It is a well deserved reward for her 22 years of service at Woodhull Medical Center. Ms. Simmons began her nursing career after graduating with a BSN from Columbia University. She started as a psychiatric nurse at Brooklyn State Hospital and her professional career has taken her into services as an Operating Room Nurse, a Public Health Nurse, Head nurse of Pediatrics Educator in Staff Development, Supervisor of Nurses, to her present position in Nurse Recruitment and Retention.

She is able to network and liaison with people at all levels and in all positions due to her exuberant personality. As a result, she has been involved in many community-oriented services. Ms. Simmons has served on the Community Advisory Board, has been a PTA president, and has planned and created a Senior Citizen’s Center with “Meals on Wheels.”

One of her greatest strengths is problem solving. Her greatest accomplishments (in which she is most proud of) to date is the revitalizing the DOT services within the TB clinic. As a result of her planning, the census increased by 82%. Recently, Ms. Simmons recruited and successfully hired 84 nurses for the North Brooklyn Health Network – yet another great accomplishment within the last year.

Ms. Simmons is well loved and respected by all. She loves to dance and sing, having performed at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. An adept sculptor, there isn’t much Ms. Simmons cannot achieve. She can often be heard saying, “I set goals for myself each month and I expect to achieve them.”

This year Mary Simmons, you have outdone yourself! Congratulations!