Geri L. Dickson, Ph.D., R.N.
Executive Director
gdickson@rutgers.edu

Geri L. Dickson is the founder and Executive Director of the newly formed New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing, funded jointly through a public/private partnership between the State of New Jersey and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The legislative mandate describes the Collaborating Center as “an independent nursing Center, which will function as a future-oriented research and development organization to develop and disseminate objective information, as well as to provide an ongoing strategy for the allocation of State resources directed toward the nursing workforce.” The Center’s mission builds upon the previous work of Dr. Dickson as the Project Director for the New Jersey Colleagues in Caring: Regional Collaboratives for Nursing Work Force Development, funded jointly by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and New Jersey healthcare stakeholders.

Dr. Dickson received a bachelor in science degree from Alverno College, a master’s degree in nursing from Marquette University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. She has had experience in nursing practice, nursing education and research.

Her qualitative research about women’s experiences in mid-life has been funded by an NINR AREA grant and published in nursing journals. Currently, her research focus is issues of supply/demand for the nursing workforce, especially the nursing shortage, as well as solutions to address such issues. Dr. Dickson also co-chairs the Governor’s Advisory Council for the Promotion of the Profession of Nursing in New Jersey. Internationally, she has been actively involved in guiding the development of the first university-based nursing program in post-Communist Romania.

Linda Flynn, Ph.D., R.N., BC
Associate Director of Research
lflynn@rutgers.edu

Linda Flynn is the Associate Director of Research, and is responsible for preparing proposals and budgets for extramural research projects that address issues specific to the nursing workforce. Dr. Flynn also leads the research team in conducting research and disseminating the results through scholarly publications.

She received a Bachelors Degree from the University of Maryland, College of Nursing, a Master’s Degree in nursing , and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Dr. Flynn recently completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing with Dr. Linda Aiken.

Dr. Flynn comes to the Center with diverse professional experiences in nursing research, education, practice and administration. Prior to joining the Center, she was Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Essex Valley Visiting Nurse Association, Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing both at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and Seton Hall University.

Her publications have focused on nursing workforce issues, home health care, and health promotion and can be found in journals such as Nursing Research and the Journal of Nursing Scholarship. Her research interests focus on nursing workforce issues that span the practice continuum, with a specific interest in extending the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet concept to home health care. Dr. Flynn is an active member of Sigma Theta Tau, International and has served as chapter president of Alpha Tau..

Allison Creary
Administrative Assistant
acreary@rutgers.edu

Allison Creary has joined the Center staff as an Administrative Assistant. In this position, Ms. Creary plays a major role in assuring a well organized and smoothly running office. She graduated from the Rets Institute with a Diploma in Business Operations and is currently pursuing an Associate Degree in Accounting at Essex County College.

Ms. Creary has been with the Division of Consumer Affairs for the past four years, most recently in the Office of Consumer Protection, E-Commerce Investigative Unit. In that position, her primary responsibility was to assist the investigators with the enforcement of the Consumer Fraud Act and its regulations.

The United States became her home in 1998 when Ms. Creary migrated from her original home in the sunny Island of Jamaica. In 2004, Allison became a United State citizen.  Additionally, in 2004 she was admitted to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, as a transfer student from Essex County College. 

Mary Ellen Cook
Research Analyst
mcook@ifh.rutgers.edu

Mary Ellen Cook (M.P.P., Rutgers University) is a Research Analyst at the Center for State Health Policy. She is currently working on several projects that focus on ensuring the state’s nursing workforce, improving quality of care for heart failure patients in state hospitals and analyzing the standardization of racial and ethnic data collection within the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services to decrease health care disparities.

Ms. Cook's previous worked included public affairs outreach surrounding family planning issues statewide, serving as a technology coordinator for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. She also held a year long appointment as a Harold Martin graduate fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. Her research interests include nursing workforce issues and maternal and child health care

Franklin S. Montero
Project Coordinator
monterof@pegasus.rutgers.edu

Franklin S. Montero is the new Project Coordinator to the Center. In this position, Mr. Montero plays a key role in the organization and coordination of the multiple projects handled by the Center. He is responsible for the evaluation of project effectiveness, and serves as the Center’s liaison with various public and private institutions and agencies.

Mr. Montero received a Bachelors Degree in Marketing from New York University, Leonard N. Stern Business School. He also received a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Fordham University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and is currently attending the Rutgers-Newark School of Law.

Mr. Montero comes to the Center with professional experience in real estate, litigation and technical field. Prior to joining the Center, he was a Consultant for Atlanta Funding Corp., a New Jersey based Real Estate Investment Company. He also assisted in various Patent and Corporate litigations, as a Legal Assistant with several midtown New York law firms. While in graduate school, Mr. Montero participated in a Multisensor Fusion and Integration study published at an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Conference.