Jennifer Rhodes

Nursing and Public Health
Associate Professor

Email: jrhodes@caldwell.edu
Office Location: Student Center (2nd floor)
Office Location: Student Center, 289

Office:
Tues: 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Thurs: 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Jennifer Rhodes, DNP, MSN, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, is a nursing educator and advanced practice nurse with extensive experience in undergraduate and graduate nursing education, clinical practice, and simulation-based learning. She earned her Post-Master’s Certificate as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner from Johns Hopkins University in 2024 and currently practices in private practice, providing psychiatric evaluation, medication management, and psychotherapy. Dr. Rhodes also holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Rutgers University and is board certified as both a Family Nurse Practitioner and PMHNP. Her teaching expertise includes Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, Health Assessment, Adult Health, Mental Health Nursing, and Clinical Skills/Laboratory Instruction, with a particular emphasis on clinical reasoning, NCLEX and CAT readiness, and application of complex pathophysiological concepts.

Edith Ries

Education, School of Arts and Sciences
Adjunct Lecturer

Email: eries@caldwell.edu
Phone: 973-618-3386
Location: Visceglia 240
FAX: 973-618-3580
Office Location: Visceglia Hall 240

Office:
Tues: 3:00-4:00p.m.
Thurs: 3:00-4:00p.m.

Graduate of Trenton State Teachers College (College of New Jersey), Seton Hall University, Rutgers Graduate School of Education. Presently, Professor Emerita @ Caldwell University.

Joshua Rubin

Music
Adjunct Lecturer, Guitar

Email: jrubin@caldwell.edu

​After graduating Berklee College of Music in 1987, Joshua Rubin embarked on a career as a performing guitarist and teaching.  He performed with such artists as George Coleman, David Grisman, Claudio Roditi, Grady Tate and Martha Reevesand the Vandellas in venues including Carnegie Hall, The Knitting Factory, Village Gate, Pier 16, Avery Fisher Hall, and Alice Tully Hall.  Josh has recorded a number of CDs as sideman and as featured soloist.  Education is a large part of Josh’s musical life, he currently teaches privately in Montclair and Clifton and is also an adjunct faculty member at Caldwell University .

Ryan Rutano

Nursing and Public Health
Adjunct Lecturer

Email: rrutano@caldwell.edu

Ryan Rutano, MSN, RN, CMSRN

Ryan Rutano holds a Master of Science in Nursing Education from Duke University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Caldwell University. His nursing expertise includes medical-surgical nursing and critical care. He holds a national certification as a Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN).

After graduating from Caldwell University, he began his professional nursing career at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, where he worked as a medical-surgical nurse for two years. During this time, he served as a preceptor and charge nurse before transitioning into a critical care nurse.

At Caldwell University, Mr. Rutano serves as a Clinical Instructor for Adult Health Clinicals.

Meghan Ryan

Nursing and Public Health
Associate Professor

Email: MRyan@caldwell.edu
Phone: 973-618-3565
FAX: 973-618-3802
Office Location: Newman Center

Meghan Ryan, DNP, MSN, RN, FNP-C, CPN
Tenured Faculty in the School of Nursing and Public Health
Expertise in pediatrics, family practice, and evidence-based practice
DNP New York University
MSN Felician University
BSN William Paterson University
BSPES/Athletic Training University of Delaware

Tara Saadati

Online Education
Instructional Technologist

Email: tsaadati@caldwell.edu
Phone: (973) 618-3757
Location: Albertus Magnus Hall

Tara Saadati is an Instructional Technologist with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rutgers University.
She supports faculty in using Blackboard to design and manage their courses, ensuring the process is intuitive, streamlined, and aligned with instructional goals.

Daniel Sacco

Leadership and Management
Lecturer

Email: dsacco@caldwell.edu
Office Location: Werner Hall

I played basketball and baseball at Montville High School in NJ. I then went on to play baseball at Tusculum College in TN where I graduated with a B.A in Social Studies. I then graduated Masters program in Sports Leadership from Northeastern University. I currently am a doctoral student in Global Sports Leadership at East Tennessee State University. In addition, I have a certificate in screenwriting from NYU. I coach baseball at the high school and college levels. In addition to teaching at Caldwell, I teach in the sports management program at St Elizabeth University.

Nicolette Salerno

Psychology
Associate Professor

Email: nsalerno@caldwell.edu
Phone: 973-618-3558
Office: Werner 119
Office Location: Werner Hall, Room 119

B.A. Rutgers College
M.A. Montclair State University
Ed.D. Rutgers University

Dr. Salerno received her doctorate in Higher Education and Student Development from The Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. She has held various administrative and teaching positions throughout her career in student affairs, program management, crisis counseling, and evaluation. A long-time adjunct at Caldwell and other local institutions, she joined the psychology faculty full-time in 2023. She is especially committed to helping students transition into graduate school and teaches the psychology capstone course each year. Her research interests center on women at different stages in the lifespan, professional identity development for adjunct faculty, and college-student mental health. Dr. Salerno loves reading, cooking, and gardening and is happiest hanging out with her grown kids.

