Women veterans were honored at the annual YWCA Northern New Jersey’s Operation Sisterhood Women Veterans Appreciation Day dinner and ceremony recently at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Florham Campus in Madison.
ROI-NJ covered this event last week.
Those honored at the dinner were selected for their dedication to service both in and out of the military.
Here is a profile of each of the women recognized at the dinner:
Jessica Harrison is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran of six years; Jessica earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Thomas Edison State College.
The Mullica Hill resident raised her children before re-joining the workforce and today owns South Jersey Business Solutions, a promotions company which provides branded goods and apparel to businesses. Harrison supports causes such as pediatric cancer, animal rescue and veterans initiatives.
Natalie Constance Greene is a retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant and combat veteran of the Persian Gulf War. Greene served more than 22 years in total.
Greene also served in the Pennsylvania Army Reserves, Pennsylvania Army National Guard and the New Jersey Air National Guard without a break in service. Green now works for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Trenton. A disabled veteran, Greene has made it her life’s work to help other disabled veteran get the help they need.
Mary Jo Rice Mahoney comes from a family with a long and proud tradition of military service dating back to the Civil War.
Rice began her 30 years of military service when she joined the Army Student Nurses Program at St. Joseph’s College in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Her service included a year in the Vietnam War and an 18-month tour in Tehran. Overall, Rice served 15 years in active duty and 15 years in the Reserves.
Rhonda Washer is a veteran of the U.S. Army, and the volunteer coordinator of outreach services at Welcome Home Vets of New Jersey.
She is also an executive committee member of the American Legion Post 59 Morristown and serves as its Female Veteran Liaison. Washer focuses on supporting women veterans and helps create a more inclusive and supportive space for all those who served.
Luisa Sanchez joined the New Jersey Army National Guard in 1992 and deployed in 2006 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sanchez retired from the National Guard in 2018 with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer and now works part-time as an outreach specialist in the Veterans Services Division of New Jersey’s Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Sanches served twenty years as a criminal investigator with the New Jersey Department of Criminal Justice.
Christine Martucci hails from a military family. She enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from high school, serving mostly in communications posts.
Inheriting the musical talent that runs in her family, Martucci has released five LPs, headlined the Stone Pony, the Nokia Theater, the House of Blues and the Hard Rock in Times Square. She has been an opening act for the Doobie Brothers and Mountain among others. She had frequently discussed the troubles she suffered while in the military, and she advocates for women who served and now suffer from mental health issues such as PTSD.
Minnie E. Austin currently holds the title of Department Surgeon with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and has served in numerous leadership roles in that organization and also with Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
Austiin has been a lifelong advocate for active-military, veterans and their families and founded the Albert Lawson Veterans and Family Support Center – a first-of-its-kind organization that unites the VFW, the American Legion and DAV under one roof to coordinate care for veterans and their families. Austin is a decorated veteran of Operation Desert Storm and earned two presidential awards for valor. In civilian life, Austin was First Deputy Mayor for Veterans Affairs in Passaic.
Corinne Scarpa has been an EMT for more than 20 years. She has been with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center since the onset of the pandemic in 2019, first as a volunteer, then helping administer COVID testing and vaccines, especially to underserved communities.
Scarpa’s current work in community health focuses on veterans and first responders. She has been instrumental in developing health care programs for these groups and, in 2024, she coordinated the First Responders Mental Health and Wellness Conference for veterans and first responders in the tri-state area.
Dr. Damali Robinson, DNP, CRNA is a decorated U.S. Army veteran and nurse anesthesiologist.
Robinson served in the Army for more than a decade and today continues to serve in the army reserves. Over 16 years, she has worked in key leadership roles, including Chief CRNA at Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point. Robinson brings more than two decades of experience in trauma, emergency and critical care to Hackensack University Medical Center, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and other hospitals in New Jersey and New York.
Kelly Isabella Brown served eight years in the New Jersey Army National Guard.
Brown established Rising Ranks Recovery Outreach as an ongoing way to support veterans and community groups. She is an untiring advocate for servicewomen who have experienced military sexual trauma and domestic violence. She volunteers her time leading peer support groups and working with Warrior Strong and the American Legion.
Ivette Caban enlisted in the U.S. Army at 19 and served for more than 10 years. She was honorably discharged due to a service-related injury.
Caban works for Catholic Charities, helping veterans who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. As part of this effort, she works for New Jersey SOS Veterans Stakeholder Group which is focused on ending veteran homelessness. Caban has done missionary work in Perus, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Columbia and the Dominican Republic.
Nancy Jones began her life of service when she joined the Women Army Corp. Her life exemplifies a deep commitment to community, cultural awareness and diversity.
Jone’s professional career took her to Warner Lambert and to Delta Airlines where she took the lead in bringing African American cultural awareness to both companies. These included celebrations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Black History Month and specific cultural celebrations of food, music and ideas.
