2023-2024 Officers
Tara Zacharzuk-Marciano, PhD, RN, President
Tara lives in Highland with her husband and 7 year-old daughter. Tara has been a member of The Professional Nurses of Dutchess/Putnam, INC. for the past five years. She had been a member of the Newsletter committee in the past. In addition, she is a Legal Nurse Consultant with her own business.
Tara received her LPN in 2000. She graduated from Plattsburgh State University in 2004 with her BSN and attended Pace University for her MA in Nursing Education in 2010. Tara received her PhD in Nursing Education in 2017. She held a 4.0 GPA while completing PhD coursework. She has worked as an Assistant Professor, Tara taught in the nursing skills lab and the clinical setting. As a staff nurse, she worked in the surgical services area and recently she worked as the Lead Surgical Services Nurse Educator
Recognizing the equal importance of self-care, Tara’s “free time” is spent enjoying the company of her family, friends, and outdoor activities. Her favorite outdoor activities include walking on the rail trail, hiking, BBQ in the backyard, and skiing/snowboarding.
Vinnie Hopper, RN, Corresponding Secretary
Vincent is a registered nurse who retired from his position as a staff nurse at the Nuvance Heart Center Coumadin Clinic in 2022 completing what was 52 years of nursing excellence. Graduating from St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing in 1970, he immediately began working on the medical-surgical unit in that facility. In 1971, Vincent enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Following four years as a Corpsman, he was well prepared to assume various leadership positions in both North Carolina and New York hospitals. Vincent has managed Intensive Care Units, Emergency Departments, Residency Programs and Interventional Radiology Departments to name just a few. Vincent has achieved certification as a Basic Life Support (BLS) instructor and he is certified in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) as well as Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). In addition, Vincent has held the positions of President and Secretary of the Northeast New York Chapter of Central Service Professionals (NENY-CCSP).
Elizabeth (Liz) Berro, MSN, RN, Recording Secretary
Liz earned a nursing diploma from Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing (Charlotte, NC) in 1985, a BSN in 1986, a master’s in nursing in 1993, and a post-masters PNP certificate in 2002 and is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Pace University. She has lived in Westchester and Putnam counties for over 28 years. Her clinical experience is in pediatrics, ranging from critical care to telehealth. Currently, Elizabeth is an Assistant Clinical Faculty at Pace University, responsible for undergraduate nursing simulations. In this role, she designs and facilitates high-fidelity simulations and is a certified healthcare simulation educator (CHSE). Transition to practice has become a challenge and professional nursing organizations, such as the PNA, are positioned to help new graduates address today’s health care challenges. Liz has published in The Journal of Nursing Education on simulation center staffing and the influence of poverty simulations in undergraduate nursing students. Her current area of interest is in the relationships between realism, engagement, and competency in simulation.
Karen Sieverding, RN, MSN, MBA, Treasurer
Currently, Karen Sieverding is an adjunct instructor at Dutchess Community College (DCC) in the Nursing Department. In addition to serving as a Board Member for the NYSNA District 12 from 2010 to 2011, she also currently serves on the board (2015-Present). She served as Treasurer for the organization from 2011 to 2015. She has over twenty years of experience in internal auditing and has performed various types of operational, process and financial reviews in the healthcare environment. These audits have included such areas as the Emergency Department, cardiology, pharmacy, federal and non-federal research grants and home health care.
Karen is a registered nurse. Her professional experience includes administrative responsibility for corporate wide discharge planning, risk management, quality improvement and medical staff activities as well as the management of a freestanding Diagnostic and Treatment Center. She has served as a Corporate Compliance Officer, a HIPPA Privacy Officer and as an adjunct professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz in the Department of Nursing.
Her educational preparation includes a diploma degree in nursing from St. Francis School of Nursing, a bachelor of science in nursing from SUNY New Paltz, a master of science in nursing from Pace University and a master of business administration from Marist College.
