey Long Term Care Leaders Association from 2010 until 2012. Sherry loves vacationing around the world with her family. Marge Reese Administrative Assistant - Marge began working for NJADONA in 1997. She serves as both the NJADONA s Administrative Assistant and Policy & Procedure Coordinator. Ms. Reese currently resides in Florida and enjoys traveling to Walt Disney World with her family.