JFK University Medical Center Foundation Welcomes New Executive Director

EDISON, NJ – January 4, 2021 – Hackensack Meridian Health is proud to announce that Sheri Marino, MA, CCC-SLP, has joined as executive director of Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center Foundation.

“Sheri brings a wealth of knowledge and notable fundraising experience to her new role at JFK University Medical Center Foundation,” says Joyce P. Hendricks, chief development officer, network philanthropy, Hackensack Meridian Health. “I am so delighted to welcome her to the foundation, and I look forward to the wonderful things she will accomplish in benefit of the hospital’s programs, team members and patients and their loved ones.”

Marino has a distinguished background as a speech pathologist, previously owning and operating her own practices, and having done her internship during college at the Johnson Rehabilitation Institute at JFK University Medical Center. Most recently, she has been working to make a difference in the lives of people with autism as the executive director and business manager for Autism Healthcare Collaborative. In this role, she led all philanthropy, event planning, business and program development, financial management, marketing and had oversight of the organization’s board. She developed a team of medical experts from across the U.S. and collaborated closely with the team to address the vast needs of individuals living with medically complex autism. Under Marino’s leadership, the organization raised $2 million to support programs for children and families.

Prior to her work at Autism Healthcare Collaborative, Marino was the director of Pediatric Health Initiatives for Focus for Health Foundation, whose mission is to empower individuals with information to make good health care decisions for their families. In this position, she was an integral part of the rebranding of the organization to expand the vision and mission to focus broadly on chronic health issues. She assisted in the review and selection of foundation partners and grantees to carry out advocacy, education and legislative initiatives and had event planning responsibility. Marino worked closely with physicians and scientists in the field of alternative and functional medicine and has also authored articles on pediatric health issues related to genetics, epigenetics and environmental causes of chronic illness.

“I am so pleased to welcome Sheri to JFK University Medical Center Foundation and I am confident that she will be an added strength to our team,” said Joseph Yewaisis, chair, JFK University Medical Center Foundation Board of Trustees. “The board of trustees and I look forward to working closely with Sheri to raise critical funds that will allow us to further care for our communities and support essential services and programs at our hospital.”

Marino will work closely with Yewaisis, as well as Amie Thornton, chief hospital executive, JFK University Medical Center, and other hospital administrators, to lead vital fundraising initiatives for hospital services and projects.

“I am thrilled to join JFK University Medical Center Foundation and lead its fundraising initiatives,” said Marino. “JFK University Medical Center has provided exceptional care to patients and their loved ones for sixty years, and I look forward to working with the medical center’s dynamic team to support them in their efforts to provide excellent, compassionate care.”

To learn about how you can make a gift to JFK University Medical Center Foundation, please call 732-632-1540 or visit www.jfkmc.org/donate/.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children’s hospitals – Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital – Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals – JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.

Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000 team members, and 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The network’s notable distinctions include having four of its hospitals are among the top hospitals in New Jersey for 2020-21, according to U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, the health system has more top-ranked hospitals than any system in New Jersey. Children’s Health is again ranked a top provider of pediatric health care in the United States and earned top 50 rankings in the annual U.S. News’ 2020-21 Best Children’s Hospitals report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and being named to Becker’s Healthcare’s “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2019” list.

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. The Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), housed in a fully renovated state-of-the-art facility, seeks to translate current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer, infectious diseases and other life-threatening and disabling conditions.

Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org.