OPT Visionary - Summer 2014

EARLY YEARS Jeanne DeCaro, the youngest of four children, was born in the Bronx, New York, to parents Sylvia and John Patrick Regan, who were of Irish and Swedish descent. Her early years were spent in the Bronx in Pelham Bay at the end of the Lexington Subway line in an Irish and Italian neigh- borhood, where people sat on their steps in the evenings to catch up with their neighbors. DeCaro has fond memories of her childhood, where she was the fastest runner on the block and the neighborhood kids played stickball in the street. She also enjoyed taking the subway with friends into the city to eat Chinese food and visit her father, who worked as a superintendent in an office building located a block from the Empire State Building. When she was in the 10 th grade, her family moved to New Jersey, but tragedy soon struck when both her parents died—with her father suc- cumbing to colon cancer when she was only 17 and her mother passing away a few years later from cardiac complications related to diphtheria, which she was exposed to as a child in Sweden. During her junior year of high school, however, love would appear in her life when she met her husband, Art DeCaro, who was a senior at the time. She described their instant connection as “love at first sight” and remembers their first date at Poppy’s Pizzeria, which will always hold a special place in her heart. Several years later, the happy couple tied the knot in South Brunswick, New Jersey. FAMILY LIFE AND SECOM After settling in North Brunswick, New Jersey, DeCaro worked in the purchasing department of the Brunswick Corporation. In the ensuing years, son Scott Christopher and daughter Dana Lee were born, adding much joy to the DeCaro family. As a result, DeCaro left her job and de- voted her time to raising her family. In 1976, the DeCaro family relocated to South Florida, eventually set- tling in North Miami Beach. In 1979, she gave birth to son Adam Regan, but when Adam started kindergarten, DeCaro felt an urge to return to work and took notice of a fairly new medical school called Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine (SECOM), which was located near her home in North Miami Beach. In 1985, DeCaro began her nearly 30-year career with what would eventually become Nova Southeastern University when she accepted a job in SECOM’s Registrar’s Office. NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY From 1985 through 1995, DeCaro worked at the North Miami Beach campus, where she served the needs of the medical, pharmacy, and op- tometry students at what was then known as Southeastern University of the Health Sciences. Because it was a new university, she loved the family atmosphere that came from working with a small, tightknit staff. A frequent visitor to DeCaro’s office was Morton Terry, D.O., the founder of Southeastern University of the Health Sciences, who would tell her to quit smoking on a regular basis. In 1995, after Southeastern University merged with Nova University, DeCaro began working at the newly named Nova Southeastern Univer- sity campus in Davie. When she arrived for her first day of work at the Davie campus, De- Caro was greeted by several ad- ministrators because they had just received a call that De- Caro’s husband had suf- fered a heart attack. The news may have been devastating, but she will never forget her col- leagues’ kind concern for her husband. Her new NSU role was very similar to her former position, although she now worked with all the Health Professions Division colleges in terms of entering student grades and handling various aspects of the student registration process. COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY In 2005, DeCaro joined the College of Optometry and was promoted to her current position as student services coordinator the following year. In this role, DeCaro has earned the students’ trust and affection for the way she lovingly guides them on their NSUCO educational path. Over the years, DeCaro has been honored by many of the classes with Golden Apple Awards and numerous gifts of thanks. Her dedication, warm smile, and contagious laugh are fixtures on the fourth floor of the Terry Building. FUTURE PLANS DeCaro hopes to continue working with NSUCO students until she re- tires while also spending time with her seven grandchildren, who range in age from 2 to 16. Jeanne DeCaro – Coordinator of Student Services By Fran Franconeri, Recruitment and Student Affairs, and Michael Bacigalupi, O.D., M.S., FAAO, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs 1: During the class of 2014’s senior luncheon, DeCaro received the Most Valuable Administrator Golden Apple Award. 2: DeCaro contributes to the fund- raising efforts during the 2013 Nova Challenge Cycle for Sight, which was organized by NSUCO’s SGA. Staff Spotlight 1 2 PAGE 7