

Meet our Board of Directors

President, 2021-2023
Dea Kent, DNP, RN, NP-C, CWOCN
Dea Kent has been a member of the WOCN Society for 20 years. She is the Director of Nurse Practitioner Programs at Indiana University, Kokomo, Kokomo, Indiana. Dr. Kent also maintains a clinical practice. Her educational background includes: ASN-Indiana University, 1987; BSN-Indiana University, 1988, Emory University WOCNEP, 2000; MSN-Ball State University, 2005; DNP-Indiana University, 2015. Kent also serves as a Wound Section Co-Editor for the Journal of Wound Ostomy and Continence Nursing.

President-Elect,
2021-2023
Vittoria (Vicky) Pontieri-Lewis, MS, RN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN
Vittoria (Vicky) Pontieri-Lewis has been a member of the WOCN Society for 32 years. She works as an Advanced Practice Nurse, Wound Ostomy Continence at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Her educational background includes Master of Science in Nursing, Rutgers, the State University of Nursing, 1992; Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Wager College, 1983; Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse Certification Abbott Northwestern School Of Enterostomal Therapy, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1990; Lean Six Sigma, Certified Greenbelt.

Secretary, 2018-2022
Christine Berke, MSN, APRN-NP, CWOCN-AP, AGPCNP-BC
Christine Berke has been a member of the WOCN Society for 17 years. She works as a Nurse Practitioner, Wound & Ostomy Clinic; Preceptor/Guest Lecturer UNMC Colleges of Medicine and Nursing; Consultant for Hospital WOC department and hospital committees at Nebraska Medicine, in Omaha Nebraska. Her educational background includes ADN (1983); BSN (1985); Gerontology Education/Certificate (1997); Emory WOCNEP (2002); MSN (2008).

Treasurer, 2021-2022
Derik Alexander, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWOCN, CFCN
Derik Alexander has been a member of the WOCN Society for 16 years. He works as the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Practitioner at Dignity Health Medical Group and St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. His educational background includes: Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner, University of Phoenix, 2009; Emory University Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nurse Education.

Immediate Past President, 2021-2022
Stephanie Yates, MSN, RN, ANP-BC, CWOCN
Stephanie Yates has been a member of the WOCN Society for 38 years. She works as a wound, ostomy and continence nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist at Duke University Hospital – Duke Cancer Center in Durham, North Carolina. Her educational background includes BSN from University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNC-CH); Emory University WOCNEP; MSN, Duke University, Durham, NC; Post-masters Adult Nurse Practitioner certificate, UNC-CH.

Director, 2018-2022
Kevin Emmons, DrNP, RN, APN, AGPCNP-BC, CWCN, CFCN
Kevin Emmons has been a member of the WOCN Society for 13 years. He works as a Clinical Associate Professor of Nursing and WOCNEP Faculty at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and is a Wound and Foot Care APN at Project H.O.P.E Camden Healthcare for the Homeless in Camden, New Jersey. His educational background includes DrNP in nursing with a focus in palliative wound care; post-grad certificate as an Adult/Gerontological NPl MSN in nursing education; WebWOC WOCNEP; BSN nursing.

Director, 2018-2022
Jody Scardillo, DNP, RN, ANP-BC, CWOCN
Jody Scardillo has been a member of the WOCN Society for 25 years. She is a nurse practitioner for the Dept of Surgery at Albany Medical College and the graduate program co-director at Russell Sage College in Troy, NY. She is currently a Director serving on the WOCN Society’s Board of Directors and the Web Editor for the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN). She is one of the hosts of the WOCN Society podcast, WOCTalk. Her educational background includes DNP from Oakland University; MS and post-MS certificate- Sage Graduate School; and WOC certification from the Albany Medical Center WOCNEP.

Director, 2021-2023
Vashti Livingston, MS, RN, CWOCN
Vashti Livingston, MS, RN, CWOCN has been a member of the WOCN Society for 20 years. She works as a CWOCN Ambulatory Urology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center NYC. Her educational background includes: Emory University WOCNEP (2001); MS in Adult Health Nursing (2005); BSN (1990) and BS Biology (1984)

Director, 2021-2023
Mary Jo Conley, BSN, RN, CWOCN
Mary Jo Conley, BSN, RN, CWOCN has been a member of the WOCN Society for 31 years. She works as CWOCN at Hackensack University Medical Center. Her educational background includes: RN/AD from Muhlenberg Hospital School of Nursing/Union County College, Plainfield, NJ; BSN from Jersey City State College, Jersey City, NJ; Abbot Northwest Hospital Enterostomal Therapy Nursing Education Program, Minneapolis, MN.