6th Annual Regional Workforce Development Summit

Kellianne (Kelli) Murphy is the Senior Director of Cooperative Education at Northeastern University, where she provides strategic leadership to expand, innovate, and enhance the co-op program across all colleges and campuses. With over 25 years of experience in experiential learning, career design, employer engagement, and work-based education, she is a transformational leader dedicated to bridging academia and industry.

Previously, Kelli served as Director of Experiential Learning at the Roux Institute, where she led efforts to leverage experiential education for economic development in Maine and northern New England. She has designed and led interdisciplinary co-op and experiential learning programs, working closely with senior leadership, employers, and global campus teams to drive innovation and student success.

Kelli holds a BA in English and Philosophy from Fordham University and an MA in Literature and Writing from Northeastern University. A certified e-learning instructor with a background in secondary education, she also teaches courses in writing and career development. Passionate about empowering students, she is committed to forging strategic partnerships that connect education with real-world impact.

Dr. Kristin Curry Greenwood PT, DPT, EdD, MS, FNAP, GCS Emeritus; is Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Mercy University. Dr. Greenwood is physical therapist for over 25 years with experience in a variety of leadership roles in higher education and clinical practice.  Prior to joining Mercy Dr. Greenwood held previous leadership roles at Northeastern University known for their cooperative education work and learn programs. Dr. Greenwood leads and educates from a mission-driven, student-centered approach to academic excellence. She is forward thinking of the critical concerns faced by educational stakeholders, including student success, career advancement, education cost, research advancement, importance of faculty, governance  and  higher education sustainability. She widely recognized as an academic leader and mentor to faculty and prides herself on promotion and sponsorship of faculty and students.

Dr. Greenwood’s scholarship focuses on preparing students for acute care interprofessional physical therapist practice, competency-based education, and simulation education. She has worked to advance entry-level acute care education through her work with the Academy of Acute Care Physical therapy, including leading the task force to develop the Core Competencies for Entry-level Practice in Acute Care Physical Therapy. She is an author and editor of textbooks for acute care physical therapy and has published and presented numerous works nationally and internationally.

Dr. Greenwood has received several awards for her contributions to science and health science education, including the Dorothy E. Baethke-Eleanor J. Carlin Award for Excellence in Academic Teaching from the American Physical Therapy Association, the Distinguished Educator Award, Academy of Education American Physical Therapy Association, and several awards from APTA Acute Care including the Acute Care Lecture Award and the James Dunleavey Acute Care Physical Therapy Distinguished Service Award. 

Dr. Greenwood is recognized for her interprofessional research and educational collaborations as a Distinguished Fellow of National Academies of Practice. Kristin is an American Board of Physical Therapist Specialists certified geriatric clinical specialist, received her simulation instructor training from the Harvard/MIT Center for Medical Simulation, her medical education research certificate from the Association of American Medical Education Colleges and has her Doctorate in Education with a concentration in Curriculum Leadership and Learning.

Dr. Joseph L. Ricca is the Superintendent of Schools of the White Plains City School District. He has fifteen years’ experience as a Superintendent of Schools serving in both New York and New Jersey. Joe started his career as a history teacher; then served as an assistant principal and principal prior to becoming a superintendent of schools.

With a Bachelor’s Degree from Seton Hall University, Dr. Ricca earned his Masters in Education from Harvard University, a Master of Arts from Caldwell College, and an Educational Doctorate from Walden University.

Dr. Ricca is committed to community and is involved in many professional and civic organizations.

Dr. Ricca is currently President of the Southern Westchester BOCES Chief School Administrators Association and Past President of the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents. In this dual leadership capacity, Dr. Ricca works to support all superintendents in the Lower Hudson region of the State of New York. Joe is also an Executive Committee member of the Lower Hudson Education Coalition and regularly works with elected officials to support education statewide policy.

