Mary Ann Christopher, RN, MSN, FAAN is President and Chief Executive Officer of Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey (VNACJ), a community based organization that provides comprehensive care to individuals and families in Monmouth and Middlesex and contiguous counties. The VNACJ is the largest Visiting Nurse Association in the state and among the largest in the nation. Mrs. Christopher is a registered nurse and has been with the VNACJ for 23 years.

During her tenure as President of VNACJ, Mrs. Christopher, who has been a nurse for 27 years, spearheaded the organization’s growth as a leading provider of home care, hospice and community-based services, and has become a leading voice on a wide range of health care issues facing the state.

She has served as president of the Home Care Association of New Jersey and is a member of the Executive Advisory Committee to the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services.

Mrs. Christopher is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the Nurse Executive Program at the Wharton School, and the Public Health Leadership Institute of the Centers for Disease Control. She serves on a number of commissions and boards, including the Advisory Council of Seton Hall University College of Nursing. She also serves as Chairman of the Monmouth County Human Services Advisory Committee, and she is a charter member of the Advisory Committee on Aging for the Diocese of Trenton.

Mrs. Christopher earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Fairfield University and a Master of Science in Nursing from Seton Hall University.

Mrs. Christopher was appointed to the UMDNJ Board of Trustees in June 2006. Her term will expire in 2007.