Board of Directors
Mary Cohen, MSN, RN
Mary describes her philosophy and vision of nursing as related to her desire to inspire, motivate, and empower individuals to aim for and achieve personal health and well-being through their lifestyle choices. Specifically, her philosophy statement for herself and other nurses includes striving for balance and professional growth through continued lifelong learning, which has been an ongoing goal throughout her career and strengthened during the achievement of obtaining her Master's of Science in Nursing Education and certifications as an Advanced Holistic Nurse, Integrative Health and Wellness Nurse Coach, and Cannabis Consultant/Educator. As a current student at the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy Functional Medicine for Nurses Program, she realizes that many of her values, attributes, and principles related to nursing through experiences have contributed to the transformative learning process throughout her 43 years as a professional registered nurse. Mary's background includes diverse clinical experiences in nursing education, perioperative surgical services, trauma, coronary care, critical care, maternal-child health, and community health school nursing.Currently, Mary enjoys her role as a self-employed nurse entrepreneur who established her business based on nursing and holistic values, expanding human influence and using whole-person knowledge and skill, focusing on innovation and evidence-based integrative interventions to improve patients' health. She has membership in the American Holistic Nurses Association, the Cannabis Nurses Network, American Cannabis Nurses Association, Holistic Healing Network, and the Professional Nurses Association of Dutchess Putnam Inc (PNA). In addition, she previously served as a board member for the PNA and Assistant Chair of the New York State Nurses Association for the Arlington Central School District. She has also served as a member of the Medical Reserve Corps of Dutchess County, NY. Mary is married, the mother of two adult daughters, and enjoys caring for her two-year-old granddaughter, Isla. In addition, Mary enjoys practicing as a Reiki-Master Teacher, yoga-Nidra teacher and enjoys Qi-Gong, and cuddling with any of her four cats for relaxation.
Deborah Williams, RN is a 1974 graduate of Dutchess Community College. She received ANCC certification as a ‘psychiatric mental health nurse’ during her thirty-six & a half years of employment for the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene. Now retired, she maintains her membership in the Dutchess County Medical Reserve Corps and is currently president of the Hudson River State Hospital Nurses Alumni Association. Deborah is the very proud mother of two sons, daughter in law Jaime and has been married for forty-five years;
Her favorite quote by Maya Angelou…” I have learned that people will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will NEVER forget how you made them feel”.
Cindy Paradiso, PhD, RN
Cindy Paradiso has been a nurse for almost two decades. She received her BSN from Binghamton University, her Master's in Nursing Education from Pace University and a PhD from Pace University with her focus on studying nursing students experience of passing medications in the clinical setting for the first time.
Most of her career has been spent at White Plains Hospital. She has experience in med/Surg, critical care and leadership. Currently, she works in the quality dept at White Plains Hospital and as a clinical instructor for Dutchess Community College and Pace University, as her passion is teaching, mentoring and guiding students. She has also successfully passed the Certified Nurse Educator exam. When she is not teaching or working, she enjoys spending time with her three kids, yoga and exercise. She has been part of the PNA leadership team since 2017.
Catherine Tegtmeier MPH, RN retired from the role of Assistant Commissioner for Community Health for the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health she has expertise in many facets of healthcare including direct patient care (critical care), communicable disease, public health communications, volunteer management, and public health emergency preparedness.
Cathi has a Master’s Degree in Public Health (Health Policy and Management) from New York Medical College and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from Mount Saint Mary College. She is currently certified as an Associate Emergency Manager by the International Association of Emergency Managers.
Cathi was a member of Dutchess County EMS Taskforce and currently liaisons for the County on Citizens Advisory Committee for EMS. She is a member of the Professional Nurses Association of Dutchess/Putnam, Inc. and sits on the Dutchess Community College Paramedic and Nursing Programs Advisory Boards and is the Rhinebeck Emergency Response Coordinator. Cathi is an inactive Life Member of Roosevelt Volunteer Fire Company #3 and held position of President from 1995- 2015 and currently serves as Treasurer.
She is the recipient of the Dutchess County EMS Leadership Award (2019) and The Professional Nurses Association of Dutchess/Putnam, Inc. Clinical Nurse Excellence Award.
Cathi is the mother of 2 adult children and lives in Rhinebeck with her faithful dog, Bae. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with friends and family and to explore by traveling and reading.
Donna Law, MSN RN
Donna received her BSN from SUNY Plattsburgh and her MSN from SUNY New Paltz in 1996. After a long career at Hudson River Psychiatric Center as a Nurse educator, she retired in 2011. She has served on the NYSNA District 12 Board from 2008- 2015 and has continued as a board member for The Professional Nurses Association of Dutchess/Putnam, Inc. She and her husband travel extensively, worldwide and they reside in Poughkeepsie
Nominating Committee Members:
Karen Sieverding
Linda Loomis
Cindy Paradiso
President ex-officio:
Maryann Sharpe-Cassese
Historian:
Jan Viola
Maryann Sharpe-Cassese