Due to his outstanding work, his peers bestowed Dr. Ricca with the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents Distinguished Service Award in May 2021. In addition to this service, Joe served on the Commissioner’s COVID-19 Task Force for reopening schools and the Westchester County Department of Health’s COVID-19 Taskforce and worked with the White House, CDC and Rockefeller Foundation to assist schools identify best practices to serve their communities during the pandemic.

Dr. Ricca has also served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Morris County College. Dr. Ricca served on the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Task Force and is also a member of the New Jersey State Board of Education, appointed by former Governor Chris Christie in 2017. A regular contributor to local and national media, Dr. Ricca speaks in support of public schooling, the promise of all children and the need for a national focus on the support of America’s school aged children.

Kelli Baron-Cadiz is the Network Vice President of Workforce Planning, Development and Education for the WMCHealth. With 9 hospitals and numerous outpatient sites across 4 counties- Kelli leads the standardization of clinical and non-clinical education for the network. She began her nursing career over 20 years ago, specializing in critical care before entering the specialty of nursing professional development and transitioning to Human Resources with recruitment and workforce development as her specialties.

Dr. Baron- Cadiz obtained her Master’s degree in Nursing Education from Mercy University and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Sacred Heart University.  With a strong appreciation for innovation and evidence-based practice, she is able to support organizational efficiency and the highest standards of CARE for WMCHealth’s workforce members and patient populations.

Elinore Guerrero is the Senior Director for Clinical Operations for the NY region at Summit Health.

Her nursing career started almost 20 years ago as an Oncology/Medical Surgical nurse. After 7 years, she transitioned to clinical management at Westmed Medical Group, where she streamlined operations, improved patient outcomes, and enhanced overall department performance. In 2020, after obtaining her Master of Health Administration degree, she was promoted to Clinical Director where she continued to lead initiatives to enhance patient care and improve patient and staff satisfaction amid Westmed’s integration with Summit Health and Village MD.

Today, Elinore continues to oversee operational strategy and clinical performance for multiple facilities across the region to ensure that Summit Health remains at the forefront of quality care and operational efficiency.

When you meet Claudia Murphy for the first time, you most likely will be taken by her unwavering commitment to service as she waxes on joyfully about breaking down barriers and creating, promoting, and implementing effective pathways to educational and career opportunities for all.  This is work she deeply believes in and lives every day of her career. As the current Director of Rockland BOCES Adult Education, she proudly leads the BOCES Educational Resource Center, serving some 3,000 participants in Adult Literacy, Adult Career Education and Training, and the Rockland Works Career Center.

Ms. Murphy’s successful track record in leading impactful adult education and community/career workforce development training began in 2001 at White Plains Public Schools and later continued at SWBOCES. Ms. Murphy proudly served as Board member on the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board for 21 years and now partners with the Rockland County Workforce Development Board. Additionally, she was an active member of the Business Council of Westchester, remains an active member of the Westchester County Association, and continues to serve a second term as Board member of the Westchester County Correction Advisory Board.  The collaborations forged in these partnerships help to build dreams for businesses and workers alike, by solidifying the pipeline to/from the community/schools/colleges and universities to meet the education/career goals of all participants and businesses, that align to local and regional economic development for in-demand professions.

During the past two decades, she grew adult literacy and training programs, wrote grants, and participated in innovative stakeholder collaborations that led to educational programs in lieu of incarceration, pre-apprenticeship pathways for youth CTE and Adult training programs, reentry education and training programs, and certificated training programs and stackable credentials to serve marginalized populations.

In her new role at Rockland BOCES, Claudia remains motivated by her dedication to public service and the prospect of solving problems that can lead to making a better life for the students assisted by our education, training, workforce preparation, and career planning programs.  The model for success lies in the consistency of exposing participants to clear expectations of excellence balanced with available supports as needed. She continues to have the wonderment about the work we do as educators.  She understands the importance of the relationship between community engagement and a collaborative work ethic as essential when building relationships with various stakeholders that nurture and sustain the community at large. All of which results in a mechanism where stakeholders can come together to articulate needs and garner creative solutions.