APT Instructors

Maribel Diaz has been a trainer for two years and teaches classes in both English and Spanish. She is certified in Prevention and Support, FA/CPR, Article 9, DCW Fundamentals and Developmental Disabilities. She has been working in the field for 5+ years and has personal experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities. She received her Associate’s degree in Applied Science in Physical Therapist Assisting in May 2017. She enjoys being outdoors, hiking, volunteering and learning new things.

Michelle is our trainer in Show Low. She has lived in the White Mountains her entire life. She has been a District Director and worked for DDD (Division of Developmental Disabilities). As for training,she has been teaching for the past 17 years including Article 9, CPR/FA, Prevention and Support, Med Administration, Incident Reporting, and more. She loves spending time outside with her grandchildren.

Originally from Chicago Illinois, Joanna Kallevig graduated from Oklahoma City University with a BFA in Dance Performance. During her college studies she was a member and featured dancer of the “American Spirit Dance Company.” After many years in the entertainment industry, she became a Hiring Consultant responsible for driving the full lifecycle of comprehensive recruiting consulting services to companies nationwide. For the past five years, Joanna has been a respite and habilitation provider. She is grateful to have expanded her role as a certified instructor teaching classes such as CPR, First Aid, Article 9, Introduction to Autism, and DCW. Together with a team of amazing and talented teachers, she is dedicated to maintaining an environment where providers can continually thrive and grow while giving the best care to our amazing members!

Vanessa Lucey has been a professional trainer for 2 years. She is also an accountant (15 years) and has a degree in business. Vanessa is certified to teach Article 9, DCW, and First Aid/CPR. She is married and has two amazing children ages 19 and 14. Her son has autism. Her son through his journey inspired her to become a trainer to go out there and inspire people to do their best to help individuals in need. She loves being a trainer and a mother to the most inspiring individual since every day is a challenge for him. She hopes she can make a difference in your life through her teaching.

Berenisse is a bilingual trainer for APT. She has been a caregiver for over two years and is studying to be a phlebotomist. Berenisse teaches DCW (all modules), CPR/FA, and Article 9.

Alex is our trainer in Tucson. She has been training for over 5 years and teaches classes in both English and Spanish. Alex is excited to be a part of the APT team!

Dayana is a graduate from Grand Canyon University. She graduated with a Bachelors degree in Biology and hopes to become a physician's assistant. In her free time she enjoys volunteering in the emergency department, hiking, reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Janet retired from a 40 year career in corporate training , customer service and management in 2016. She has experience in Alzheimer's disease patient care. She is passionate about using her experience to teach and help others and is thrilled to be a part of the APT training team!

Annette has been a trainer for 8 years and teaches classes in both Spanish and English. She has been working in the field for about 16+ years. Annette has also Supervised DTS, DTT, DTA, AND HCBS programs. She brings in her knowledge and experience to her classes.

Jennifer has been a habilitation and respite provider since 2009.  She is a registered dietitian and has worked for Maricopa County Department of Public Health as a registered dietician and a community nutrition educator.  Jennifer has a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition-Dietetics from Arizona State University and is currently working on her Master’s degree in Leadership at Grand Canyon University.  Jennifer will be teaching article 9, CPR/FA, DCW, and CEU’s for APT.

Chisom currently works as a respite and attendant care caregiver with a home health agency. She is originally from the Bay Area in California but moved to Arizona in order to pursue a bachelor's of science in nursing at Chamberlain University. Chisom has love for teaching and has around three years of experience with private tutoring as well as experience volunteering for non profit organizations that provide tutoring and homework help to struggling students. She enjoys passing knowledge onto others and believes that she can learn just as much from the student as they can learn from her.  

Sara Ramirez is a Native Tucsonan and a graduate from both the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences, Human and Child Development, with a masters in Educational Leadership.  She has over 10 years experience in working in the education system from elementary, middle and high school.  She will be teaching the English and Spanish classes for the Tucson location.  When she isn’t working, she and her husband are very busy with their 7 year old twins. 

