Meet the Team

Founded in 2020, the Foundation for Nursing Advancement in Massachusetts has developed and grown in a positive direction.
We’re very proud of the diversity of our staff, and their abilities to contribute their own unique experience and skills to our success.
Find out more about our team members below.

Julie Cronin, DNP, RN, OCN, NE-BC
President

Julie is currently the President of ANA Massachusetts. She is a nurse director in ambulatory Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital and has oversight of a 60 bed/chair
Infusion Unit. Julie received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Northeastern University in 2016. She has a passion for oncology nursing and staff development. She
has led many initiatives helping to streamline processes in the ambulatory care department, increase utilization in outpatient and improve patient satisfaction. Julie has published
articles in her field of interest and presented nationally. As ANAMASS President, she has worked to increase the organization’s visibility at the State House, support nurses through the pandemic, and helped bring the Foundation for Nursing Advancement in Massachusetts to fruition to support the nursing profession.

R. Gino Chisari, RN, NPD-BC, DNP
Vice President
Gino Chisari is the director of the Norman Knight Nursing Center for Clinical & Professional Development at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In this role he has accountability
for the oversight and operations associated with professional development and the learning environment for nursing and patient care services. Gino serves as the Chief Learning
Officer for the Lunder-Dineen Health Alliance of Maine, sits on several hospital and system wide committees. In 2018, Gino was installed as the inaugural incumbent of the Dorothy
Ann Heathwood Endowed Chair in Nursing Education. He is the prior Deputy Executive Director for the Massachusetts Board of Nursing and past- president of the ANAMassachusetts. Gino has held faculty positions including, the MGH Institute for Health Professions, Northeastern University, and Emmanuel College.

 
Donna Glynn, PhD, RN, ANP-BC
Secretary

Donna is the Past President of ANA Massachusetts. She is the Associate Dean of Pre-Licensure Nursing at Regis College. In addition, she serves as a Nurse Scientist for the VA
Boston Healthcare System. Donna is an Adult Nurse Practitioner with many years of nursing experience to include acute care, critical care, primary care and geriatrics. Her research, publications and presentations are focused on reflective practice, transition to practice and clinical nursing education. Donna is an active member of the Northeast Regional VA Nursing Alliance (NERVANA). She is currently the Past-President of the Theta at Large Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau. She contributed to the Nurse of the Future Core Competency initiatives
and is an accreditor of Nurse Residency programs for CCNE.

 
Tara Tehan, MSN, MBA, RN, NE-BC
Treasurer

Tara is currently the Nursing Director of the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital; a 22 bed intensive care unit focused on the care of adult patients
with neurologic injuries. Prior to this role, she managed a respiratory unit at Baystate Medical Center. After completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, she started her nursing career in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Tara holds a Master’s of Science and a Master’s of Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. She is certified by the American Nursing Credentialing Center as a Nurse Executive. Tara is currently a doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts Worcester Graduate School of Nursing.  Tara is committed, in her professional practice, to improving the professional practice and work environment of registered nurses and to
enriching the experience of patients and families in the intensive care unit. In 2010, she, along with Mary Guanci, RN, MS, was awarded the Massachusetts General Hospital Munn Award to explore the experience of new graduate nurses in the intensive care unit around death and dying.  Tara has been an active member of the American Nurses Association          Massachusetts, serving as Director, Treasurer and in 2014, President.

Barbara Blakeney, MS, RN, FNAP
Director

Barbara is a Past President of American Nurses Association. She currently serves on the MA Health Policy Commission. She has more than 25 years of experience as the principal
public health nurse for Homeless Services and Addiction Services and the director of clinical services for the Long Island Shelter Services for the City of Boston. Most recently, she
was a fellow at the Center for Innovations in Care Delivery at Massachusetts General Hospital where she led multiple initiatives including a unit-based in Transitioning Care at the Bedside (TCAB) project. During this time she was also an innovation fellow at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).