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 health care 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. In 2005, Dr. O'Brien was awarded a HRSA grant to educate minority nurses in online education and developed a database of minority educators who can be shared in schools of nursing across the United States. She joined the staff at Thomas Edison State College in 2001 as associate dean and director of nursing programs, and was appointed dean of the School of Nursing in 2004.  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. She is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and the Thomas Edison State College Honor Society of Nursing.

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 and the Thomas Edison State College Honor Society of Nursing.

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. In 2004 she was appointed Assistant Dean with responsibility for monitoring the content and preparation of the School of Nursing's publications, coordination of the student recruitment and retention program and oversight of advisement activities.  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 School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA.

Susan C. Cobb, MSN, RN
Susan Cobb 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 is a doctoral candidate in nursing at Duquesne University with a research interest in factors related to the experiences of nurses with an online education. She is a member of New Jersey Nurses Association, National League for Nursing, Oncology Nursing Society, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and is currently Secretary of the Thomas Edison State College Honor Society of Nursing.

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 and the Thomas Edison State College Honor Society of Nursing. Griffis also has certifications in Case Management from Villanova University, ANCC Community Health, and ANCC Certification in Nursing Informatics.

Jovita Solomon-Duarte, MSN, RN, CCRN
Jovita Solomon-Duarte joined Thomas Edison State College in October 2006, as Diversity Coordinator for the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant awarded to the School of Nursing. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Pangasinan, Philippines; and Master of Science in Nursing, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner focus, from Seton Hall University. She is nationally certified in Pediatric Critical Care Nursing and is a certified Pediatric Advanced Life Support Instructor. She is an executive board member of the Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey (PNANJ), and Vice President of Communications, Region 4, New Jersey State Nurses Association (NJSNA).  She is a past recipient of numerous academic and clinical awards, and a past scholar and mentee of the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurses Association (NCEMNA). She is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and the Thomas Edison State College Honor Society of Nursing.

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 and also serves as a 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.