Contact the School of Nursing

Susan McMullen O'Brien, EdD, RN - Dean, School of Nursing 
Dr. Susan McMullen O’Brien has more than 34 years of experience in the healthcare field including nursing, consulting, private practice, teaching, and research. Throughout her career, she has developed many mental health clinical programs and has received grants to support mental health projects and programs. As dean, Dr. O’Brien has successfully transformed the School of Nursing at Thomas Edison State College from an examination-based RN to BSN curriculum, started in 1983, into a successful growing online format in 2001, and to an RN-BSN/MSN degree program in 2006 to better serve the needs of experienced RNs. During these years, the School has maintained full accreditation status with the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), and in the fall of 2008, received initial accreditation for the RN to MSN program through the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

In 2005, the School of Nursing established the Honor Society of Nursing which was chartered as Upsilon Rho of Sigma Theta Tau International in 2008, of which Dr. O’Brien is a member.

In 2005, Dr. O’Brien was awarded a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant to educate minority nurses in online education and also developed a database of minority educators who can be shared in schools of nursing across the United States. Due to the success of this innovative program, the grant was re-funded in 2008 for another three years.

Dr. O’Brien received the 2008 C.A.R.E.S. Award for Excellence in Education, which was given by the New Jersey State Nurses Association. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence in the development and implementation of sound and creative educational programming for nurses.

Dr. O'Brien holds a doctorate in health education from Temple University in Philadelphia; a Master of Science in psychiatric nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; and an RN Diploma from Roger Williams General Hospital School of Nursing in Providence, R.I.

Catherine Kotecki, PhD, RN, APN 
Dr. Catherine Kotecki is the associate dean of the School of Nursing and brings a wealth of experience in educational leadership, teaching and research.  She holds a bachelor of science degree in nursing from William Paterson University; a master’s degree in adult health nursing from the University of Arizona; and a doctorate in nursing science with a concentration on curriculum development from Widener University in Chester, Pa.  Most recently, Dr. Kotecki was the director of Clinical Education and Research at Virtua Health System in southern New Jersey. In this role, she was responsible for the education of 2,000 nurses and allied health professionals. As an educator, she has been a member of the Master Educator's Guild at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey. She has also published many professional articles, and is an award winning graduate-level instructor. Dr. Kotecki is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Upsilon Rho Chapter.

Louise Riley, MS, RN, BC
Louise Riley has more than 22 years experience in critical care nursing and is an experienced online educator at the undergraduate and graduate level. She was appointed Distance Learning Coordinator in the School of Nursing at Thomas Edison State College in 2003 with responsibility for the analysis, identification and implementation of enhancements to the School of Nursing's distance learning programs, and named Assistant Dean for Distance Learning in 2005. Riley received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Villanova University and a Master of Science in Nursing Informatics degree from the University of Colorado. She is board certified in Nursing Informatics, and a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Upsilon Rho Chapter.

J. Marian Stone, MSN, RN
Marian Stone has many years of experience in nursing education at both the diploma and the baccalaureate level. She was appointed Senior Program Advisor with the RN-BSN degree program in 1983, the year of the program’s inception at Thomas Edison State College. Having retired as Assistant Dean in 2007, she now works in that position part- time with primary responsibility for planning and coordinating the School’s marketing and recruitment, assisting with the implementation of new programs and development of new program materials. Stone has a diploma in Nursing from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing; a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing, both from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. She is a member of the National League for Nursing and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Upsilon Rho Chapter.

Susan C. Cobb, PhD, RN
Susan Cobb has many years experience in oncology and medical-surgical nursing as well as staff education, continuing education, and in associate degree, baccalaureate, and masters degree in nursing programs. She has taught in both on-ground and online settings and was appointed Program Advisor for the School of Nursing in 2004. Her responsibilities include academic advisement, overseeing the student retention project, coordinating graduate entrance surveys, and assisting with the School of Nursing publications. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her doctorate in nursing from Duquesne University, where her research focused on factors related to the experience of nurses with online education. She is a member of National League for Nursing, Oncology Nursing Society, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Upsilon Rho Chapter, of which she is a member of the Governance Committee. Dr. Cobb has numerous publications in nursing and interdisciplinary literature.

Kathleen E. Griffis, MSN, RN, BC
Kathleen E. Griffis received her AAS in Nursing from Mercer County Community College; a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Seton Hall University; Masters Degree in Nursing Advanced Practice from The College of New Jersey, including the Graduate Student Award. She is a member of NJ State Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, She is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Upsilon Rho Chapter. Griffis also has certifications in Case Management from Villanova University, ANCC Community Health, and ANCC Certification in Nursing Informatics.

Lisa Whitfield-Harris, MSN, MBA, RN
Lisa Whitfield-Harris is the Diversity Coordinator for the School of Nursing at Thomas Edison State College. Her primary responsibility is the coordination of activities related to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration grant awarded to the School of Nursing. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from West Chester University; and Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Business Administration from La Salle University.

Ms. Whitfield-Harris’ professional work experience includes hospital and public health nursing. She worked as a neurointensive care unit nurse for seven years and transitioned to public health in 1999. As a Public Health Nurse and Operations Coordinator for the La Salle Neighborhood Nursing Center she worked on various public health programs for first time pregnant mothers (Nurse-Family Partnership-NFP) and helping families obtain health insurance through the children’s health insurance program (CHIP) and Adult Basic. She also worked at a respite center for underprivileged families where she reviewed health records and conducted seminars for the employees and parents on health issues including children safety, food handling and various topics on parenting. She has also worked as the Operations Manager for the National Nursing Centers Consortium to continue her work on NFP and autistic children.

Ms. Whitfield-Harris is a past executive board member of the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of the University of Pennsylvania’s Xi Chapter. Her professional affiliations include: Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association, the Philadelphia Public Health Association and the National Black Nurses Association. She is a past scholar and mentee of the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurses Association.

Jessica Dougherty, BA
Jessica Dougherty was appointed administrative assistant at the School of Nursing in 2005. She has extensive experience in education and IT training and is responsible for the School of Nursing's communications, support of student advisement and recruitment activities. Dougherty holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from LaSalle University.

Greta O'Keefe, BA
Greta O'Keefe was appointed as program assistant for the School of Nursing in 2007. She brought with her more than five years of experience from the NJN Foundation as a development writer, which includes skills in writing, editing and events. Greta graduated from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. She is a former school board director for the Morrisville (PA) School District.

Mary E. Hough
Mary joined the School of Nursing staff in 2006 as a part-time assistant. Her area of expertise is customer service, including more than 25 years in the corporate world, and has served as a volunteer for civic and school organizations. In addition to student service, she is responsible for recruitment management. Hough attended The College of New Jersey.