Abieyuwa Edobor | 5 East, Nights

I have been an NYPNU member since 2002 and we have seen a lot of changes through the years. One thing that has not changed is the commitment of NYPNU to protect its members. Our unit has faced a lot of struggles in the recent times. NYPNU has played a big role in resolving these challenges and made sure that the nurses' rights are protected according to our contract. I personally decided to run for delegate because I wanted to work hand in hand with NYPNU to make our voice heard and our contract enforced to make our work environment better so we can take care of our patients safely.

Winchell Regio | 5 East, Nights

I am a Lenox Hill RN and a proud NYPNU member for more than 20 years now. I am currently working in CCU/5 East. Through the years I have seen how the union has protected and advocated for the rights of the nurses. 

We had some challenging times with our management team a couple of years ago. The workplace became a toxic environment for the nurses. We had managers who were disrespecting our rights and challenging our integrity as professionals. The union advocated for us and made sure that the nurses were protected and our rights enforced. NYPNU has stood with us every step of the way, up to the very end. 

This prompted me to be more involved with the union. I’ve realized how important it is to have somebody stand up for you when your integrity and security is being threatened.

The hospital has gone through a lot of changes over the last 20 years. The one thing has remained the same is the union’s dedication to safeguard the nurses rights and protect the our welfare. I am very grateful that we have a union that is strong and proactive.

Michelle De Jong-Quinn | Mother-Baby, Days

Being a NYPNU delegate for the past several years has given me the opportunity to support my colleagues in their work-life balance and ensure our patients have a safe environment to heal. Encouraging hospital leadership to be transparent and have our union contract maximize nurse-led initiatives to maintain the highest levels of a safe and healthy work environments is critical to our members.

Stefanie Duran | Emergency Dept., Days

My name is Stefanie Duran and I have been in nursing for 21 years but at Lenox Hill for 15 years this coming June. For the last 12 years I have been in the ER, which has such a special place in my heart. Nursing is all I know and truly love. I enjoy being a delegate but more so I enjoy being involved in the union and getting to know so many other nurses and their experiences. Being able to help others in their time of need is a nursing talent but helping other nurses is a privilege. We are all the union but being involved and participating has been a very rewarding experience!

Daria Figlo | Director of Labor Relations

Daria has over four years of experience at NYPNU, where she supported the bargaining committees and played a key role in the success of the 2021 and 2024 collective bargaining campaigns.  She is a graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations, a minor in Inequality Studies, and a concentration in Human Resources. She recently completed the Harvard Trade Union Program certificate and is eager to apply her training to strengthen NYPNU’s work. Coming from a union and healthcare family, Daria brings both personal commitment and professional expertise to advancing worker rights and patient care.

Contact: [email protected]

Sheree-Ann Shepherd | Cath Lab, Days

Currently, I work as a Cath Lab Staff RN. I have been a NYPNU member for over 15 years. I’m proud to have been a zealous advocate representing the nurses at Lenox Hill Hospital for the past ten years, at the bargaining table at contract negotiations, and serving on the Executive Board for the past 8 years. Since 2012, I have also advocated for NYPNU and the profession in my role as delegate with NENA.

Kathie Reid | MCH, Retired

Nurse since 1979 and an employee and Union member at Lenox Hill for 25 years. I was a staff nurse in NCCU, on the Pediatric Resource Team, and a Lactation Consultant.  I retired in 2015 but continued as a delegate and Executive Board member to date.  Most recently I served on the negotiating committee for the current contract.  I have composed the Retirement Booklet and conducted many Lunch & Learn seminars on retirement.  In addition to NYPNU activities, I was a charter Board member of NENA, the Northeast Nurses Association, serving as Secretary until December of this year. 

I believe that NYPNU, as a collective of nurses, is a vital organization, serving and protecting our members.

Treasurer Jennifer Charles | PACU, Days

My name is Jennifer Charles and I've been a nurse at Lenox Hill for 31yrs. I spent 15 of those years in the Med/Surge ICUs and currently working in the PACU. 

I would always be one of the first to speak up for the safety of colleagues, patients, and myself as well as was unfair. 

I became a delegate in 2017 after I was asked by a now retired delegate to run, she said to me, "You are not afraid to speak up and advocate for what right and fair, you should be a delegate."

I truly believe that nurses advocating for nurses speaks volumes!

Liza Billings | LHGV ED, Nights

I have been an emergency room nurse at LHGV for the past 5 1/2 years. I initially became involved in the union just to help set up events at Greenwich Village but soon realized that nurses at LHGV needed someone to represent them during contract negotiations. The union has taught me that nurses have a strong voice and that we can affect change to better our profession and working conditions. I feel privileged to have been a delegate and now Executive Board member.

Eileen Toback | Executive Director

Eileen has more than two decades of experience as a union leader and campaign strategist. Proudly serving as the NYPNU's Executive Director of a nurses’ union for a total of fourteen years, Eileen has been an advocate for the nursing profession and safe patient care by helping orchestrate four collective bargaining campaigns, win numerous groundbreaking arbitrations, and champion legislative initiatives on issues such as single-payer health care, workplace violence, and pay equity. In October 2020, Eileen advised the COVID Survivors for Change and her vision of thousands of empty chairs symbolizing the (at the time) 200,000 lost to COVID were set up in front of the White House and made the cover the NYT and media outlets all over the world. In her time in Washington DC, Eileen ran national issue campaigns that included accountability for the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, served as national field director for the campaign to pass the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, led a campaign to reveal the Koch Brothers’ bi-annual billionaire gatherings with a series of counter-protest events, shed a spotlight on protecting Social Security and Medicare, fought for employees to have the right to organize a union with the Employee Free Choice Act, and built a national legislative political action team program at the Communications Workers of America.

Eileen received her Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University. She resides in Manhattan with her Golden Retriever.

Contact: [email protected]