RUTHERFORD, NJ – Felician University announces four new members of the Board of Trustees. John Bitar, Esq., Dr. Melissa Cepeda ‘15, Dr. Charles Flynn, Jr. and Mark Sparta, FACHE were welcomed to the Board at the October 17 meeting held at the Renaissance Hotel in Rutherford, NJ.

John Bitar, Esq., is a partner at Windels, Marx., Lane & Mittendorf. His practice includes Corporate & Securities, Financial Transactions, Public Finance & Not-for-Profit, Health Law, Infrastructure Development & Finance, and COVID-19 Response & Resources. Mr. Bitar attained his BA in English from Bates College and his JD from Rutgers University, School of Law in Newark.

Dr. Melissa Cepeda ‘15, is a Senior Specialist of Medical Risk Management at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. In 2020, she helped launch and manage a COVID-19 hotline for New Jersey and New York with the NJ Poison Control Center. A Felician University alumna, Ms. Cepeda earned her BS in Biology and went on to earn her Doctor of Pharmacy at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is a currently pursuing her MBA of Pharmaceutical Management.

Dr. Charles Flynn Jr. is President Emeritus of the College of Mount Saint Vincent where he served as president for 21 years. He is the author of White Land, Black Labor: Caste and Class in Late Nineteenth Century Georgia and co-editor of Race, Class, and Politics in Southern History, which won an Outstanding Book on Human Rights by the Gustavus Myers Center. He has also authored numerous scholarly articles on related subjects. Dr. Flynn earned is BA in History from Hamilton College, and his MA and PhD in History from Duke University. He is also a graduate of the Institute on Educational Management at Harvard University.

Mark D. Sparta, FACHE, is President and Chief Hospital Executive of Hackensack University Medical Center and President of Hackensack Meridian Health’s Northern Region. Mr. Sparta joined Hackensack University Medical Center in 1988, and over the years has served in numerous capacities including Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Operations Officer for the flagship hospital of Hackensack Meridian Health. As President, Northern Region, Mr. Sparta manages Hackensack Meridian Health’s joint venture relationships with Mountainside Medical Center, Pascack Valley Medical Center, Palisades Medical Center, and the St. Joseph’s Health partnership and oversees development of ambulatory continuum. He attained his BS of Physical Therapy from Ithaca College and earned his MPA in Health Policy and Management from Seton Hall University.

Jim D’Agostino, Chairman of the Board remarked, “We are honored to have four such prestigious new Trustees. They have committed themselves to the mission of Felician University and we look forward to working together in support of the University’s continuing work of graduating the highly-skilled, ethical industry leaders of the future.”

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About Felician University

Felician University inspires and engages more than 2,100 undergraduate, graduate, and adult education students through programs in the Schools of Arts & Sciences, Business & Information Sciences, Nursing, and Education. Over the past five years, Felician University has ranked 3rd among private institutions in New Jersey for best value according to payscale.com and #1 Safest College Campus in New Jersey according to niche.com. The Master of Science in Nursing program is ranked one of the best online graduate nursing programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Felician University was designated as a Military Friendly School (Gold Status) for the ninth year recognizing its strong support for Veteran students.  The university is recognized for its diversity as an HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) and MSI (Minority Serving Institution), having underrepresented students comprise more than half of the student population. With campuses in Rutherford and Lodi, New Jersey, the Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. For more information, please visit https://felician.edu.