Rosa Sanchez

Modern Languages
Professor of Spanish Language, Literature and Culture

Email: rsanchez@caldwell.edu
Office Location: Visceglia Hall

Rosa M. Sánchez is an Associate Professor at Caldwell University. Her research focuses on 20^th-century Hispanic literature, especially on re-writings of canonical works. She has published in Sargasso: A Journal of Caribbean Literature, Languages and Culture, Voces del Caribe, and Journal of Christianity and World Languages. She has also presented at various national and international conferences. At Caldwell University, she teaches all levels of Spanish language, literature and culture courses. She is also the advisor for the Spanish Club, Phi Sigma Iota, and Study Abroad.

Michael Sang

Business and Computer Science
Adjunct Instructor

Education

B.A., University of Chicago
M.A., Northwestern University
M.B.A., University of Chicago

McKenna Schray

Business and Computer Science
Adjunct Lecturer

Email: mschray@caldwell.edu

Ph.D., APR Adjunct Professor B.A. Seton Hall University M.A. Seton Hall University Ph.D. Seton Hall University

Diana Schwers-Lee

Academic Affairs
Senior Administrative Assistant

Email: DLee@caldwell.edu
Office Phone: 973-618-3212
Office Location: Rosary Hall 211
FAX: 973-618-3351
Office Location: Alumni Theater 228

Office:
Mon: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Tues: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Wed: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Thurs: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Fri: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Montclair State University, 2002

Caldwell University – 2002-Present

Anthony Scimone

Natural Sciences
Adjunct Lecturer

Email: anscimone@caldwell.edu

B.S. Pace University

Ph.D. Rutgers University

M.D. Rutgers Medical School

Alison Self

Counseling Services, Health Services
Administrative Assistant

Email: aself@caldwell.edu
Phone: 973-618-3319
FAX: 973-618-3540
Office Location: Newman Center, Wellness Center

Office:
Mon: 8:30am-4:30pm
Tues: 8:30am-4:30pm
Wed: 8:30am-4:30pm
Thurs: 8:30am-4:30pm
Fri: 8:30am-4:30pm

ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS
B.Sc. Genetics, Queen Mary College, University of London

ABOUT
Alison has worked at Caldwell University since 2001, she was in the English and Political Science departments before moving to the Wellness Center in 2019. Alison’s door is always open to students who have questions about the Wellness Center, or just as a place to chat!

Her interests include singing with the Caldwell University Chorale and also with Ember Ensemble, a pro-am ensemble who perform in Manhattan and Montclair, NJ.

Jeffrey Senese

President’s Office
President

Email: jsenese@caldwell.edu
Office: 973-618-3547
Location: Werner 312
Office Location: Werner Hall

Dr. Senese was the chief innovation officer at Corvus Education in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and he previously served as president of Saint Leo University in Florida and as a provost and vice president for academic affairs at several institutions. He was a faculty member at Indiana University and the University of Baltimore, where he was tenured. For more than a decade, he has engaged in extensive research with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Defense on use of force and other topics. Dr. Senese was also a tenured faculty member and served as the chief academic officer of one of the Penn State campuses. President Senese has extensive international work experience in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and South Africa. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Penn State, a master’s degree from Indiana State, and a Ph.D. in criminal justice/research methods/statistics from Michigan State. He completed the Institute for Higher Education Management and the President’s Institute at Harvard University, the Academic Management Institute at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems in Boulder, Colorado, and the Penn State University Leadership Academy. He earned certificates in fundraising from the University of Pennsylvania and Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. He has published a methods book, dozens of articles in professional publications, and delivered papers, book chapters, and other works. Dr. Senese is a member of the President’s Council for the Central Atlantic Athletic Conference, and a member of the New Jersey President’s Council and the Independent Colleges and University of New Jersey President’s Council. He previously served on the boards of the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, including service on the Executive Committee, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, the Sunshine State Conference President’s Council serving as the president’s council chair, Enterprise Florida, and the Urban League of Milwaukee. He has been recognized by the State of Maryland, the City of Baltimore, and the Baltimore City Council for his contributions during nearly a decade of service in that community, and received the key to the City of Tampa for his contributions.
Dr. Senese and his wife, Alicia, have two adult children, Mia Senese of Tampa, Florida, and Daniel Senese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Kelly Sepe

Athletics
Administrative Assistant

Email: KSepe@caldwell.edu
Phone: 973-618-3260
FAX: 973-618-3370
Office Location: Newman Center, Athletic Suite

Kelly Sepe begins her ninth year as the administrative assistant in Caldwell University Athletics in 2024-25.

