Executive Board Members

Eileen Gavin is a nationally certified school nurse and nurse in the Middletown Township School District of New Jersey. She holds an MSN and is a Family Nurse Practitioner as well as a New Jersey certified school nurse. Gavin's extensive clinical experience spans family practice, urgent care, preventive medicine, disease management, emergency medicine, and pediatric primary care.

As an active member of the New Jersey Department of Education's Opioid Task Force Committee, Gavin has focused on addressing the opioid epidemic in New Jersey communities. She also works to reduce mental health stigma as a Mental Health First Aid Instructor.

Gavin has been a driving force in school health policy and legislation. She has served as the Chair of the Legislative committee on the New Jersey State School Nurses Association (NJSSNA) executive board and currently holds the position of President in the same association. Her expertise has been valuable in providing legislative testimony on school health matters for NJSSNA.

During the pandemic, Gavin took on additional roles as a contact tracer supervisor and school nurse re-entry educator. Her contributions to the field have been recognized through multiple awards at both local, state and national levels. In 2023, Gavin achieved significant national recognition when she was inducted as a Fellow into the National Academy of School Nurses.

Gavin's commitment to education and mentorship is evident in her involvement with the Johnson & Johnson School Health Leadership Institute, where she became an alumnus in 2013 and served as a mentor/liaison and community coach until the program's completion in 2017. Her passion continues to shine through her leadership at both the state and national levels.

Katsiaryna Sikorskaya is a passionate and dedicated school nurse with a strong commitment to the health and well-being of students. She brings a wealth of experience to her role, having worked in various healthcare settings before focusing on school nursing. Her educational background is equally impressive, culminating in a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Rutgers State University in January 2024. Katsiaryna has been a school nurse since 2019. Katsiaryna demonstrates her commitment to the profession through her active involvement in leadership positions. She currently serves as President-Elect of the New Jersey State School Nurses Association (NJSSNA) and has held leadership roles in the Middlesex County School Nurse Association. Katsiaryna's dedication to student well-being extends beyond physical health. She is a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid professional, demonstrating her commitment to supporting students' mental health needs. Katsiaryna utilizes her DNP to stay current on best practices and translate research into practical applications. She has presented research at conferences and actively participates in professional organizations like the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Graduate Nursing Student Academy (GNSA) Digital Innovators Program. Katsiaryna's experience as an adjunct clinical instructor at JFK Muhlenberg School of Nursing reflects her passion for educating future nurses. Katsiaryna Sikorskaya is a highly qualified and experienced school nurse leader with a deep understanding of student health needs. 

Rose has 45 years of diverse nursing experience, 24 of them as a school nurse. She held critical care, pediatric, and clinical research nursing positions. A diploma graduate of Northeastern Hospital School of Nursing in Philadelphia, Rose earned her BSN at Felician College in Rutherford, NJ, and MSN in Community/Public Health Nursing from Rutgers University in Newark, NJ.  She has served on the Bergen County Department of Health's Strategic Planning Committee and is a speaker for its county health initiatives. Professional activities include 10 years on the Hillsdale Board of Health, 13 years on the Bergen County Medical Reserve Corps, and 2 years as the Hillsdale Municipal Alliance Chairperson. Rose received the New Jersey Governor's Teacher Award in 2005 and the Hillsdale Board of Education Clinical Excellence Award in 2009. Along with her Johnson & Johnson (J&J) School Health Leadership Team, Rose received the 2015 Team Recognition Award at the National Association of School Nurses Annual Conference in 2016. As lead author, she presented the team's poster titled, "A Substance Abuse Initiative for the Borough of Hillsdale, NJ. She is currently serving in her 12th year on the Executive Board of the BCSNA. Rose served as NJSSNA’s Member-at-Large for the Finance Committee from 2015-18, Treasurer from 2018-23, and is now in her second year as its Executive Director. 

