About Us

Sol Angélica Muñiz, MSN, RN, RPT

Sol Angélica Muñiz holds master’s degrees in Emergency and Trauma Nursing and Critical Care Nursing from EDP University of Puerto Rico, Inc. She also has graduate education in Global Public Health, focusing on nurse attrition and post-disaster suicide prevention. Sol Angélica is an experienced trauma nurse, having worked at Level-I and Level-II trauma centers. About a year ago, Ms. Muñiz was commissioned as a Nurse Corps Officer of the US Army Reserve as an Emergency Room – Trauma Nurse.

Her background involves working with acutely ill patients in different settings and roles. She educates nurses from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia regarding the trauma nurse role and trauma systems development. Ms. Muñiz has volunteered in medical and surgical missions and continues to lecture regarding nurse empowerment, trauma injury, nurse burnout, and more.

During her spare time, Ms. Muñiz mentors novice and experienced nurses. Currently, Sol is NAHN NJ Chapter President and Sigma’s Alpha Tau Chapter Secretary. Her volunteerism extends as an active member of various nursing associations throughout the United States and Central and South America.

She actively volunteers to help decrease disparities among Hispanics in the US and her native Puerto Rico while creating awareness regarding public health and global public health concerns.

Sol Angélica Muñiz’s active global network includes nurses from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Mexico, Uruaguay, Argentina, El Salvador, Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania. Her goal is to provide a gateway for trauma nursing education in low-income countries.

Carmen Cruz-Torres – MSN, MHS, RN, CNE

I was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico and have resided in New Jersey since the age of 5 years old. I have over 30 plus years nursing experience four years as a licensed practical nurse and twenty-seven years as a registered nurse in the state of New Jersey in many diverse nursing roles. I have two Master’s degrees one in Nursing with an education focus from William Paterson University and the other in Health Science from New Jersey City University. I am currently enrolled at Seton Hall University pursuing PhD in Nursing research. My passion is teaching Maternal Child Health at an ADN program in Northern New Jersey. I keep up with my clinical skills working as a staff ambulatory care nurse at a hospital-based OB/GYN clinic in Paterson, NJ. I am a Certified Nurse Educator and a Certified Ambulatory Care Nurse. I enjoy giving back to the Latino community through my participation In NAHN New Jersey through their community events and serve on their board as the current president-elect for 2024.

Roberto Molina Bon

Is a second-degree nurse with a background in Business Management and Marketing, who is currently working at an intermediate care unit at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Roberto serves as co-chair of the Shared Governance Unit council. Also, he participates as a panelist in the “Embark together” program, a set of welcome and orientation sessions for new employees.

Outside of work, he serves on the Board of Directors as Chair of Social Media in the New York chapter, and as Interim Treasurer in the New Jersey Chapter. Recently, he was selected in the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s 2023 Brain Health Equity Nurse Fellowship class.

Debora La Torre – DNP, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC

Debora La Torre, DNP, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC was born in Lima, Peru. She came to Northern New Jersey at a young age, where she currently resides with her daughter. She currently serves on the board of directors for NAHN on a national level and has held several positions such as NAHN New Jersey chapter president, local board member, and secretary. Ms. La Torre has participated in various community health education projects focused on improving Latino health literacy throughout New Jersey, especially during the pandemic.

She is a US Army Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom IV and currently serves as a US Army Reserve Family Nurse Practitioner at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, New York. With over 17 years of military service, she has held various positions from Combat Medic, Battalion Aid Station Assistant NCOIC, MedSurg RN, Credentialing Officer, Trauma RN, Company Commander, Executive Officer, and Medical Readiness Officer for nearly 120 Army Reserve Soldiers in the Tri-State Area.

As a Family Nurse Practitioner, she practices in Northern New Jersey in an Urgent Care setting and has over 11 years of nursing experience, in Allergy and Immunology, MedSurg, Post Anesthesia, Emergency, and Trauma. Ms. La Torre is a proud member of the Emergency Nurses Association, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Sigma Theta Tau International, and the Army Nurse Corps Association.

