APT Instructors

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

Stephanie Brown was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ.  She has been a trainer for 5 years, teaching Article 9, Prevention and Support, CPR, First Aid, Basic Med Administration, Incident Reporting, Defense Driving, and many other courses. In 2019, she completed her RBT courses, and is now a licensed Registered Behavior Technician. Another love of Stephanie’s is coaching.  She has been a cheer coach for girls 4-18 for over 16 years. Stephanie is a wife of 20 years, a mom of 6, a Nana of 1 granddaughter, and she loves spending time with them!

Roxann is a CPR and First Aid trainer for APT and has been an instructor for two years.  Additionally, she has worked in the DD field for over ten years.  She is the mom of two teenagers and likes movies, water activities, and animals.

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.