Jacqueline Cassagnol

Jacqueline Cassagnol is an accomplished nursing professor, administrator, and community leader currently pursuing her PhD in Nursing at Pace University. She serves as founder and president of Worldwide Community First Responder (WCFR), Inc. while holding elected office as Mayor of Nanuet Patch since August 2018. Her multifaceted career bridges academic scholarship with direct community impact through roles in Rockland CERT, Leadership Rockland, and multiple professional nursing organizations.

Her academic foundation includes:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Mercy College (2009)
• Master of Science in Nursing Administration from Mercy College (2010)
• Post-Master's Certificate in Nursing Education from Mercy College (2011)

Cassagnol's research centers on culturally responsive disaster preparedness, specifically examining Haitian nurses' perspectives through her Pace University PhD dissertation. Her work emphasizes practical application, translating academic findings into community training programs that address global health disparities. International presentations in China, South Africa, and Ireland demonstrate her commitment to cross-border knowledge exchange in emergency response systems.

Her extensive recognition includes:

• Induction into New York Academy of Medicine (2018)
• Jefferson National Award (2020)
• Caribbean American Healthcare Award (2019)
• STTI research grant for disaster nursing study (2021)

Cassagnol maintains robust community-academic connections through WCFR's partnerships with non-profits and municipal agencies. Her Pace University PhD candidacy demonstrates ongoing scholarly development while simultaneously implementing research findings through local government channels as Nanuet Patch Mayor, creating a unique model for practitioner-scholar integration.

Through WCFR, she directs initiatives that deliver hands-on health education and first aid training across U.S. and Haitian communities, with emphasis on building sustainable local response capacity. Her work exemplifies how academic research can directly enhance community resilience when coupled with political leadership and non-profit mobilization.