Nominee Bio Information
President Elect:
Name: Connie Kinney
Candidate for office position: President Elect
Current Employment Position: UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Education: BSN
Certification: OCN
ONS National Member/Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, Yes
How many years? 4
ONS Activities/ GPC Activities: Program director for 2014
My name is Connie Kinney and I would like to be your next President Elect. I have been your Director at Large
for the last 2 years. I have been an Oncology nurse for 27 years. I started my career as an inpatient nurse on
the oncology floor at Presby. Then I went to Magee-Women’s Hospital and worked on a protocol for ovarian
cancer for 5 years. I started as an outpatient oncology nurse in 1992. I worked with breast cancer primarily at
PCI for 5 years. I worked at AGH in the protocol office for one year. After that became a lead nurse at UPMC
Beaver in the out -patient oncology unit. I then came back to UPMC cancer centers at Hillman for 6 years. The
next 2 years I spent in GI surgical oncology. I then went to the NSABP for one year. In 2010, I returned to the
Hillman out-patient services.
I have been a GPS member for 4 years. I have 2 grown sons. I now have the time to devote to this positon.
Treasurer:
Name: Dori Kuchta
Canidate for office of: Treasurer
Current Employment Position: Professional Staff Nurse, Shadyside Hospital, 5 Main-Medical Oncology
Education: Shadyside School of Nursing, RN
Also hold a Master’s degree in education
ONS National Member/Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, Yes
How many years? 3 years
ONS Activities/ GPC Activities: ONS Congress 2013 and 2014
Director at Large Candidates:
Name: Kelly Sikora
Current Employment Position: Clinical Manager for West Penn Allegheny Oncology Network (WPAON) –
Weirton Office
Education:
Master of Science in Nursing 2011
Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA
Bachelor of Science in Nursing 1998
Carlow College, Pittsburgh, PA
Diploma Degree in Nursing 1986
Shadyside Hospital School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, PA
Certification:
OCN Certification x 23 years
ONS National Member/Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, Yes/Yes
ONS Activities/ GPC Activities: Not to date
Professional Organizations:
Active member of National and Local Chapters of Oncology Nursing Society
Active member of Sigma Theta Tau International, Honor Society of Nursing
Active member of Chi Zeta Chapter of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau
International
Community Service:
 Volunteer with fundraising activities for The Leukemia/Lymphoma Society
 Volunteer with fundraising activities for Our Clubhouse (formerly Gilda’s Club) of Western
Pennsylvania
 Volunteer with fundraising activities for Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma
Name: Patricia Macara
Current Employment Position: Unit Director at Hillman Cancer Center
Education: Masters in Education from University of Pittsburgh, Master’s in Nursing from Chatham University
Certification: OCN
ONS National Member/Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, Yes. How many years? 15 +
ONS Activities/ GPC Activities:
GPC President, President Elect, Director at Large, Co-editor of GPC Newsletter, ONCC Advocate, Camp Raising
Spirts Volunteer and Coor Committee Member, One of the Founding Core Member of Camp Raising Spirts
Professional Organizations: Sigma Theta Tau, Oncology Nursing Society
Community Service: Volunteer for Food Bank, Volunteer for Head of the Ohio, Volunteer for Race for the Cure
and Walk for the Whisper, Volunteer at the VA-Aspinwall
Director at Large Candidates: (cont)
Name: Sarah Belcher
Current Employment Position: Full Time Graduate Student and undergraduate Clinical Instructor and
Teaching Assistant at University of Pittsburgh
Education:
BSN from The Ohio State University - 2002
Completed Oncology Nursing Internship at Duke University Medical Center - 2003
Currently enrolled in DNP CNS program (oncology concentration) at University of Pittsburgh – 2013present
Certification:
OCN since 2009
ONS Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Provider since 2011
ONS National Member/Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, Yes
How many years? ONS National – 12 years (since 2002)
GPC-ONS – 1 year (since 2013)
ONS Activities/ GPC Activities: Not to date
Professional Organizations:
Eastern Nursing Research Society
Sigma Theta Tau International
Sigma Theta Tau Eta Chapter, University of Pittsburgh
Community Service: N/A
Name: Jamilyn Kennell
Current Employment Position:
Senior Professional Staff Nurse, Shadyside Hospital 5Main, Medical Oncology
Chair of Nursing Professional Practice Development Council for 2014, member since 2012
Active in unit-based nursing council and staff scheduling
Education:
MSN (adult nurse practitioner) Thomas Jefferson University – 2012
BSN Thomas Jefferson University – 2009
BS BME (biomedical engineering) University of Rochester – 2005
Certification:
OCN since 2013ONS National/Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, Yes
Appx 3-4 years
ONS Activities / GPC Activities: Not to date
Attend monthly GPC activities when schedule permits
Attended ONS Connections in 2012 in Phoenix Arizona
Attended ONS Congress 2013 in Washington DC, on the McMahon Scholarship from GPC-ONS
Attended ONS Congress 2014 in Anaheim CA
Presented a Poster: Creating a culture of safety; Project to reduce falls in an inpatient medicaloncology unit
Director at Large Candidates: (cont)
Name: Jamilyn Kennell (cont)
Professional Organizations:
Member of AANP
Former member of Sigma Theta Tau
Community Service:
Donate blood to Pittsburgh central blood bank
Participate in walks with and donate to the American Cancer Society and Alzheimer’s Association
Name: Ruth Sattler:
Current Employment Position:
Nursing Instructor UPMC Schools of Nursing
Education:
MSN University of Pittsburgh 1988
BSN University of Pittsburgh 1978
Certification:
OCN
ONS National Member/Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, Yes for 26 years
ONS Activities/ GPC Activities:
Volunteered for “Be the Match” donor recruitment at Duquesne Univ.
Professional Organizations:
Pennsylvania League of Nursing (PLN)
Community Service:
Volunteer at “Global Links”