NJCASA’s Trustees serve as the dedicated champions for and ambassadors of our mission. If you’re interested in becoming a member of our Board of Trustees, you can fill out an application for consideration.
Kia Alexander
Kia is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who works as a School Social Worker in a New Jersey School District where she has the privilege of working with students and faculty of diverse backgrounds, including people of color, the LGBQTIA population, and other marginalized communities. She also has a private practice located in Central New Jersey, Journey to Peace, LLC.
As an experienced Clinical Social Worker and private practitioner, she has become adept in providing individual and group counseling, creating treatment plans, and conducting assessments. Additionally, she has nine years of experience and the ability to provide comprehensive therapeutic interventions to support the needs of adults in various stages of life.
She is committed and dedicated to the advocacy of survivors and their families.
Rocio Cruz-Olivera
Rocio Cruz-Olivera MA, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor dedicated to providing compassion driven services to survivors who have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime. Her passion for serving urban marginalized communities began as a case manager working for Children’s System of Care (CSOC)- Department of Children & Family (DCF). Throughout her years, Rocio has gained clinical and leadership experience in non-profit sectors, private entities, and hospital settings. Currently she provides therapeutic services at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Rocio’s professional journey has provided a unique lens into understanding the importance of implementing culturally responsive and inclusive approaches necessary for helping survivors of sexual violence.
She is an active member of the Latino Psychological Association of NJ, American Counseling Association, and Association of Play Therapy. She joined the NJCASA Board membership because she believes in its mission and wants to make a positive impact on a larger scale for the communities and sexual violence programs they serve.
Ronald Tassello
Ron has over 40 years’ experience in private and public accounting and has worked for private and public companies serving as their Chief Financial Officer in diverse industries.
He is also the founder of Ronald Tassello, Consulting LLC, which is focused on small and medium sized businesses and provides accounting and business consulting in areas including financial reporting, cash management, strategic planning, and budgeting.
Ron currently serves as a board member and financial advisor for nonprofit organizations and a publicly held company. The nonprofit organizations serve veterans and first responders, cancer patients, and transition-age youth and adults with disabilities.
Ron earned a B.B.A in Accounting and Taxation from Pace University. He is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and lives in Ocean City, NJ with his wife and has two daughters.
Ron is honored to serve on the Board of Trustees and playing an active part in ending sexual assault. Eradicating sexual violence is worth fighting for. He is a strong supporter of NJCASA’s mission and its goal to create a community free of sexual violence.
Dr. Jordan Yakoby
Dr. Jordan Yakoby is a university professor, nurse practitioner, and businessman. In addition to his work with NJCASA, he is the Director of Undergraduate Nursing at College of Mount Saint Vincent in Bronx, NY and President and CEO of Neurology Care Associates of the Mid-Atlantic. In terms of his clinical background, he is an acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP) with doctoral and post-graduate fellowship training in neuroscience – particularly neurocritical care – as well as holding degrees in business, education, and nursing. He remains clinically active in the Neuro ICU. He is active in research and scholarship pertaining to neurology, critical care medicine, and health disparities.
Dr. Yakoby also serves on the Board of Trustees of Neurocritical Care Foundation, the Board of Directors of Chicago Collegiate Public School and serves as a panel member of the New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs Surrogate Decision Making Committee, a quasi-judicial body with jurisdiction in determining matters of surrogacy and competency for more than 1,000,000 people presently or previously residing in or participating in programs of certain government agencies.
Dr. Yakoby’s background in healthcare, education, and public service inform his participation with NJCASA and his view that it is of utmost importance to contribute to societal action against all forms of violence, but especially sexual violence and victimization. A recent professional venture is the opening of a university-sponsored health center with plans to expand to a publicly facing health center for underserved residents of the Bronx with primary care, dental, pediatric, and mental health services.
Dr. Yakoby is a peer reviewer for several journals, including Journal of Emergency Medicine and Geriatric Nursing. He is a member of Neurocritical Care Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Nurses Association, and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. He is thrilled to join NJCASA because his personal mission to advance the physical, spiritual, and psychological wellbeing and integrity of others dovetails with the mission and vision of NJCASA.
Nicole Bearce
Nicole Bearce has been a committed board trustee for NJCASA since January 2009. Over the course of her tenure, Nicole has served on the Executive Committee as Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. Nicole is dedicated to NJCASA’s mission not only as a trustee, but also as a mom, as an advocate, and as a survivor.
Nicole has been a practicing attorney for more than 24 years, and her activism in elevating marginalized voices initially gained momentum when she was a law student at Harvard Law School in the mid-1990s, working alongside survivors of domestic violence in seeking restraining orders and family law protections, as well as child witnesses involved in sex offense prosecutions. She graduated from HLS in 1997, with honors, and also received her B.A. summa cum laude, with a double major in History and Political Science, from Drew University.
In her professional life, Nicole is a strategic and thoughtful leader, litigator, and advisor with demonstrated capabilities shaped in multidivisional, mission-driven companies. Currently, she is Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Global Head of Litigation for Conduent, a publicly-traded and industry-leading diversified business process services and solutions company that manages essential operations for businesses and governments in at least 24 countries. Nicole is also gratified to serve as an inaugural member of Conduent’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Council and as the Executive Sponsor for the company’s worldwide Women’s Impact Network.
Among several honors, Nicole has been recognized by the National Association of Professional Women for her leadership in law, as well as the YWCA’s Tribute to Women and Industry for significant contributions and demonstrated excellence in her field and commitment to community.
