Board of Directors
Marie Borgella, RN, DNP
President
Marie is a Nurse Director at Massachusetts General Hospital and has in-depth nursing experience both as a bedside nurse and in academia and nursing leadership. She has been a program manager for Action Community Development for Dimock Institute and has led nursing teams specializing in pediatric neuroscience, general medicine, oncology, critical care, psychiatry, and substance disorders. Marie’s passion is in leading DEI initiatives and serving underserved communities, including advisory work with Rosie’s Place, Believe in Success, and Madison Park High School. Marie has served as adjunct clinical faculty at many Greater Boston colleges and holds a doctorate in Nursing Practice from the MGH Institute of Health Professions. She has recently co-authored a book chapter for Health Inequities in Populations and assisted in evaluation of a health equity course for Harvard Medical School.
Lynne Hancock, DNP, RN, NE-BC
Vice President
Lynne is the immediate Past President of ANA Massachusetts. Lynne has been a nurse for 27 years, all in pediatrics. She currently serves at Magnet® Program and Project Director, Nursing Patient Care Operations at Boston Children's Hospital. She has lived and practiced in 7 states, as well as Washington DC.
haron T. Callender, RN, MPH
Secretary
Sharon is the Director of Family and Community Health Services at Mattapan Community Health Center. She has an extensive nursing career and has received honors including the 2018 President’s Award from the New England Regional Black Nurses Association, Inc. (NERBNA) and the Community Partnership Award from the Boston Public Health Commission. Sharon currently serves on the Nursing Advisory Board at Roxbury Community College, is a mentor for nursing students in the Dotson Bridge and Mentoring Program at Simmons University and for graduate students in the Diversity Scholars Leadership Program at Boston University School of Public Health. She is a past President of NERBNA, as well as a past board member of the National Black Nurses Association, Inc.
Mary Antonelli, Phd, RN, MPH
Director
Dr. Antonelli is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Master of Science-Interprofessional Leadership program at the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, MA. Her area of expertise is focused on interprofessional system-based healthcare improvement and nursing practice to improve health and health care delivery. She held various leadership positions partnering with clinical and executive decision-makers to advance care and quality performance. Her research interests include improving the quality of life for the older adult populations as they manage their health through contemporary, innovative thinking to inform education, research, practice, and policy.
Colette Dieujuste, RN, PhD
Director
Dr. Colette Dieujuste is the Inaugural Dean of Nursing at Wheaton College. She brings more than 30 years of experience as a Registered Nurse and over 20 years as a nurse educator. Throughout her career, she has taught a wide range of undergraduate nursing courses and is recognized for her expertise in curriculum design, program development, and academic evaluation. Her clinical background is rooted in perinatal and obstetrical nursing, and she has served as a Perinatal/Child Clinical Nurse Specialist. In her role as Dean, Dr. Dieujuste leads the development and expansion of Wheaton College’s nursing programs, guiding strategic planning, accreditation, faculty development, and student success initiatives while advancing a culture of excellence in nursing education..
Julie Higden, RN, DNP, NE-BC, CPPS
Director
Julie Higden is a Senior Patient Safety Program Director, Operations and Development, within the Patient Safety department at CRICO, the captive, medical liability coverage insurer serving the Harvard medical community. At CRICO, Julie oversees the risk assessment program and supports Harvard member institutions through detailed claim analysis, fostering network wide collaboration, and education.
Julie has been a nurse and healthcare leader for nearly two decades. Prior to joining CRICO she was the Nurse Director for the Yawkey Oncology Infusion Units in the Cancer Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Julie’s experience as a leader includes implementation of various quality and process improvement initiatives and success in growing, leading and motivating teams to implement change to enhance care. Julie also continues to practice as a per diem infusion nurse to maintain clinical skills and stay connected to the hospital and clinical environments.
She is a Past President of the American Nurses Association of Massachusetts, as well as inaugural President of the Foundation for Nursing Advancement in Massachusetts. Julie is a member of the American Nurses Association, Organization of Nurse Leaders, American Society for Healthcare Risk Management, and the MA Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors.
Susan LaRocco PhD MBA RN FNAP
Director
Susan is a retired nurse educator with an accomplished career in academic nursing. She was the inaugural dean of Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY. In addition, Susan served as interim dean at two other universities. She was the editor of the ANA MA newsletter for several years. Susan has also been a board member of both the American Association for the History of Nursing and the American Association for Men in Nursing, where she was honored with the 2006 Member of the Year award. Internationally, Susan spent a year teaching at the University of Amman in Jordan as a Fulbright Scholar. Throughout her career, she has published extensively on clinical and educational topics.
Kristen Legor, PhD, JD, RN, OCN, CRN-BC
Director
Kristen Legor, PhD, JD, RN, OCN, CRN-BC is the Vice President, Clinical Research Nursing Operations and Associate Chief Nurse at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Legor oversees Clinical Research Nursing practice across 8 campuses and chairs the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Nursing Clinical Research Operations Committee. She has practiced oncology nursing for 24 years, with 15 years in cancer clinical trials. Her doctoral work and research focus on disparity in cancer clinical trial access. Dr. Legor enjoys mentoring new nurses and created one of the first clinical research nursing residency programs in the U.S. for newly licensed nurses.
Kristen Mathieu Gonzalez DNP, RN, MSN/Ed
Director
Kristen Mathieu Gonzalez is a dedicated nursing professional with more than 20 years of clinical experience and nearly two decades holding both faculty and leadership positions. Her areas of expertise include nursing education, quality improvement, and medical–surgical nursing, where she has helped advance both student learning and patient care outcomes.
Throughout her career, Kristen has been committed to developing competent, compassionate nurses and fostering excellence within the profession. She brings a strong foundation in evidence-based practice, a passion for teaching, and a deep understanding of the evolving needs of healthcare systems and nursing learners alike.
Kristen also holds an elected position on the Board of Health in her town and is active in healthcare policy.
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Patricia A. McGaffigan, MS, RN, CPPS
Director
Patricia is Vice President, Safety at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and President, Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety. She has also held positions with the National Patient Safety Foundation, Philips Healthcare, and Aspect Medical Systems, and has served on many boards and committees, including the National Steering Committee for Patient Safety, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Joint Commission, Coalition to Improve Diagnosis, Planetree Person-Centered Certification Committee, and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors.
Colin Plover, Ph.D., MSN./MPH., MSN., MS.Ed, RN
Director
Dr. Colin Plover is a nurse scientist, entrepreneur, and educator dedicated to advancing healthcare innovation and workforce transformation. He is the Founder and CEO of a company focused on helping charge nurses make nurse–patient assignments more efficiently and effectively. Dr. Plover also serves as a researcher studying organizational support for nursing innovation and entrepreneurship. His career spans clinical practice, academic teaching, and leadership in social impact ventures, with a mission to improve quality of care and promote meaningful system-level change in healthcare..
The FNAMA leadership team is dedicated to promoting self-efficacy, diversity, and resilience.