Patrick Kenny is one of the founding members of the Northwest family and has served as the Chief Operating Officer since June of 2013. Patrick graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of San Diego and has an extensive background in operations, project management, team building, and student development. As a member of the Kenny family, Patrick has been serving in one role or another at the college for most of his life.
Dr. Stephanie Kenny
Chief Academic Officer
D.O. Touro University
B.A. University of Southern California, Biology
Stephanie Kenny grew up in Las Vegas and played soccer and softball for the Meadows School in Summerlin. She began working at Northwest at the age of 13 doing everything from cleaning to copying. After graduating high school, Stephanie headed to the University of Southern California to study biology. Upon graduation, Stephanie began pursuing her Medical Career and graduated from Touro University in 2016. Additionally, she accepted the position as the Chief Finance Officer of Northwest Career College where she works side by side with her family.
Dr. Thomas Kenny
Chief Information Officer
D.M.D. University of Nevada Las Vegas, Dentistry
B.A. University of Southern California, Biology
Dr. Thomas Kenny was born in Chicago, raised in Las Vegas, but considers Northwest Career College his true home. He has been working at NCC for as long as he can remember. He started by moving and building furniture on the weekends and has served in a variety of roles throughout the years. He is now the Director of Regulatory Affairs, overseeing the licensure and accreditation processes for NCC, as well as the Dental Assisting Program Director. Dr. Thomas began his service as an ABHES Commissioner in July 2017 and looks forward to the opportunity to help shape the future of the education industry as a whole.
Michael Kenny
Chief Financial Officer
B.S. University of Nevada Las Vegas
Michael Kenny grew up in Las Vegas and played football and wrestled for the Meadows School in Summerlin. He began working at Northwest at the age of 13 doing everything from cleaning to copying. After graduating high school, Michael headed to the University of San Diego to study accounting. After two years, Michael transferred to UNLV where he completed his accounting and finance degrees while continuing to work for Northwest Career College as the Director of Finance where he works side by side with his family every day.
Campus Leadership
Pablo Chacon
Vice-President Of Operations
B.A. Marroquin University, Guatemala
Pablo grew up in Guatemala before emigrating to the United States when he was 20 years old. After spending some time living and working in San Diego and Pittsburgh, he moved to Las Vegas and has been working with Northwest Career College since April 2017.
After a varied career in marketing for an insurance company, career services for a law school and as an executive assistant to the owner of a behavioral health company, Pablo signed on with NCC as an administrative liaison and is now our Director of Technology.
Tina Spencer
Vice-President Of Advising Services
B.A. University of Las Vegas Nevada
Tina is a New Yorker that grew up in Las Vegas. Having lived in Pennsylvania, New
York, Florida, Washington D.C and California, she now calls Las Vegas her home again.
Tina graduated High School as a Presidential Scholar and continued pursuing her education at The University of Nevada, Reno, The University California, San Diego and ultimately graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.
After a varied career in marketing, sales and political consulting she wanted to find a way to make a difference, which is why she became a part of the team at Northwest. Tina joined Northwest Career College in October 2017 as a Career Services Advisor and has fallen in love with being a part of the Northwest family.
When she is not helping the students prove that anything is possible, she enjoys reading, rock concerts, and yoga. Tina is focused on helping other succeed and proving that any challenge is just simply an opportunity for growth.
Leslie Tran
Vice-President Of Employee Services
B.A. University of Nevada Las Vegas
A native of Las Vegas, Leslie graduated from UNLV with a B.S. in Psychology before going on to hold positions that give her a background in administration, operations, gaming/hospitality, and project management. Passionate about giving back to the Las Vegas community, Leslie joined Northwest Career College in 2017 as the Executive Assistant to the COO.
Mark Brunton, M.S.Ed., CPhT
Dean Of Education
M.S. Kaplan University
B.S. Kaplan University
Mark brings a wealth of pharmacy technician experience to share with the students at Northwest, having served in the field for ten years as a Pharmacy Technician and for twelve years as a Technician Educator.