Laura has been a nurse since 1976. She became a school nurse in the 1990's where she worked at a special needs school, a high school and a grammar school. After completing her masters in 1999 she opened the school nurse certification and masters program at Monmouth University. She completed her Doctorate in Nursing Education, her dissertation was focused on smoking cessation in teens. She retired after 23 years at Monmouth University. She has presented locally, nationally and internationally. She has served on both the Monmouth County School Nurses Association Executive Board and NJ State School Nurses Association as the Research Co-Chair and Standards Practice Chair.

Cynthia Samuel, PhD, RN, FNASN is in her 39th year of school nursing currently working in the Irvington Public School District. Cynthia is nationally recognized, and is the recipient of multiple awards for her work on diversity, equity and inclusion, and service to socio-economically challenged communities. These awards include the 2020 Rutgers University School of Nursing Alumni Association, Outstanding Alumni Award, the 2022 New Jersey State Nurses Association/Institute for Nursing, Dons and Divas Award, and the 2023 National Association of School Nurses President’s Recognition Award for serving on NASN’s DEI Task Force. Cynthia is currently involved in several school health research projects assessing how school nurses nationally conduct audiology screenings in the school setting, the school nurses role in caring for students transitioning into school from the PICU, and the importance of school nursing leadership programs that promote and advance our practice. Cynthia also serves on the American Nurses Association Commission to Address Racism in Nursing, and is in the process of creating a first of its kind Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Special Interest Group (DEI SIG) in NASN. You can follow Cynthia on X (Formerly Twitter) at @Dr.CynthiaSamuel and on LinkedIn.

Cathy is a RN with over 24 years of experience in maternal-child, school, and public health nursing. She received her Ph.D. in Nursing from Seton Hall University and currently works as a clinical instructor at Rutgers, the State University of NJ. With a passion for maternal-child health, Cathy has worked diligently to support children and families. Cathy holds certifications for inpatient obstetric nursing, childbirth education, and school nursing, and is a proud 2013 Johnson & Johnson School Health Leadership Fellow. She serves as a NJ State Data Coordinator for the National Association of School Nurses Every Student Counts program, co-chair of the New Jersey State School Nurses Association’s Education Committee, and serves on the executive board of the Monmouth County School Nurses Association.

Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FAAN is a Nationally Certified School Nurse (NCSN) in her 24th year as a New Jersey school nurse in the Camden City School District. Robin is the New Jersey Director for the National Association of School Nurses representing the New Jersey State School Nurses Association. She is proud to be a Johnson & Johnson School Health Leadership Fellow and past Program Mentor. Robin is honored by multiple awards for her work in school nursing and population health. These awards include the 2019 and 2020 National Association of School Nurses President’s Award, the 2018 NCSN School Nurse of the Year, the 2017 Johnson & Johnson School Nurse of the Year, and the New Jersey Department of Health 2017 Population Health Hero Award. Robin serves as faculty in the School Nurse Certificate Program at Rutgers University-Camden School of Nursing, teaching the next generation of school nurses. She was presented the 2018 Rutgers University – Camden Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award for Part-time Faculty. Robin writes a weekly blog called The Relentless School Nurse. Robin’s work is included as a case study in The Future of Nursing Report 2020-2030. You can follow Robin on Twitter at @RobinCogan.

Stephanie received a BA-PSY from Immaculata University in 2000 and a BSN from Widener University in 2004. She started her nursing career in the CICU at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In 2006 she transitioned to NICU at Virtua Health.  She obtained her School Nurse Certification from Rutgers-Camden in 2016. After completing the certification she worked in a few districts caring for students grades Pre-K-12.  In the Fall of 2024 she will begin a new position at Lindenwold Middle School in  Camden County. Since 2021 she has volunteered on the Executive Board of NJSSNA, holding the position of Membership Chair/ County Liaison. She also a committee member of the Education (9/22) and the Legislation committee (7/24). Outside of nursing she assists in mentoring a Middle School Ministry, and also sits on the committee for Boy Scout Troop 47 as committee secretary. 

