California Nursing Assistant Educator Conference

Vicky Castillo MSNed, RN, CNE, with over 36 years of diverse nursing experience, is the founder and CEO of FACETS Healthcare Training. Her platform is innovatively crafted to supply nursing assistant students and educators with essential training and state-specific certification resources. For the past 15 years, Vicky has devoted herself to nursing assistant education, working in various roles, including nursing assistant instructor, program director, consultant, and test evaluator for Headmaster and Prometric. She founded FACETS Healthcare Training to deliver essential resources to the training community, demystify the complexities of the certification exam, and ultimately increase the number of CNAs in the workforce.   

Wendy Deras has dedicated her work the last 29 years to safe and competent patient care, teaching, curriculum design, management and leadership in the nursing field, with the last 13 years in Southern California. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Science in Nursing from Franklin University as well as a Master’s in Science in Nursing specializing in Nursing Education, from Wright State University, both in Ohio. 

She strives to bring together the resources of funding, trainers, educational institutions, and employers to bring a more qualified workforce to Southern California and believes that the power of education can transform lives, business, and the community. She is currently an Industry Sector Manager for Health for the Inland Empire working with health partners, K12, adult schools and community colleges to increase and improve health sciences program opportunities. 

Brandon Dominguez is a distinguished Registered Nurse specializing in mental health, with an impressive career encompassing clinical, administrative, and research nursing. Beyond his clinical expertise, he is a seasoned educator, teaching nursing concepts at the LVN, ADN, and BSN levels of pre-licensure nursing. A thought-leader in his field, Brandon has been invited to share his knowledge and research at numerous state, national, and international conferences. His innovation in healthcare education is further evidenced by his qualifications as a Certified healthcare Simulation Educator and a certified Apple Learning Coach. In addition to his hands-on work, Brandon has made significant contributions to academic literature. His authored works include books for student and educator success, mental health nursing concepts, and a comprehensive nurse assistant textbook for California-based programs.

Brenda Scafiro started her healthcare journey as a Certified Nurse aide and Home Health aide in New Jersey. She later went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in Healthcare administration . Brenda has held many administrative positions within healthcare over the last 20 years ranging from clinical to managerial.  

Brenda has been with Credentia for 2 years and in her role she builds positive and collaborative relationships to ensure client satisfaction with delivered services.

Rachelle Hackney MSN, RN, established her nursing career in 1994 at Jones County Community College where she became a Licensed Practical Nurse. She later went on to earn a BSN from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1998 and an MSN in Nursing Education from William Carey University in 2013. Rachelle has been employed as a nurse educator with Copiah-Lincoln Community College in the Associate Degree Nursing program since 2013.

Rachelle has over 29 years of nursing experience in various environments including hospitals, nursing home, home health, college campus clinic, and educational settings.  Additionally, she has worked with diabetes disease management, behavioral health, the Division of Medicaid, and community health populations.  She has filled the role of a Nurse Aid Evaluator for 15 years with 10 of those years as a Quality Assurance Auditor. Since 2022, she has worked with Credentia as a Quality Assurance Coordinator.