During this time, Ms. La Torre has helped mentor various healthcare professionals in nursing, military medicine, and leadership throughout the US and Peru. She will be graduating from Johns Hopkins University’s DNP Executive Program (Spring ‘22), whereupon completion, hopes to continue to educate Latino communities regarding their healthcare and advocate for improvements in health care policy at the federal level.

The Secretary shall:

(a) certify and keep, or cause to be kept, at the principal office of the local chapter the original or a copy of the Articles of Incorporation and these Bylaws, as amended, to date;

(b) keep, or cause to be kept, at the principal office of the local chapter or at such other place as the Board of Directors may order, a book of minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors, any committees having any of the authority of the Board of Directors, and the Members, recording therein the time and place of holding, whether annual, regular, or special, how notice of the meeting was given, the names of those present at the meetings, and the proceedings thereof;

(c) be custodian of the records of the local chapter and see that all documents of the local chapter, the execution of which on behalf of the local chapter is authorized by law or by these Bylaws, are properly and duly executed;

(d) exhibit at all reasonable times to any director, or proper designee, upon request, the Bylaws and the minutes of the proceedings of the Board of Directors and the committees of the local chapter; and,

(e) perform any and all duties incident to the office of Secretary and other duties as may be required by law, by the Articles of Incorporation, or by these Bylaws, or which may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

Elsie A. Rivera – DNP, APN, FNP-C

Dr. Elsie Rivera is a board-certified advanced practice nurse with over 30 years in the nursing field. Currently, she specializes in dermatology, with a primary focus on the prevention and increasing awareness of skin cancers in skin of color. She began her nursing career in Pediatrics in 1991. She was also the first in her family to attend college.

Determined to improve health disparities in under-served communities, she is involved in outreach programs to help young students have the tools needed to attend school. She is also a preceptor and mentor to nursing students seeking advanced degrees.

She is a proud graduate of Rutgers University having received her baccalaureate, master and doctorate degrees from the School of Nursing.

In addition, she currently is a member of several organizations:

• New Jersey State Nurses Association Region 3, Vice President of Communications
• Sigma Theta Tau
• American Academy of Nurse Practitioners

Barbara K. Amaya

Barbara K. Amaya is a first generation Hispanic American that was born and raised in Passaic, NJ. Barbara served abroad in the US Peace Corps (2009 – 2012); worked on public health projects in a rural community in the Andes mountains of Peru. During her volunteer service in Peru, her passion for healthcare and interest in addressing health disparities led her to a career in nursing. Barbara completed her second bachelor’s degree in nursing and graduated magna cum laude from New Jersey City University.

She has worked in a trauma/ER setting at multiple hospitals throughout New Jersey and is also currently working in a pediatric ambulatory setting. Barbara is presently enrolled in the Family Nurse Practitioner in Emergency Care DNP program at Rutgers University with an interest in improving healthcare accessibility for underserved communities.

EDUCATION & MENTORSHIP CHAIR

Focuses on scholarship opportunities, educational resources and/or opportunities as well as seeking coordinating mentorship amongst members. Directors must be General Members in good standing of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses. Directors shall be committed to supporting and advancing the mission and purposes of NAHN. Please refer to Role Description PDF for more information about vacancy.

Joselyn Arias – BSN, RN

Joselyn received her ADN at Hudson County Community College, where she received the National League of Nursing Leadership Award for her time as president of the Nursing Club. Immediately after graduation, Joselyn started working at Trinitas Regional Medical Center as an Oncology/Med-Surg nurse, where she also received her Chemotherapy Certification. Simultaneously, she started classes for her BSN at New Jersey City University and graduated in December of 2020.

In the spring of 2021, Joselyn found her calling as she began working in ICU. She currently works at Bayonne Medical Center as a Critical Care Nurse and is currently studying for her CCRN certification. Joselyn also holds certifications for Neuromodulators and Dermal Fillers. In her spare time, she is part of the Board of Directors for NAHN NJ as their Social Media Chair. Joselyn has a passion for helping Latino communities and helping nursing students succeed through NAHN NJ.