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| Staff Spotlight |
More testimonials in these programs:
ESL | General Classes | HS Diplomas | Literacy Center | Medical Certificate | Computer Training |
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Daren Iezza
Coordinator
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Who makes it all happen in the Adult Ed Medical Department? That would be Daren Iezza, Medical Department Coordinator. She has the dynamic job of organizing and orchestrating all the classes and externships in the department, ultimately helping students fulfill their potential in a new field.
Daren has worked in CVUSD for 26 years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Pepperdine University, and started her career in the sales and marketing arena of the hotel business. She then worked for Super Shuttle in its infancy, helping launch its sales department. After 19 years raising a family with her husband, Bob, and volunteering in her children’s classrooms, she returned to work, this time at Adult Ed.
Daren loves helping adults realize their aspirations and talents, finding it a truly rewarding opportunity and experience.
Daren has been married 25 years. Her two children, Robert and Lauren, are both in college.
In her leisure time, she enjoys cooking, sewing, exercising, gardening, and time with her family. |
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| Nancy Leahy |
Nancy Leahy, Medical Externship Specialist, is in charge of placing and following the department's Medical Assisting, Pharmacy Tech and Phelbotomy students on their respective externships. She is always seeking out and establishing new externship sites for students and performs other administrative tasks that relate to the medical programs. In this sense, her role is pivotal in helping students bridge the skills they're learning in the classroom and applying them to their real world experiences.
Cal State University Long Beach was where Nancy earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. She eventually became a licensed Registered Nurse and acquired a Public Health Nursing certificate. Since becoming an R.N., Nancy has worked in a variety of nursing jobs in Southern California. She has always had a passion for pediatrics and spent the bulk of her nursing career of many years working with chronically ill children, both at UCLA and Children's Hospital, specifically in the pediatric dialysis and transplant program at Children's. It was there that she was involved in writing protocols for and implementing the first training program for teaching families to dialyze children at home.
Nancy has always loved nursing and the variety of interesting work it offers. Home-health, hospice, psych and drug rehab, as well as work in an internist's office here in Conejo Valley are other areas of the profession in which Nancy has had experience before coming to the Adult School in May 2009.
Her enthusiasm for the work she is doing here is evident. "The school's staff is wonderful--very caring and competent. The best part is that I love interacting with the students, helping them with their externship placements as well as preparing them for their new careers."
Nancy, who has been a 21-year resident of Thousand Oaks, has been happily married for 30 years, part of which she spent as a stay-at-home mom. Her 2 daughters, now grown, are in the process of finishing up their college educations.
In addition to being active in her church, Nancy's leisure-time activities include running, cooking for her family and reading a good book--a lifestyle that exemplifies having a healthy mind, body and soul. |
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| Interviews / articles by B. Kane |
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| Our professional staff is dedicated to teaching students the skills they need in the medical field and to helping bring students' career goals to fruition. We offer daytime & evening programs in a variety of specializations.
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| Nancy Gonzalez |
Our Pharmacy Technician instructor, Nancy Gonzalez, characterizes herself as a do-it-yourselfer. That is how she came to achieve her knowledge and eventual certifications in the pharmaceutical field. While learning the ropes in doing compounding for a local homeopathic manufacturing company, she eventually studied the applicable materials on her own and passed the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam. "It was an extremely challenging process," says Nancy.
In addition to her national certification, she is certified for chemo therapeutic drugs. An Exemptee License with the California State Board of Pharmacy enables Nancy to manufacture pharmaceuticals by compounding the raw materials. Her skills in this area prepared her to run a laboratory for homeopathic remedies. On a broader scale, Nancy has worked in the pharmacies at Glendale Memorial Hospital, Pacific Alliance Medical Center and a number of other regional hospitals. She has won awards for both productivity as well as perfect attendance and reliability, which reflects her dedication and professionalism.
It is this wealth of experience that Nancy draws from when she imparts her wisdom on her students in teaching them proficiency in the technical skills of compounding for neonatal and adult populations, drug classification among many others. The goal of Nancy's efforts, since she began teaching for the Adult School in Fall 2009, is helping others obtain a career in this field, which she focuses on doing in her program during what she considers the "perfect hours" of her schedule. Her ability to instruct is enhanced by having all the materials and equipment she needs to do her job as well as the cooperation of those in the school's medical department.
