December 12, 2025 — In 1998 under the administration of former PEF President Roger Benson, PEF established the Nurse Organizer position, a full-time staff position responsible for organizing and empowering PEF nurses. Today, that position is called the Nurse Coordinator. Nora Higgins is currently doing the job but will be retiring by the end of the year and PEF is now seeking someone to fill the position as she looks ahead to her retirement.
“Nora has done incredible work,” said Region 1 Coordinator and Statewide Nurses Committee Co-Chair Vincent Cicatello. “She has instilled a lot of integrity in nurses and has helped us to confidently carry out the duties required by the Statewide Nurses Committee. She has taught us how to be supportive of our nurses and given us tools and strategies to bring our concerns to management across all our facilities.”
Cicatello believes that the nurse coordinator ensures that PEF nurses are heard and represented. The position helps to align the goals for the approximately 11,000 members of PEF who are nurses or work in a healthcare-related title.
Higgins played a key role this year in modernizing a common form used by nurses, called a Protest of Assignment or POA. POAs help nurses protect their license by putting them on the record when they’ve been asked to do something out-of-title or unsafe.
“We have been educating people about how to properly fill out a POA form digitally and how to give notice so that they can effectively protect themselves while still providing services,” said Higgins.
Higgins says her successor should expect to work with PEF’s other healthcare titles as well and should genuinely love to travel, as the work will take them all across New York State.
Debbie Egel is the Interim Regional Director of Field Services for PEF Regions 10-12. She is also a nurse attorney and has been working closely with Higgins and the Statewide Nurses Committee. Egel agrees with Higgins’ assessment of the ideal candidate and says the next nurse coordinator has big shoes to fill.
“This is a position that helps steer one-fifth of the membership. It is a big job that requires knowledge of nursing and knowledge about unions,” said Egel. “There is a lot to navigate, there are a lot of people to meet, but it is an exciting and challenging position. This is the ideal job for someone who wants a challenge. Nora was instrumental in setting up the POA database, she is very good at noticing and analyzing trends, and can respond to criticism from fellow nurses. I look forward to making sure the next coordinator can pick up where she leaves off.”
According to Egel, the next coordinator must be a nurse and should have something in their background that shows they can work with a union. Egel also said a diverse nursing background would be beneficial, as the PEF nurse coordinator will help navigate issues that affect PEF healthcare professionals across agencies.
Over the years, Higgins became an important part of Labor-Management meetings with the Office of Mental Health (OMH), Article 44 (Joint Committee on Nursing and Institutional Issues) meetings, and meetings with the New York State Office of Employee Relations (OER). She hopes more healthcare professionals and nurses, with the help of the nurse coordinator, will find their voice and have a better seat at the table.
“Even with this position working on their behalf, nurses and other healthcare professionals sometimes feel underrepresented,” said Higgins. “I have heard this from previous coordinators and from the members. I think we have done a great job in making sure we represent our members, and we fight on a daily basis. I hope that we can continue to do that work and change the way we think about healthcare in the union at the same time.”
Editor’s Note: To apply to any open PEF position, please visit the union’s Careers Page