Anna Moraga was born and raised in Tucson and a very proud graduate from the University of Arizona.  She loves working with children.  She has over 5 years experience as an educator in grades 2 thru 12 to which she has worked with children with learning disabilities as well as with children with developmental disabilities.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Spanish.  She will be working for APT at our Tucson location, teaching in both English and Spanish.  She enjoys being outdoors and spending time with her husband and 2 children. 

Dan is an Army Veteran who has spent most of his adult career as a Firefighter Paramedic.  He has worked for private and city fire departments during his career, as well as being a wildland firefighter paramedic.  He has spent 6 years teaching new EMTs and Paramedics at a local community college.  He still currently works in the corporate environment as a training specialist.  Dan is certified to teach CPR/First Aid, ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) and PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) as a Master Trainer and instructs De-escalation programs in the behavioral health environment.

Kellie is certified to train Article 9, CPR/AED/FA, DCW Fundamentals and Developmental Disabilities. She has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for the last 5 years and previously in the mental health field. Kellie has lived in the West Valley for 13 years. She is married, has 4 children, and 3 beautiful granddaughters. In her free time she enjoys movies, spending time with family and friends and playing with her puppies.

Sharon (known to many as Shae) is a Paramedic with over 12 years of experience teaching CPR and First Aid. Shae's background includes many Philanthropic endeavors, including active participation as an advocate for kids born with rare congenital diseases with NORD and other International Organizations. She also owns her own training center in multiple states, teaching lifesaving courses to businesses and their staff.

Cathy is a certified trainer, teacher, and nutrition consultant. ASU is her Alma mater where she earned a BA in Education with an emphasis in Learning and Emotional Disabilities.  During her career she worked in Behavior Heath supporting individuals with nutrition, diagnosis understanding and coping skills. Although she comes with decades of teaching experience in a variety of venues, she feels that her passion to guide, help and encourage others on their journey is her life goal.  Recently her and her family moved to Prescott to enjoy its beautiful surroundings and outdoor lifestyle. Cathy will be a trainer for both the Prescott Center as well as Cottonwood.

Dr. Wieters has more than 15 years of training, leadership development, and organizational change expertise working in a variety of industries. As an I/O Psychologist, Dr. Wieters specializes in diagnosing human behaviors that are creating complexity in our current workplaces. Workplaces come in many varieties, in offices, homes, and on-the-go. Work is happening everywhere, hence, the potential for human interaction, misunderstanding, and conflict is greater now than ever. Dr. Wieters provides a holistic approach to human performance in the workplace, wherever the workplace may be located.

Dr. Derrick Tennial is an educator, entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker. Dr. Tennial has presented throughout the United States on topics such as cultural diversity in education and HIV/AIDS and issues of identity and sexuality. He has published four books and contributed to numerous magazines, blogs, and other books. Dr. Tennial is an esteemed faculty member at Grand Canyon University in the College of Doctoral Studies.

Dr. Bjerke is a seasoned mental health professional who has been working in the field of counseling since 1999. She is a licensed professional counselor whose specialties include crisis and trauma, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, adolescent issues and family concerns. Jennifer is also a professor of counseling and an instructional mentor at Liberty University. Her educational background includes a MA in Community Counseling from Eastern Michigan University and a Ph.D. in Counseling Studies from Capella University.

Dr. Perez holds a M.A. in Special Education and a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Her special education experience includes everything from classroom teacher to School Director. She has designed programs and services for students diagnosed with autism. She has created and implemented educator training programs statewide, which have been reviewed and requested by outside agencies for use in their programs. In addition, Dr. Perez is an adjunct professor at Grand Canyon University.

Kim has over thirty-five years of healthcare experience, as a licensed Registered Nurse in acute care specializing in emergency services and disaster preparedness leadership. She also teaches at Texas A&M University.

Carol is a licensed professional counselor who has been in private practice for more than 20 years. Her practice is with adults only and she specializes in grief and loss. For more than 14 years she also led divorce and grief recovery groups. She has an undergraduate and master’s degree and is licensed to practice counseling in Arizona. She is married, has two adult children, and five precious grandchildren.