Nancy loves to sew and is a seamstress by trade. In addition, she calls herself a "huge Ebayer" buying up department store closeouts and returns and selling them on the popular auction site. While she pursues all of her vocational and avocational activities, Nancy's 2½ year old toddler is cared for by a family member. With the assistance and cooperation of others, she believes that she can have it all. That can-do attitude is Nancy's formula for personal success, one which serves her well in being an inspiration to her students. |
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| Leslie Alexander |
Medical Billing and Coding instructor Leslie Alexander, takes what may seem like a daunting subject area and breaks it down into bite-size pieces for her students. It's certainly relevant that Leslie is starting her Adult School teaching career in the year 2010 when the long-awaited landmark healthcare legislation was passed. She's interested in staying current in this ever-changing field, especially with all of the new insurance plans that are on the horizon. The curriculum of the course she teaches covers the entire process of the insurance billing cycle--familiarization with various types of plans, the variety of codes that are standard in medical billing, posting charges, explanation of benefits and sending claims.
Leslie attended Pepperdine University where she obtained a solid foundation through her coursework in accounting, finance and marketing, culminating in her earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. It was through her 4-year-long employment at a dermatologist's office that she learned while on the job, "feet to the fire," as she put it, the intricacies of medical billing and coding.
It won't be as daunting a task for Leslie's students, since they are in a formal course in which they are learning step-by-step all the skills they need to know in order to work in a doctor's office, hospital or insurance company. "My students are very motivated to learn," says Leslie. "They really keep me on my toes."
Leslie's husband David of 20 years, had been assistant technical director for 10 years at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and is now in the same capacity at the Bedrosian Theater Pavillion at Oaks Christian. It is there that their 17-year-old son, who is a sophomore, and 12-year-old daughter, a 7th grader attend school.
Traveling is a favorite leisure time activity for Leslie, especially taking long car trips as a family. With an appreciation of the literary arts, she's an avid reader and loves attending live theater events--especially musicals, with her husband and children.
Says Leslie, "I love interacting with my students and encouraging them that they can master the subject matter." Her enthusiasm for sharing her knowledge and experience with others makes her a welcome
addition to our outstanding medical department faculty and will insure that those in her program will meet with success, both in the classroom and out in the real world of work. |
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| Kathy Duncan |
Kathy Duncan, instructor for our Medical Department's Physical Therapy Aide course since fall 2009, has worked as a Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant for some 23 years.
She uses her expertise to teach students skills for aiding physical therapists in different medical settings such as in-hospital, outpatient, assisted living and skilled-nursing facilities. Her students are trained to assist their patients with getting out of a bed or chair, using a walker or cane and doing exercise routines. In addition to working with individual patients, her students learn to do various administrative tasks such as making appointments, pulling charts, calling with friendly appointment reminders, organizing the materials for home exercise programs, tracking and following up on patient insurance benefits and working as a liaison between the physical therapist and a hospital or clinic business office.
With a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University Northridge in Kinesthesiology with a subspecialty in Adapted Physical Education, Kathy went on to earn a Master's Degree in Gerontology Administration from the University of La Verne. As a Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant, she has worked with younger and older populations at West Hills Hospital, Sporte Physical Therapy and, currently is employed at Seven Oaks Physical Therapy & Fitness Center in Westlake Village.
Kathy brings her many years of experience in the field to her classroom. "I really like working with adults who are interested in expanding their knowledge and interest in physical therapy and fitness," she says. "Being able to provide my students with the assistance needed to excel for a future career in this field is very gratifying."
The Conejo Valley has been home to Kathy for 37 years. Married to Gene, a sales and marketing businessman in the auto industry, they have one son who is currently enrolled in the Adult School's Pharmacy Tech program. Always on the move with personal fitness and other pursuits, Kathy spends time working out, hiking, playing tennis, doing photography, camping, 4-wheeling and watching pro sports. In addition, she enjoys working with seniors and participating in fundraising and public awareness education activities for organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association and Arthritis Foundation.
