We are proud to announce a new era of leadership at the Rutgers School of Nursing’s François-Xavier Bagnoud Center (FXB Center) with the appointment of our new Executive Director, Jamie Steiger, MPH, MBA, and Deputy Director, Joanne Simone, MS, RN, CPNP-PC. Both leaders bring decades of combined experience within the Rutgers School of Nursing, ensuring a seamless transition and a reinforced commitment to health equity for children, families, and communities with the greatest need in New Jersey and nationally.
Jamie and Joanne held interim roles as executive director and deputy director, respectively, since October 1, 2025, when the FXB Center’s previous Executive Director, Dr. Andrea Norberg, retired after 22 years with the center.
Jamie has worked at the FXB Center for over 20 years and brings an unparalleled depth of institutional knowledge, financial stewardship, and strategic vision to this leadership role. Since 2013, she served as the Director of Administration & Finance, managing the operations and budget for the $35 million grant-funded center. Her leadership has been instrumental in:
- Operational Excellence: Conducting center-wide assessments that streamlined human resources, procurement, and marketing, while implementing change management initiatives that significantly improved administrative systems.
- Public Health Advocacy: Serving as the Principal Investigator for the state-funded Ending HIV Epidemic Awareness Campaigns (EtE) project, further solidifying the center’s role in delivering targeted prevention and education to at-risk communities.
- Leadership & Mentorship: Advising executive leadership on sustainability and growth while coaching senior leaders in team and grants management.
As interim executive director, Jamie led the successful launch of a high-profile EtE digital campaign to raise awareness of routine HIV testing and served as a champion for HIV-related funding during AIDSWatch 2026, directly engaging representatives and policymakers about the work of the FXB Center and the federal programs that fund it.
Joanne, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner, holds an MS and BS in Nursing from Columbia University School of Nursing. She joined the FXB Center in 2012 as an education specialist, with clinical and educational expertise and commitment to public health equity. In her tenure as education specialist and subsequently principal investigator of several grants, she has been central to the FXB Center’s operational success, managing portfolios that include:
- Harm Reduction Health & HIV Education and Training Grants: Leading regional and statewide efforts to provide technical assistance and capacity building for healthcare professionals providing care to people with or affected by HIV and/or substance use disorders. This includes developing training programs and resources, clinical protocols, orientation curricula, and program evaluation tools to maximize public health impact.
- Maternal & Child Health Advocacy: Coordinating Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) activities for HIV and Congenital Syphilis, Joanne’s leadership has been instrumental in developing a statewide network of partners to implement strategic health systems interventions.
- Executive & Fiscal Oversight: Providing dedicated fiscal management of project budgets and ensuring the seamless delivery of grant requirements. As a member of the FXB Executive Leadership team, Joanne plays a key role in shaping the center’s strategic priorities and long-term vision.
As interim deputy director, Joanne is leading efforts to expand FXB Center’s Harm Reduction Health technical assistance and capacity-building infrastructure to deliver coordinated, interdisciplinary support to mental health clinicians and low-threshold buprenorphine providers working in harm reduction settings statewide.
It has been 12 years since the FXB Center had a deputy director. Joanne joined the FXB Center to lead the Implementing a National Framework to Eliminate Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission in the U.S. initiative. Operating under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she managed this work under the direct mentorship of FXB Center’s inaugural Deputy Director, Dr. Carolyn Burr, who held this title from 2011 date until her retirement in 2014.
Jamie and Joanne combine deep institutional knowledge and educational excellence to enhance the FXB Center’s impact. With expertise spanning fiscal management, mission-driven leadership, and health equity, together they are positioned to advance the center’s role as a leader in healthcare, education, and research.
Join us in celebrating this exciting new chapter of leadership for the FXB Center!