Dr. Jessica Varghese is the director of the RN to BS program and an assistant professor of nursing at New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, New York. She has been a registered nurse for over twenty years. In 2017, she completed her PhD degree in nursing from State University at Buffalo, NY, with a dissertation topic on work engagement in managed care nurses. She is the chair of the ANA-NY Legislation Committee as well as the chair of the New York League for Nursing's Public Relations Committee. She is a member of the AAACN Legislation Committee and the inaugural AAACN Research Committee. She conducted a political self-assessment research study with participants at the legislative session of the AAACN 2022 conference. Her research interests include political advocacy, health policy and diversity, and equity, inclusion, and belonging.