We have updated the candidates list. The followng candidates are running for office. A new link for voting will be sent to current members on July 3rd. If you would like to vote, please make sure that your dues are current. If you have any questions, please email us at floridanpnetwork@gmail.com. Thank you again for your participation.

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1st VICE PRESIDENT LEGISLATION

Doreen Cassarino, DNP, ARNP-BC, ADM-BC, FAANP, FNAP

Dr. Doreen Cassarino is a family nurse practitioner from Naples, Florida in practice providing primary and specialty diabetes care where she has improved patient outcomes by developing an innovated pre-diabetes program and an inter-professional care model for patients with diabetes. She was one of the first of 300 NPs nationwide to hold the prestigious Board Certification in Advanced Diabetes Management.

Dr. Cassarino received a Bachelor of Science Degree Nursing, Cum Laude from the University of South Florida, Fort Myers Florida in 1997, Masters of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner Barry University, Miami Shores, Florida in 2000 and Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida in 2013.

Dr. Cassarino is actively involved in legislative activities at a local, state and national levels including lobbying on healthcare issues pertaining to nurse practitioners and their clients. While serving as FNPN president she directed the development of a strategy that propelled NP legislation to historic success and is committed to continuing to build these past and ongoing legislative gains as VP of Legislative Affairs. She has served as the Florida Representative to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the Legislative Vice President for the Nurse Practitioner Council of Collier County, and co-chair of the Florida Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses. She was one of eighteen who completed the Inaugural AANP Leadership Program. Dr. Cassarino was appointed by the Governor to the Board of the Florida Center for Nurses where she now serves as Chair.

Dr. Cassarino has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades including AANP Florida Advocacy Award, Florida Nurses Association Great 100 Nurses and recognition as a model of exemplary leadership by the Institute of Medicine/Robert Wood Johnson Florida Action Coalition.

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MEMBERSHIP CHAIR

Cindy Parsons, DNP, ARNP, BC

Cindy obtained her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Rush University, IL (2006) and her Master’s of Nursing from Pace University in NY (1988).

She is currently an Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Tampa and maintains a part-time private practice. She is board certified as Family Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinical Specialist. Her areas of specialization are full spectrum psychiatric mental health care with a focus on family systems, community health and quality improvement. She is an active member of local, state and national nurse practitioner and nursing organizations. She is the current membership chair for the Florida Nurse Practitioner Network, having worked with the organization since its early inception. Additionally, she is actively involved in the Tampa Bay Advanced Practice Nursing Council and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.

In her professional nursing career she has worked in a variety of roles in psychiatric nursing; direct care provider, clinical nurse specialist, nursing management and NP. She has presented as a speaker at numerous state and national conferences. She has published in nursing journals and texts at both the generalist and advanced practice level. A recent contribution was the AANP Resource Guide for NPs on Assessing and treating ADHD across the lifespan.

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SECRETARY

Tom Schlepko, DNP, ARNP, FNP-BC

Dr. Schlepko is family and integrative medicine nurse practitioner who works in community health in Miami, FL. He graduated with his DNP from the University of Miami in 2009 and has achieved significant post-graduate training in integrative medicine at the University of Miami and integrative healthcare leadership at Duke University. He also completed the Duke-Johnson and Johnson Nurse Leadership Fellowship at Duke University in 2015. His other roles include a visiting professor at Chamberlain University and a lecturer at the University of Miami. As a researcher, he was a 2015 recipient of an AANP grant that used activity trackers to assess fitness in a homeless population and an AANP Research Committee member since 2017. Dr. Schlepko is also the co-founder of Health and Wellness Creations which offers health & wellness coaching, integrative health education, and mindfulness training. In his downtime, he enjoys spending time with his wife and beagles.

