St. Joseph’s Health names interim dean for College of Nursing

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — St. Joseph’s Health has named Susan Berger interim dean of the St. Joseph’s College of Nursing.

Berger has served on the governing board for the College of Nursing for the past seven years and as the board chair since January, per a Monday news release from St. Joseph’s. Her first nursing job when she moved to Syracuse 40 years ago was in the St. Joseph’s intensive-care unit.

Prior to this appointment, Berger most recently served for 29 years as director of health services at Cazenovia College, including 15 as executive VP and COO.

Marianne Markowitz was dean of the St. Joseph’s College of Nursing before retiring in December, Kelly Quinn, public relations and network communications manager at St. Joseph’s Health, tells CNYBJ in an email. AnneMarie Walker-Czyz, who is now the president and CEO of Rome Health, served as the acting dean for the College of Nursing following Markowitz’s departure, Quinn adds.

As the new interim dean of St. Joseph’s College of Nursing, Berger will handle the daily management of the college; focus on faculty development, curriculum, and shared governance design; and assist with the search for a more permanent dean.

“Dr. Berger brings with her a wealth of management experience in higher education,” Leslie Paul Luke, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health, said in the release. “We are confident that she will provide outstanding leadership and counsel to faculty, staff, and students, while we continue the search for a more permanent dean.”

Berger is a registered nurse and nurse practitioner. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Syracuse University. Berger also earned her doctorate in education — with a concentration in higher education leadership — from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California.