UNION COUNTY, NJ — Kerry Schardien-Ricci marched in the very first Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1997 and joined the Parade Committee in 2005. She has served as recording secretary, vice chairperson and as the 2012 and 2019 parade adjutant and a 2016 general chairwoman. She is currently a trustee. Her family traces their roots to County Laois, Ireland.
Kerry is the daughter of David and Mary Schardien and was raised in Union with her three older siblings – Mary Catherine, Kathleen and Albert. Her husband, Michael, retired as a sergeant from the Hillside Police Department after 25 years of service to his hometown. Kerry and Michael have been married for 18 years and reside in Scotch Plains with their three teenage children – Kyle, Caroline and Megan – and their adorable dog, Finnegan. Following the example of their own parents, Kerry and Michael work hard to instill their Catholic faith and pride in their Irish heritage in their own children.
A Union County girl at heart, Kerry graduated from Holy Spirit School in Union and Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Fairfield University in Connecticut, where she was awarded the William J. Kramer Humanitarian Award. Following graduation, she committed to a year of service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corp in Southern California, providing counseling services in the Orange County Juvenile Detention Centers. She later earned her master’s degree in social work from Rutgers University. She is a licensed social worker and is board certified by the Association of Oncology Social Work.
Kerry is the lead oncology social worker at the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, where she received a Clinical Excellence Award in 2014 and the Friends of Nursing Award in 2025. She provides counseling services to oncology patients and their families and specializes in working with young patients who have children and teenagers. She also facilitates support groups and connects patients with community resources to help them through their cancer journey. Kerry has presented at various conferences throughout the state and conducted webinars to national audiences on various cancer-related topics. Kerry’s career also includes many years working at the Center for Hope Hospice.
For more than three decades, Kerry has been a dedicated volunteer at Camp Fatima of New Jersey, the state’s only all-volunteer one-to-one overnight camp for children with disabilities. After a variety of roles throughout the years, she is currently serving in her fourth year as program director. She has always been an active member of her local community including as a volunteer coach with youth softball, baseball and soccer programs and as a den leader for the local Cub Scouts. She is a parishioner at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Scotch Plains and a member of the Joseph Nugent Sr. Association.
Kerry proudly received Irish Woman of the Year Awards from the John F. Cryan Association, the Union County Daughters of Ireland and the Irish Business Association. She was also awarded the Greta Sheridan Community Service Award from Joseph Nugent Sr. Association.
Being named the 2026 grand marshal of the Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been the honor of a lifetime. As a mom, she is thrilled that the committee strives to be a family-oriented parade, which will help to strengthen our Irish heritage for generations to come.