REGIONAL 2 DIRECTOR

Roberta W. Logsdon DNP, ARNP-BC

Dr. Bobbi Logsdon is a family nurse practitioner from Jacksonville, Florida. She practices at a Multi-cultural health center caring for low- income and underserved patients. She also teaches nurse practitioners at South University, promoting professionalism, and quality clinical skills using evidence-based practice. Her passion includes education in healthcare, which started as a nurse educator in the hospital setting and progressed to the university and regional areas. Logsdon has been active in her local NP organization in northeast Florida serving as vice president of the organization. She provides numerous educational conferences for all members of the organization.  Logsdon has been involved in the political promotion of nurse practitioners with local and state politicians.  She has many years of clinical and administrative experience in healthcare. She practiced at a large level- 1 trauma center in New York as well as a family practice at Mayo Clinic prior to her teaching role.  Logsdon is active at the local, regional, and state levels promoting NP practice in education, politics, and clinical care.  Her research was focused on educational needs for nurse practitioner students.  She continues to promote nurse practitioner expertise and practice to the full scope of their educational training. 

Susan L. Smith  PhD, FNP-C, ACNP-C, RNFA, WCC, FAANP

Susan Smith is a Burn Trauma Nurse Practitioner in Orlando with over 27 years of burn nursing experience. She received her Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of Tampa in 1998, Graduate Certificate in Acute Care from the University of South Florida, Doctor of Health Care Sciences and PhD in Health Care Sciences from Nova Southeastern University in 2017.  Susan is nationally certified as a Family Practice and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner.  She works closely with the multidisciplinary burn team and participates in all aspects of burn care to include: debridement, skin grafting, out patient management, therapy and community wide prevention efforts.  She serves as National Teaching Faculty and Advanced Burn Life Support Instructor for the American Burn Association, as well as currently serving as an elected member of their national research committee. Her research has been presented regionally and nationally. Additionally, her passion for burn care motivated participation in international burn outreach, involving several trips to Africa, Nicaragua and India. 

Susan is an active member of her local NP group and has held several board positions, including being immediate past president.  Nationally, she is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and has co-authored “tool-kits” and a white paper designed to support and advance NP practice.  Her publications describe a variety of burn injury mechanisms and promote public safety. Finally, Dr. Smith demonstrates her support of and dedication to the advanced nursing practice by serving as a preceptor for both Acute Care and Family Practice NP students

REGIONAL 4 DIRECTOR

Vicky Stone-Gale DNP, FNP-C, ARNP, FAANP

Dr. Stone-Gale is the current Region 4 Director for FNPN and has been a member for many years. She is also the President and a founding member of the South Florida Council of Advanced Practice Nurses and has remained actively involved in the council since its inception 23 years ago. She received her diploma in nursing in 1984 from Massillon Community Hospital School of Nursing in Massillon, Ohio, and her BSN from Barry University in 1990. She has practiced as a Family Nurse Practitioner in the area since graduation from Barry University with her MSN in 1992. Vicky received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree May 2011 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed coursework towards her PhD at UAB. She is an Assistant Professor in the Family Nurse Practitioner program at Frontier Nursing University and continues to practice in primary care in Plantation. She is double board certified by the ANCC and AANP. She is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Florida Nurses Association, is actively involved with NP legislation in Florida, and was appointed by Governor Bush to serve on the Florida Board of Nursing which she did for four years, serving as Chair for the BON, Chair of the Advanced Practice Committee, member of the Legislative committee and the Credentialing committee. She currently serves as Chair of the North Probable Cause panel and was appointed to the Controlled Substance formulary committee of the Florida Board of Nursing. Dr. Stone-Gale is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

As the current FNPN Region 4 director, one of her goals has been to encourage networking between all ARNPs throughout the state and to encourage their legislative involvement to advance the profession. We are in an ever-changing political environment and all NP’s need to be up to date with the current information. If re-elected as Region 4 Director, Dr. Stone-Gale will continue to assist members with this process by attending meetings and sharing information on NP legislative and practice issues. She is committed to the success of the organization and would like to increase ARNP membership in FNPN by educating potential members on the reasons it is important to be involved in a state NP organization.