Spotlighting Women Making a Difference in Health Care: Jacqueline Cassagnol ’09, M.S. ’10, P.M.C ’11

Jacqueline Cassagnol Headshot

Mercy College triple alumna Jacqueline Cassagnol ’09, M.S. ’10, P.M.C ’11 is the founder and president of Worldwide Community First Responder (WCFR), Inc., a non-profit organization that has trained more than 400,000 community members to provide health education, first aid and disaster-preparedness training.

Cassagnol is an accomplished nursing administrator, educator and professor, and was motivated to start WCFR after her experience preparing for and assisting victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Her three Mercy College degrees – a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, a Master of Science Degree in Nursing Administration, and a Post-Master’s Degree Certificate in Nursing Education – set her up for success in leading teams in public health crises and caring for victims of global disasters. She is furthering her education as a current Ph.D. nursing candidate at Pace University.

Cassagnol’s extensive leadership in the community can be seen through her positions as founding member and past vice-president of the Greater Nanuet Chamber of Commerce, member of the Rockland Community Emergency Responsive Team (CERT), member of Leadership Rockland (LR), member of Haitian American Nurses Association (HANA), member of a Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Honor Society of Nursing member, and member of the Chi Eta Phi Sorority. Additionally, she was elected Nanuet Patch Mayor in August 2018.

A regular at local, national and international nursing conferences, Cassagnol has presented about WCFR’s efforts in partnering with other non-profit organizations to improve global health outcomes. In addition, she has presented at International Research Congress Conferences in China, South Africa, and Ireland regarding health education and disaster preparedness projects that she initiated through WCFR in the United States and Haiti.

Mercy College was proud to honor Cassagnol at its 2022 Alumni of Distinction Awards event, which celebrates Mercy alumni for their contributions to the community and their dedication to strengthening the College’s programs.

To learn more about Cassagnol’s accomplishments, read her full biography here.