2024 Officer Election Candidates

Carmen Camelio, MICU

I’m Carmen Camelio a 20 yr nurse at RGH, I currently work in MICU, but before that I was a Corp. Float for many years.  My time in the float pool gave me an insight into most of the units/areas of the hospital and experienced RGH at its best and worst.

I’m very fond of RGH and the people who work here and want to be apart of rebuilding our hospital to a place where people want to work and our community receives the highest excellence of care. Which is  what brought me to RUNAP.

When I organized the first meeting with likeminded nurses in our campaign to unionize RGH it was with a vision of empowerment for our staff and patients. We wanted to make sure everyone had a voice and could speak up without fear.  We wanted to return to a collaborative governance structure that returned the focus to quality patient care and a supportive work environment where we felt like a family.  We wanted to force upper management to invest in the bedside and not the C suite.

As president I will work to see that vision through.  RUNAP was formed to be a member driven organization and as president I will faithfully execute the will of our membership.  Because it is our members who know best what is needed in their perspective areas.  If we’ve learned anything over the last 15 years, it’s that the fewer people involved in decision making, the worse the decisions.  I will also work diligently to grow our union and increase our power and leverage.  And I will not back down from agitational action when the membership decides to fight.  Because when we fight! WE WIN!!

Christa Kendall, MSDU

My name is Christa Kendall.  I have been with RGH for 21yrs and with RUNAP since the beginning.   

I am committed to serving as Vice President of RUNAP with the goal of uplifting those around me and creating a more just, compassionate, and unified workplace. My vision is to foster a culture where every individual finds a sense of purpose and fulfillment through doing what is right and standing strong together.   I aim to support, advocate for, and ensure that all voices are heard and that every need is met.  In this role, I will help shape the direction of the organization by influencing key decisions and policies that drive positive change in the workplace.   My focus will be on empowering others to navigate challenges and ensuring that we maintain a fair and equitable environment.  Our achievements have been a testament to our hard work and dedication.   As Vice President, I am committed to upholding the principles of justice, equity, inclusion, and continuing our collective fight for these values.

We are STRONGER TOGETHER, RUNAP STRONG and remember always stay Blessed

Gillian Kingsley, L&D

My name is Gillian Kingsley, I graduated from St. John Fisher in 2011 and started working as a cardiac nurse at Newark Wayne Community hospital. In December of 2012 I transferred to Labor and Delivery at RGH where I stayed until 2017 when I took an 11 month break to do travel nursing and returned in 2018. Being a nurse is my passion and I cannot imagine any other job. I am a self-proclaimed labor nerd. When I learned nurses were organizing to start a union I joined the cause instead of standing by as I watched leadership destroy our unit.  Our unit council wrote a letter to hospital leadership begging for help and it was signed by every nurse on my unit and still nothing changed. During a Daisy award presentation I listened to our CNO go on and on about nurses taking care of nurses and that’s really when it clicked for me. Nurses can only count on each other to look out for and take care of each other. As the current RUNAP Secretary, I am committed to advocating for our nurses and our patients. My vision for RUNAP is to be a strong group of nurses who are committed to bettering the culture of nursing at RGH. I want nurses to feel safe sending their loved ones to our hospital. I want nursing students to dream of working on our units and learning from smart, experienced nurses who are invested in our community. Rochester is my community, this is where I went to high school and college and where I have formed a network of individuals who are committed to improving Rochester as a whole. I bring my network and my passion for improving care for our family members to this position.

Meg Murphy, MSDU

I have worked at RGH since 2010.  I was a Patient Care Tech for 2 years and have been a Registered Nurse for 12;  I currently work on the Medical Step Down Unit. I am one of the unit representatives for the MSDU and RUNAP and I sit on the Staffing Committee.  Being an active member and participating in RUNAP positions and committees brings me so much joy!  I have made new friends all over the hospital and I feel a strong sense of community and solidatiry since we started RUNAP.

My vision for RUNAP is that it is a safe space for members and that together we represent our nurses  in order to influence policies that effect our profession and make it safer for our patients.  I want to be the treasurer of RUNAP because I am passionate about advocating for the rights and well-being of my fellow nurses. Through this position, I aim to ensure transparency and accountability in our financial practices so we can effectively support our members. I want to help manage RUNAPs finances prudently so we can invest in initiatives like education and attending conferences, growing the size of our union, improving our working conditions. I am committed to fostering a collaborative environment where every nurse feels valued, and I see the role as an opportunity to contribute to the strength and unity of our union. My strong organizational skills and dedication to our union and profession equip me to handle the responsibilities of treasurer with integrity and accountability.

Phoebe Sheehan, CTICU

My name is Phoebe Sheehan, I am an RN  in the CTICU and ECMO Team for over 3 years where I am currently one of our unit reps, while also taking on the task of representing our CICU as well. I have the privilege of serving as a core member on RUNAPs side of our Labor Management Committee since its inception and gained much of my leadership and communication skills through working alongside our tireless team of fearless nurses throughout the entirety of our year-long negotiation phase that ultimately won us our very first contract. As someone who dreaded public speaking my entire life, I spoke to the large crowds and news outlets to advocate for safe staffing, increased and equitable wages, and a seat at the table with our administrators at both our informational picket and our strike line because ever since I set foot in RGH, I have believed that our nurses, our patients, and our community deserved to heal together.

My vision for RUNAP’s future that I would hope to help accomplish in the elected position of treasurer is to grow our union in both strength and size. I believe that this can be done through listening to the needs of our members and always being an advocate for our best interests, and the best interests of the patients we serve. As we continue to build a solid foundation for RUNAP, as treasurer, I would like to play a pivotal role in growing our visibility by continuing to establish relationships with other local unions and local businesses because we are the faces of the hospital that truly serves the Rochester community. I commit to being a transparent and diligent treasurer to ensure that our members always get out more than they put in.  It would be an honor to serve as RUNAPs treasurer, and I hope I have earned your trust enough to grow and learn into a new position of greater responsibility and I will always strive to be a strong voice and representative of member needs while fulfilling my duties.

Brendan Keegan, MSDU

Hi, I’m Brendan Keegan, an RN on the MSDU for the past 2 years. I’m probably best know for being a laid back guy, a lover of puns and telling Chip Davis that he needs to simmer on the idea of RUNAP because it can help attract nurses to RGH.

I fully believe with a robust union, we can attract and retain the highest quality nurses to RGH. Eventually we will be able to bring other disciples and other RRH locations into our union to further strengthen the position of labor. Collectively, we will continue to build upon our current contract to improve our workplace environment. A single voice can only reach the top of the trees, but a chorus of voices can reach the peak of a mountain.

Jenny Gough, Sands 600

Hello! My name is Jenny Gough and I’ve been nurse at Rochester General Hospital for almost 8 years, first on 5500 and now on Sands 600. I’m an MCC graduate, and I live in Rochester with my husband and our two young sons. Two years ago, I chose to fight for our union, because I thought we deserved better – better for our patients and better for ourselves. I’m proud to have been a part of how far we’ve come, and I’m excited and eager to continue this important work. As your board member, I will focus on education of new hires, ensuring they have the information and tools they need to become active, engaged union members. I will also work to hold the hospital accountable to the staffing grids outlined in our contract, as I know that appropriate staffing is the best way to ensure patient safety and avoid the moral injury so many of us continue to face on a daily basis. I will be a strong, vocal advocate for continued change and improvement, because when we fight we win! Thank you so much for your consideration.