The way in which Kathy pursues such a full, active lifestyle, she is indeed the embodiment of physical and mental well-being. |
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| Joann Cesaro |
Joann Cesaro brings a wealth of background education and experience in the medical field to her classroom, where she has been the instructor for Medical Assisting in both Basic and Advanced Phlebotomy, Medical Terminology, Spanish for the Healthcare Provider, First Aid and CPR courses since 2006. Her professionalism, dedication and commitment to sharing her knowledge in teaching her students the skills of the medical field is quite evident. "I take great pride in the work I do," says Joann, "because the results are a reflection on this school." This strong work ethic in all regards started early on in her life.
Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Joann developed a passion for learning which continues to this day. As a result of her outstanding academic achievement in high school, Joann was president of Arista National Honor Society. At age 15½, she began attending college at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. From Bronx Community College she transferred to the School for Applied Medical Technology and had various hospital internships, which were part and parcel of the outside-the-classroom training. She drew from those training experiences when she worked for hospital labs in a number of states around the country. For a short time Joann served as a Marine Corps reservist and was a member of NATO's model U.N.
Eventually, Joann decided to move cross-country to California where she continued her educational quest, which also includes a variety of work experiences in the medical field. At Cal State Northridge and Cal Lutheran University she took additional courses to enrich her education and increase the depth of her knowledge. She worked at Los Angeles Free Clinic as an HIV counselor and in various capacities at Cedars Sinai for 7 years. At a local medical group, she managed a blood draw station. In addition to her Adult School teaching position, Joann does consulting work for 14 medical laboratories and has a paramedical business with employees who do medical billing and quality control.
Coming from a large family of 7 children, Joann is a twin from 2 sets of twins, with 4 sisters and 2 brothers, all of whom still live in New York. She is a mother of 15-year-old daughter Jessica, who is a sophomore at Newbury Park High School.
When she's not hard at work, Joann loves to travel. She has visited 37 countries around the globe. "This allows me to think outside of the box, witness how other societies live and see how lucky we are." Closer to home, Joann devotes time to enhancing her collection of post-1920's memorabilia--dolls, toys, records, etc. and arranging them in
organized displays in her home.
Joann's heart is invested in her students' future careers. "I just love to teach and see my students make something of themselves." She is dedicated to raising the bar so that the medical field will have competent, qualified people. |
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| Debbie Ickes |
Debbie Ickes, instructor for the evening Front Office Medical Assisting program, teaches the skills needed to handle all aspects of the front office in a medical setting. As a member of the faculty since Spring 2011, she brings to the students in her class a wealth of knowledge from both her formal education and long-time experience in the ever-expanding healthcare field.
Having earned a B.A. in Healthcare Management from the University of Phoenix, Debbie went on to earn a Master's degree in Business Administration. She has worked in healthcare for 30 years, for the most part in management positions, performing all aspects of medical office work--front, back as well as billing and coding. Currently, she is the administrator for a dermatological medical group that has multiple locations.
It's no secret that healthcare is a great and growing field where the demand exists in the form of employment opportunities. Debbie emphasizes the importance of staying current in order to have competitive edge. "A front office position, where one has to understand the various aspects of customer service, telephone techniques, billing etc., is one that sets the tone for the entire office." As part of the curriculum, she attempts to instill those concepts in her students. Additionally, Debbie is passionate about her students getting their certification, which she encourages them to pursue, because this step represents the culmination of all their time and effort they have put into their studies and is a reflection of their competency that gives them an advantage for obtaining employment.
And the response to what they're being taught as well as the practical advice? "My students really care and want to learn, which is reflected in the interesting questions they ask as well as their participation in class." Debbie says. "In fact, some of them are taking other courses concurrently to broaden their horizons." She really enjoys teaching adults because of the commitment they have to their education.
Interestingly, Debbie's daughter followed the same path into the field of front office administration and was her mother's supervisor before going on maternity leave. In addition to her daughter and granddaughter, Debbie considers her daughter's three close friends and their five children her adopted extended family. Oftentimes, they come over just to spend some quality time or entertain themselves at Debbie's house. Otherwise, they enjoy going on various activity-filled excursions for variety.
Debbie's enthusiasm for sharing her knowledge and experience with others has made her a welcome addition to our outstanding medical department faculty. These qualities insure that the students in her program will meet with success, both in the classroom and out in the real world of work. |
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