MICHELE QUIROLO '79

President and Chief Executive Officer 

Visiting Nurse Service of the Hudson Valley 

Michele Quirolo was already a working Registered Nurse when she began attending Mercy College, but she wanted something slightly different, she just didn't know what. She decided to pursue a degree in Behavioral Sciences, a course of study she believed would complement her clinical background and assist in her bedside work.

Quirolo earned that degree in 1979, graduating magna cum laude, but it wasn't until she accompanied one of her classmates on her daily rounds for the Visiting Nurse Service of New York that it became clear to her which career path she should take. Quirolo immediately decided a bachelor's of science in Nursing was essential if she was to advance in her field and become a public health nurse. It was important to her to attend classes with other Registered Nurses - people who shared some of her experiences. So she found a program that enabled her to do that - right at Mercy College She earned her bachelor's from Mercy in 1982, again graduating magna cum laude, and soon took her first job with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York.

Quirolo moved through the ranks of various home care agencies, and in 1994 was named president and chief executive officer of the Visiting Nurse Association of Hudson Valley. She is responsible for the overall management, budget, operations and general affairs of the organization - which is comprised of a Certified Home Health Agency, a Certified Hospice and a Private Duty Agency.

In addition to her two bachelor degrees, Quirolo earned a master's of science degree in Nursing Administration/Community Health from Pace University in 1987. 

She is an active member of the Home Care Association of New York State, serving on its board of directors since 1995, and its executive committee since 1998. She sits on the board of directors of the National Association for Home Care, an organization of which she has been a member since 1994. She has served on the board of directors of the Women's Health Network since 1996 and was elected its vice president in 1999. She is involved with a host of other organizations, and sits on Mercy College's Professional Nursing Advisory Board.