(PHILADELPHIA, May 30, 2025) – The Board of Trustees of TruMerit™ (formerly CGFNS International), has elected three esteemed healthcare leaders to four-year terms to help guide the organization on its mission to support and advance healthcare workforce development on a global scale.
TruMerit welcomes to the board:
- Stacey L. Ocander, EdD, Vice President of Workforce Initiatives and Education for the Nebraska Hospital Association and past Dean of Health Careers and College Health Advisory Officer at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha. She is also Chief Consultant of Norikar and Associates and the Lead Curriculum Designer for the Nebraska Health Careers Pipeline Initiative. Dr. Ocander has previously served on the board of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs and as President of the National Network of Health Programs in Two-Year Colleges.
- Zainab T. Osakwe, PhD, RN, NP, a tenured Associate Professor in the College of Nursing and Public Health at Adelphi University in New York. As a community-engaged nurse scientist, her research has focused on examining the role of nursing workforce to improve the outcomes for older adults and their family caregivers in home healthcare. Dr. Osakwe is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, is an auxiliary Board member on the New York State Board of Nursing, and serves on the education committee of the Nigerian Nurse Practitioner Association in New York.
- Suja Thomas, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, RN, CWCN, CCCN, COCN, Clinical Lead and Nursing Administrator at the Samuel Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, New York. She is a Board-Certified Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and a Certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse. Ms. Thomas is an international faculty member at Manipal Academy of Higher Education University in India and has previously served as President of the National Association of Indian Nurses of America (NAINA), where she is currently Advisory Board Chair. She also serves as Vice Chair of the advisory board for TruMerit’s Alliance for Ethical International Recruitment Practices.
Stepping down from the Board of Trustees upon completion of four years of service are Leah Binder, President and CEO of the Leapfrog Group; Julie Trocchio, Senior Director of Community Benefit and Continuing Care at the Catholic Health Association; and Paule Valery Joseph, Lasker Clinical Investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute of Nursing Research at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
“TruMerit is fortunate to have a hands-on board comprising highly accomplished nurses, health experts, and leaders from diverse fields, each bringing a wealth of expertise and a deep commitment to advancing the global healthcare workforce,” said Dr. Peter Preziosi, President and CEO of TruMerit. “We are pleased to welcome our new trustees and look forward to the perspectives they will bring. We also extend our gratitude and deepest respect to our departing trustees for their invaluable guidance and steadfast dedication to TruMerit’s mission.”
About TruMerit
TruMerit is a worldwide leader in healthcare workforce development. Formerly known as CGFNS International, the organization has a nearly 50-year history supporting the career mobility of nurses and other healthcare workers—and those who license and hire them—by validating their education, skills, and experience as they seek authorization to practice in the United States and other countries. As TruMerit, this mission has been expanded to building workforce capacity that meets the needs of people in a rapidly evolving global health landscape. Through its Global Health Workforce Development Institute, the organization is advancing evidence-based research, thought leadership, and advocacy in support of healthcare workforce development solutions, including globally recognized practice standards and certifications that will enhance career pathways for healthcare workers.