She lives in West Caldwell with her husband Ron and two sons, Adam and Cooper.

Melissa Sepe

Nursing and Public Health
Instructor

Email: msepe@caldwell.edu
Office: 973-618-3000 x3159
Office Location: Student Center, Nursing Department Offices

Office:
Mon: 9:00am – 11:00am
Tues: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Wed: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Fri: By appointment

Melissa Sepe, APN, RN is clinical faculty in the School of Nursing and Public Health. She earned her MA in nursing from New York University and BSN from Villanova University. She has many years of experience in nursing having worked as a Nurse Practitioner in adult cardiology and Registered Nurse in adult intensive care, the emergency department, neonatal intensive care and elementary school health.

Kelly Sepe

Athletics
Assistant Director of Athletics, Academics & Student-Athlete Support Services

Marist College Master of Arts – Educational Psychology

Bachelor of Arts – Psychology/Special Education/Elementary Education

Stephen Shaw

Business and Computer Science
Adjunct Lecturer

Email: sshaw@caldwell.edu

B.S. Caldwell University

M.S. Caldwell University

Brian Shube

Business and Computer Science
Adjunct Lecturer

Email: bshube@caldwell.edu

B.S. Hofstra University

M.S. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tina Sidener

Applied Behavior Analysis
Professor, Clinical Supervisor

Email: TSidener@caldwell.edu
Phone: 973-618-3539
Office Location: Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis, Room 5

Education Background:

Ph. D. in Psychology from Western Michigan University

Brief Bio/Professional Experience:

Tina M. Sidener, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA(NY) is a professor in the Applied Behavior Analysis department at Caldwell University and Clinical Supervisor in the Caldwell University Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Western Michigan University in 2006 under the mentorship of Dr. Jim Carr and completed a pre-doctoral internship at Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Sidener has over 20 years of experience providing ABA services and conducting research with individuals with developmental disabilities. She has served on the board of and published in a number of peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, Behavioral Interventions, Education and Treatment of Children, and Behavior Analysis in Practice. Her clinical and research interests include teaching verbal behavior and play skills to children with autism spectrum disorder and establishing natural stimulus and reinforcer control.

Additional Duties:

Clinical Supervisor, Center for Autism and ABA

Teaching Interests & Courses Taught:

Language and Social Skills for Individuals with Autism, Motivational Systems and Reinforcement, Assessment and Treatment of Stereotypy, Professionalism for Behavior Analysts, Play Interventions for Children with Autism

Current Research (description of interests): establishing conditioned reinforcers, assessment and treatment of stereotypy, teaching verbal behavior and play skills to children with autism

Selected publications:

Kahlow, T., Sidener, T. M., Kisamore, A. N., & Reeve, K. F. (in press). Teaching the mand “when?” to children with autism spectrum disorder. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior.

Sainsbury, E. L., Sidener, T. M., Taylor-Santa, C., Reeve, K. F., & Sidener, D. W. (in press). A discrimination training procedure to establish praise as a conditioned reinforcer for children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Kay, J. C., Kisamore, A. N., Vladescu, J. C., Sidener, T. M., Reeve, K. F., & Taylor-Santa, C. (in press). Effects of exposure to prompts on the acquisition of intraverbals in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Gomes, S. R., Reeve, S. A., Brothers, K. J., Reeve, K. R., & Sidener, T. M. (2019). Establishing a generalized repertoire of initiating bids for joint attention in children with autism. Behavior Modification, online first. doi: 10.1177/0145445518822499

Szmacinski, N., DeBar, R. M., Sidener, T. M., & Sidener, D. W. (2018). Using an interrupted behavior chain and volume fading to teach manding. The Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 30, 653–668. doi: 10.1007/s10882-018-9610-4

Shnell, L. K., Sidener, T. M., DeBar, R. M., Vladescu, J. C., & Kahng, S. (2018). Effects of computer based training on procedural modifications to standard functional analyses. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 51, 87-98. doi: 10.1002/jaba.423

Johnson, K., Vladescu, J. C., Kodak, T., Sidener, T. M., & Giannakakos, A. (2017). An assessment of differential reinforcement procedures for learners with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 50, 290-303. doi: 10.1002/jaba.372

Bord, S., Sidener, T. M., Reeve, K. F., & Sidener, D. W. (2017). Teaching on-task rollerblading and ice-skating to a child with autism. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 10, 178–182. doi: 10.1007/s40617-016-0150-z

Cirelli, C. A., Sidener, T. M., Reeve, S. A., & Reeve, K. F. (2016). Using activity schedules to increase on-task behavior of children at-risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Education and Treatment of Children, 39, 283-300.

