Nurses Association announces Director of Communications and additional new hires

LATHAM, September 15, 2010 - The New York State Nurses Association has hired Robin Wood as its director of communications. Wood was previously a management supervisor in public relations and public affairs for Eric Mower and Associates (EMA) in Albany, NY.

Prior to EMA’s acquisition of Sawchuk Brown Associates, Wood was vice president and director of the firm’s media team. She wrote for the Business Review for six years and has managed publications for the New York State Laborers and the New York State Teachers Centers. Wood has placed stories in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, NPR’s “The Best of Our Knowledge,” and WMHT’s “New York Now.”

Marc Beallor joins the association’s Economic and General Welfare team as labor representative. Beallor previously worked for the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) for 20 years as a field representative and more recently, as regional director. Prior to OAPSE, he was an organizer for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Beallor holds a master’s in management from the NYU Wagner School of Public Service.

Also joining the Economic and General Welfare team as labor representative is Devin Sullivan. Sullivan has a bachelor's degree in labor relations from Cornell University and previously worked as a grievance arbitration representative for SEIU, Local 32BJ before pursuing his juris doctorate. He has clerked for the legal firms of Greenberg Burzichelli Greenberg, P.C. in Lake Success, NY and Vandenberg & Feliu, LLP in New York City.

Randy Lang has joined the association’s Economic and General Welfare team as program representative. Formerly a business agent with the International Brotherhood of Trade Unions, Local 713 and President of Local 118, AFL-CIO, Lang brings more than 24 years of labor experience to the position.

Tracey Brown, MS, RN, has joined the Nurses Association staff as a regional coordinator for the Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses (SPAN) program, a resource for RNs coping with chemical dependency problems. Brown previously worked with chemically dependent and mentally ill clients in the Pederson-Krag Center in Huntington, NY and at South Oaks Hospital in Amityville, NY.

Elizabeth Herlihy, MA, RN, joined the association’s Education, Practice and Research team as associate director. Herlihy previously served as assistant bureau director for the New York State Department of Health, where she was responsible for public health initiatives, including community chronic disease prevention. She was also a part-time quality management specialist at Albany Medical Center.

Also joining the Education, Practice and Research team as associate director is Lynn McNall, MS, OCN, RN. McNall previously worked as a clinical nurse specialist in the education and resource department and as an oncology nurse at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, NY.

The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 36,000 members, it is the state's largest professional association and largest union for registered nurses. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.

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