About Our School

Tally Breitstein RN, BSN, MSN

Schuenbrun Academic School of Nursing, Tel Aviv, Israel 1988
Tel Aviv University with BSN 1995
Masters in Nursing Education from Colorado Technical Institute July 2019

Born and raised n Tel Aviv, Israel. Graduated from Schuenbrun Academic School of Nursing, Tel Aviv, Israel in 1988. Graduated from Tel Aviv University with BSN in 1995. Past Nursing experience includes Neurosurgery, Pediatric ICU, Neonatal ICU, and Hospice care. 15 year of experience in Nursing education.

Mir Alikhan

Mir Alikhan hold a Masters degree in Public Health from the University of Texas. His areas of interest in the health field are Emergency medicine and minority health. He was competitively selected for his public health fellowship in Washington DC. There he worked with several NGOs and govt agencies on various issues of public health. His claim to fame while in DC. was that he was inside the Supreme Court for the Affordable Care Act hearing. He loves doing research and has worked on different topics such as vasodilation, VO2 max, cholesterol and health education for the minority population. He has presented at various conferences, received awards for his research and he is a published author. Teaching has always been his passion, he has 9 years of experience in teaching and has taught AP at UT. He started a health initiative in the minority population to educate people about best health practices taking a preventative approach. He has always found time to volunteer to give back what he has learned. He is an award-winner at the Literacy Council where he raised awareness in the Hispanic community about Cholesterol, Diabetes and Heart Disease. As a Medical Reserve Corps volunteer he worked directly under the Surgeon Generals office and trained people on disaster preparedness in situations like Hurricanes, outbreaks and other natural disasters. He worked as a cholesterol screening volunteer to educate people about cholesterol. He volunteered educating the working poor on diet for better health and assisted in making food bags for the program participants with healthy foods to eat on a budget. He worked with diabetics in educating them on diabetes management and to prevent the onset of diabetes in the borderline risk population. He is also the co-founder and Chief Editor of the Journal of Student Research which publishes research on multi-disciplinary topics.

Shady Mansy, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCGP

Shady Mansy, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCGP, received his Doctorate of Pharmacy from Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy in 2013. Dr. Mansy completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at VA Southern Nevada Healthcare Systems in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2014. He is also certified as a pharmacotherapy specialist and a geriatric pharmacist. Dr. Mansy has started his own pharmacy consulting business (Perennial Pharmacy Consulting) and works as a consultant for nursing homes, assisted living facilities and group homes. In his free time, he enjoys cooking with his wife, hiking, reading, and playing with his dog.

Zahiyah Franks RN

Professor Franks works for the VA and has functioned as a liaison between Houston VAMC and community care facilities. She joins Vocational Nursing Institute Inc. to assist our students in the evening VN program learn curriculum content and teaching didactic coursework. She has her Master's Degree in FNP.

Amalia Keen RN, BSN, MSN

Amy Keen has been a licensed nurse since 1998. Originally from Houston, Texas but grew up most of her life in Tampa, Florida. She started off as a certified nursing assistant while in High school at the age of 16. This is when she found her passion for helping others and decided to pursue a career in nursing. She attained her Licensed Practical Nurse in 1998. She graduated in 2004 from Hillsborough Community College with her Associates as a Registered Nurse and from The University of Phoenix with her Bachelor’s of Science in 2011. Mrs. Keen just recently obtained her Master’s degree in Nursing Education from Aspen University. She has over 20 years of experience in Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Pediatric Health. She also has over 7 years of management and leadership experience. Mrs. Keen is very familiar with patient education, parent health guidance meetings, and the implementation of professional development trainings for staff education. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, camping, and reading. She looks forward to teaching at The Vocational Nursing Institute where she can inspire others to become great nurses.

Kerri Robinson RN

Professor Robinson has extensive experience as an Emergency Room nurse. She has worked with VNI for many years and enjoys assisting in the remote classroom at this juncture in her career. She enjoys spending time with her husband, family, and puppies when she is not working.

Iris Vela RN

My name is Iris Vela. I began my career in healthcare as a CNA, later becoming an LVN. I then transitioned from LVN to ADN, and finally went on to obtain by BSN from the University of Texas at Arlington. Throughout my career, I have explored many avenues of nursing including pediatric nursing, skilled nursing facilities, home health, and even school nursing. I am currently in the process of applying to grad school to pursue my MSN in Nursing Education. I am married with 3 children, a dog and a cat. I love exercising, traveling, and watching movies.

Rhena Anderson RN

Professor Anderson has spent many years working in the hospital and clinic settings. She has a certifications in leadership and is working on a coaching and mentoring certification. Professor Anderson looks forward to working with our students in clinical and also teaching didactic classes in the evening program.

Opeyemi Ajibola RN

My name is Iris Vela. I began my career in healthcare as a CNA, later becoming an LVN. I then transitioned from LVN to ADN, and finally went on to obtain by BSN from the University of Texas at Arlington. Throughout my career, I have explored many avenues of nursing including pediatric nursing, skilled nursing facilities, home health, and even school nursing. I am currently in the process of applying to grad school to pursue my MSN in Nursing Education. I am married with 3 children, a dog and a cat. I love exercising, traveling, and watching movies.

Ashley Geissler RN

Professor Geissler RN works full time as a school nurse and is expanding her nursing role to give back to our students and impart her knowledge to help them grow in the clinical setting. She enjoys time outside of work with her family.