Pane, H. M., Sidener, T. M., Vladescu, J. C., & Nirgudkar, A. (2015). Evaluating function-based Social Stories™ with children with autism. Education and Treatment of Children. doi: 10.1177/0145445515603708

Somers, A. S., Sidener, T. M., DeBar, R. A., & Sidener, D. W. (2014). Establishing stimulus control of mands for items and mands for information in children with autism. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 30, 29-35. doi: 10.1007/s40616-014-0007-x

Taylor-Santa, C., Sidener, T. M., Carr, J. E., & Reeve, K. F. (2014). Evaluation of a discrimination training procedure to establish conditioned reinforcers for children with autism. Behavioral Interventions, 29, 157–176. doi: 10.1002/bin.1384

Rader, L., Sidener, T. M., Reeve, K. F., Sidener, D. W., Delmolino, L., Miliotis, A., & Carbone, V. (2014). Stimulus -stimulus pairing of vocalizations: A systematic replication. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 30, 69-74. doi: 10.1007/s40616-014-0012-0

Miliotis, A., Sidener, T. M., Reeve, K. F., Carbone, V., Sidener, D. W., Rader, L., & Delmolino, L. (2012). Stimulus-stimulus pairing of vocalizations: Evaluation of number of presentations of target sound per trial. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 45, 809–813. doi: 10.9101/jaba.2012.45-809

Saylor, S., Sidener, T. M., Reeve, S. A., Fetherston, A., Progar, P. R. (2012). Effects of three types of noncontingent auditory stimulation on vocal stereotypy in children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 45, 185-190. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2012.45-185

Howlett, M., Sidener, T. M., Sidener, D. W., & Progar, P. R. (2012). Manipulation of motivating operations and use of a script fading procedure to teach mands for information about location to children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44, 943-948.

Cassella, M., Sidener, T. M., Sidener, D. W., & Progar, P. R. (2011). Response interruption and redirection as treatment for vocal stereotypy in children with autism: A systematic replication. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44, 169-173.

Sidener, T. M., Carr, J. E., Firth, A. M., Heinicke, M. R., & Cornelius, C. E. (2010). Effects of single versus multiple verbal operant arrangements on the acquisition of mands and tacts in preschool children. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 26, 26, 15-30.

Kaplan-Reimer, H., Sidener, T. M., Reeve, K. F., & Sidener, D. W. (2010). Evaluating a stimulus control fading procedure to teach indoor rock climbing to children with autism. Behavioral Interventions, 26, 1-22.

Stevens, C., Sidener, T. M., Reeve, S. A., & Sidener, D. W. (2010). Effects of behavior-specific and general praise on acquisition of tacts in children with pervasive developmental disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5, 666-669.

Sidener, T. M., Shabani, B. D., Carr, J. E., & Roland, J. P. (2006). An evaluation of strategies to maintain manding at practical levels. Research in Developmental Disabilities,27, 632-644.

Sidener, T. M., Carr, J. E., & Firth, A. M. (2005). Superimposition and withholding of edible consequences as treatment for automatically reinforced stereotypy. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 38, 121-124.

Patrick Sime

Mathematics
Professor and Chair

Email: PSime@caldwell.edu
Phone: 973-618-3518
FAX: 973-618-3365

B.A. Rutgers University

Ph.D. University of Maryland

Marc Siravo

Business and Computer Science
Adjunct Instructor

Phone: 973-618-3255

MBS, CISSIP, CISA

Education
B.S., Stockton University
M.B.A., Seton Hall University

Stephanie Sitnick

Academic Support Services
Assistant Vice President for Academic Support Services

Email: ssitnick@caldwell.edu
Phone: 973-618-3491
Location: Aquinas Hall 102
Office Location: Aquinas Hall 109

Education:
BS in Special Education from The College of New Jersey
MS in Child Development from the University of California Davis
PhD in Human Development from the University of California Davis

Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=0HgP19kAAAAJ

Dr. Stephanie Sitnick is the Assistant Vice President for Academic Support Services at Caldwell University, where she is a key leader in student success and retention. She oversees a wide array of support and retention services, including Academic Advising, Accessibility Services, Academic Coaching, Tutoring and Writing Support, the EOF program, and the office of Career Planning and Development. A passionate advocate for equity, Dr. Sitnick is also the co-director and one of the founders of the Caldwell University Social Justice Institute, established in 2020. Prior to her current role, she served as a faculty member, Associate Dean of the School of Psychology and Counseling, Honors Program co-director, and a special education teacher, grounding her work in the principles of Human Development, the field in which she earned her PhD from the University of California, Davis. When she is not advocating for students, she enjoys unwinding by hiking and cooking with her family.