April Forys has dedicated 28 years to nursing, making a significant impact on many lives. Currently, she works as a certified school nurse in Middlesex, New Jersey. Simultaneously, April has been a nurse educator and adjunct professor for graduate-level school nursing programs at both Kean University and New Jersey City University. Teaching the next generation of school nurses is both rewarding and inspiring for April, as she provides her students with a strong clinical foundation. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a BA in Biological Sciences and initially worked in the pharmaceutical industry. She then earned her BSN from Fairleigh Dickinson University and spent the next 20 years practicing in diverse clinical settings.She received her School Nurse Certification and  MSN in School Nursing from Kean University. April has been a member of her local Board of Health for over 15 years and volunteers for her local Lions Club. She is dedicated to advancing research and treatment for spinal cord injuries, working to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by paralysis. April is also an active member of the Union County School Nurses Association and NJSSNA, where she has served as the Marketing Co-Chairperson of the Education Committee for the past three years. She is excited to begin her latest professional journey as NJSSNA Parliamentarian and looks forward to her upcoming tenure.

Michelle Lynn began her career as a school nurse in Neptune City in 2012.  For the past eight years she has been the school nurse at Land O’Pines Elementary School in Howell. Her specialty is preschool nursing, and next year she will move to the Newbury Early Childhood Learning Center.  She is a Nationally Certified School nurse as well as a Certified Pediatric Nurse and Childcare Health Consultant. As past-treasurer of Monmouth County School Nurse Association and current Treasurer of NJSSNA and member of the Education and Finance committees, she has made use of her accounting background, which included working in both private and public accounting. She is also the dinner chair for Monmouth County School Nurse Association. She has done multiple presentations for the NASN annual conference. Prior to becoming a school nurse, she worked in home care for sixteen years.

Anna Tupe, MSN, RN, NCSN has been a nurse for 44 years, she received her BSN from Wagner College and MSN from Monmouth University. She received her certification in School Nursing from Trenton State College (currently known as The College of New Jersey). She received her National Certification in School Nursing in 2019. She is proud to be a 2015 Johnson & Johnson School Health Fellow. Employed as a Certified School Nurse in North Brunswick Twp. Public Schools, Ms. Tupe has experience in elementary, middle school, and high school, before working in North Brunswick schools she initiated the provision of nursing services for Eden Institute where she provided school nursing services to children and adolescents with autism for 16 years.  Previous to her work as a school nurse, she worked as a Staff Development Medical-Surgical Instructor and as a staff nurse providing care to patients receiving hemodialysis in both acute and chronic settings. Ms. Tupe has been a member of the New Jersey State School Nurses Association Executive Board since June 2006, serving in various positions including President (2015-2017), Education Chair, and currently in the position of Legislation Co-Chair. In her capacity as President of NJSSNA, Ms. Tupe served as a member of the NJ ESSA Stakeholders Focus Group charged with developing the State Plan and chaired the committee to develop the "Promoting Health and Learning" Practice Guide, a web-based school nursing resource. She enjoys her role as a preceptor and mentor for new school nurses. Memberships include the New Jersey State Nurses Association, New Jersey State School Nurses Association, National Association of School Nurses, Middlesex County School Nurses Association, and Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society. Email: qtupe@comcast.net

Joy Atkins MEd, RN, CSN-NJ has worked as a full time Certified School Nurse at Cherry Hill West High School since 2012. Her journey in nursing started 26 years ago at Our lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, NJ where she worked on the Rehabilitation Unit. Joy serves as faculty in the School Nurse Certificate Program at Rutgers University-Camden School of Nursing, teaching the next generation of school nurses. She was  Vice President and President of the Camden County School Nurses’ Association from 2012-2020, and currently serves on NJSSNA as Communication Chair.  Joy is also a certified instructor of CPR.