Bria Burley 2022-2023

Bria Burley is a Nurse Educator. Her nursing career began in 2016 working in Oncology and Medsurg at Memorial Hermann Memorial City. She is an individual that has always been eager to learn and has worked in various nursing environments such as Inpatient and Outpatient Nursing, Rehabilitation, Home Health, Community Nursing, Nursing Research, and Education. She takes pride in the many things she has learned in her nursing journey and teaching is what she calls home. As a Nurse Educator, she is dedicated to helping her students become the best nurses they can be. She is passionate about her work and takes great pride in helping her students grow and develop into competent and compassionate nurses. She is truly dedicated to her career and the nursing profession.

Kimberly Chiedu, MSN, BSN, BA, ADN, RN

My name is Kimberly Chiedu. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I am happily married with three kids. I have a BA in psychology from Lamar University. I received my ADN from Indian Hills Community College, my BSN from the University of Texas-Arlington, and my MSN from Lamar University. I have been a nurse for ten years and was an LVN one year prior to that. I have worked different specialties including LTAC, neuro stroke unit, PACU, rehab hospital, long-term care, and psychiatric/mental health nursing. I love teaching and I am excited to begin a new chapter in my life as a nursing instructor!

Dr. Kimberley Kelly RN, BSN, MSN, DNP, LNC

Ohio State University Bachelor of Science in Nursing 1986
Walden University Masters in Nursing Education 2013
Walden University Doctorate of Nursing Practice graduated November 2018

Dr. Kimberley Kelly is the founder of both The Vocational Nursing Institute Inc. in 2009 and the consulting firm, Compliance Review Services, Inc., established in 1997. She graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1986. Dr. Kelly graduated from Walden University in 2015 with a Master's in Nursing Education. She completed her Doctorate in Nursing Practice and graduated with a 4.0 in 2019 from Walden University. Dr. Kelly's nursing specialty is geriatrics. Dr. Kelly has 20+ years of experience in the healthcare field, ranging from Administrator, Director of Nurses, Consultant, Supervisor in Nursing, and home health agency owner. She has worked in multiple medical environments, taught at a vocational college in Florida, and has developed and taught numerous educational offerings.

Dr. Kelly is a member of the Home Health Alliance Team, DADS external stakeholder group for rule review, and sits as a member of the State of Texas Health Preventative Taskforce team. She is a Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services Consultant-Monitor and sat on the Texas Outcome-Based Quality Management coalition team. Dr. Kelly became a Legal Nurse Consultant in 1999. She has been a consulting nurse expert and testifying nurse expert witness in both plaintiff and defense cases. Inducted into the Hall of Fame for Business Who's Who in March of 2004, Dr. Kelly was recognized for her accomplishments as a small business owner. Dr. Kelly is an honorary chairperson for small businesses through NRCC and is an external workshop member for DADS for Texas.

Dr. Kelly founded the Vocational Nursing Institute with the vision to help individuals to become Licensed Vocational Nurses. Her passion for education and assisting others provided the image to open up this school. See her complete resume (https://vocationalnursinginstitute.com/pdf/2017%20Resume%20Kim%20Kelly.pdf) (Microsoft Word). The school has received the most outstanding VN program in Texas by Global Health Pharma in 2020 and another award in 2019 for Dr. Kelly entrepreneurship skills.

Dr. Kelly enjoys spending time with her two girls and husband on her small ranch outside of work. An accomplished pianist, she also likes swimming, reading, bowling, and watching movies. Kim is actively involved with her church. Dr. Kelly is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and has resided in Florida for several years. She has lived in Texas since 1995.

Robin Ferruggia

Robin's background is in customer service, she brings her cheerful self and welcoming personality to our team. Originally from New Jersey she moved here in 2007 for warmer weather and the medical center for her daughter. She enjoys reading, movies, day trips and spending time with her family.

Jonathan Hajjar, PRN

Jonathan Hajjar has experience working in the retail world and has a degree in Nutrition. He has joined our evening team while he continues to work on his Master’s degree in Business Administration. He is excited to expand his skill set to include office administration activities and to work with the students and faculty.

Kaitlyn Kelly

Kaitlyn Kelly is currently an enrolled student at Sam Houston State University, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree Criminal Justice and a minor in Forensics Science. Her future plans involve joining the United States Marine Corps Reserves as an Officer, and ultimately work towards becoming a forensics investigator or homicide detective. Kaitlyn brings organization and a hardworking mindset wherever she goes! Her interests include art, reading, music, and spending time with her family.

Crissaundra (Criss) White

A Houston Native, Crissaundra (Criss) has an extensive customer service background. She is currently a Science major at Lone Star with an interest in joining the healthcare field herself. Criss’ passion for health and fitness makes VNI the perfect introduction to a healthcare career. Her innovative mind and cheerful demeanor make her an excellent addition to the team.

Crista Jones

With over 20 years in customer service, Christa is a determined, confident, and well-organized Administrative Assistant, with extensive experience in supporting mid & senior-level management. Christa is an approachable and pleasant individual with a willingness to make a positive mark. Christa earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2013.

Peter Tenesio

Peter is an experienced Virtual Professional. It's my belief that providing excellent service is the key to success. I have a passion for helping my client leverage their time and helping in growing their business, I also enjoy being a dad, love to play music and spending time with my dogs.