A graduate of Kaplan University, with a BA in Organizational Communications and MS in Higher Education Administration and Leadership. Mark has worked as a surveyor for ASHP’s Technician Accreditation Program, as well as an item writer for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam. He is also a member of the Technician Advisory Committee to the Nevada State Board of Pharmacy.
Passionate about producing competent and confident pharmacy technicians through proper training, Mark enjoys working for a college whose culture emphasizes a desire to provide the best pharmacy training in Las Vegas. Not content with training pharmacy students all week, Mark can often be found teaching swing dancing at the weekend.
Corey Del Pino, M.P.H. R.P.T.
Dean Of Clinical Programs
M.P.H. University of Nevada, Reno
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Corey Del Pino attended Northern Arizona University after high school and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology with a Chemistry Minor in 2012. After attending Mohave Community College and earning her Medical Assisting Certificate in Phlebotomy, Corey became a Registered Phlebotomy Technician through American Medical Technologists.
After four years of patient care in the outpatient and inpatient hospital field at Western Arizona Regional Medical Center in Bullhead City, Corey moved to Las Vegas and joined NCC as our Phlebotomy Instructor, imparting her expert knowledge and experience to our students.
Cassidy Wagner, J.D.
Dean Of Administrative Programs
J.D. Arizona Summit Law School
A graduate of Coronado High School and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she she earned her Bachelors of Arts in Communication Studies, Cassidy found her passion in college. Having worked as a paralegal in a law firm for over six years, Cassidy attended Arizona Summit Law School where she earned her Juris Doctor degree. Cassidy has a history of teaching and supporting students. During high school, she worked at the City of Henderson where she would coordinate programs and teach life skills to individuals with disabilities. She now brings that same passion and attention to her role as an instructor for our Paralegal Studies and Criminal Justice courses.
Department Leadership
Trish Russ
Director of Talent Acquisition
B.A. Angelo State University, Communication
Originally from Colorado Springs, Trish's military lifestyle has taken her family around the world, including homes in Hawaii, Japan, and England. In 2019, their journey brought her to Las Vegas, where she secured a position with Northwest Career College. Since then, she has enjoyed developing professionally while supporting candidates and employees along the way.
Daniella Martinez, B.A.
Director of Academic Progress
B.A. Arizona State University
Daniella was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, before moving to Arizona, where she worked teaching elementary school students.
Having attended Palo Verde High School, Daniella achieved her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University’s Tempe campus. She taught in Arizona and Las Vegas for almost five years, and she has worked with students in grades K-6 through various tutoring, internships, and volunteering programs.
Daniella also worked for over two years training fellow education majors in educational technology. She now brings those teaching and training skills to bear as the Academic Affairs Advising Manager.
The thing that drew Daniella to Northwest was the family-oriented environment and positive attitude at NCC. Her professional passion is contributing to the future and enriching our world, and Daniella looks forward to doing this by elevating students toward their future goals and ambitions.
In her spare time, Daniella’s hobbies include rock climbing, hiking, and crafting. Her guilty pleasures are trying different coffee drinks, going out to eat, and feeding her sweet tooth.
Seri Marx
Director Of Academic Affairs
B.A. University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Seri moved to Las Vegas in 2003 and graduated from UNLV in 2010 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications. She pursued a career in Office Management and worked as an Assistant Project Manager. In January 2017, Seri joined Northwest Career College as the Executive Assistant to the Dean of Students and has since transitioned to the Director of Academic Affairs.
In her free time, she enjoys quality time with her family and seeking outdoor adventure.
Grace Perea
Director Of Operations
Born in California, Grace moved out to Las Vegas when she was 15 and joined Northwest Career College in November, 2014 managing the office in the evenings, working with the night students. Over the years, Grace continued to demonstrate her understanding of student challenges and needs. Her passion for helping students achieve their ultimate career goals made Grace the clear leader of our enrollment team and today Grace is the Director of Admissions for NCC. Excited to be excited to be part of the NCC family, the best part of Grace’s job is helping to change students lives for a brighter future, and having that impact on as many people as possible.
Ivy Adams, L.M.T.
Massage Therapy Program Chair
B.S. Arizona State University
L.M.T. Northwest Health Careers
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Ivy is a proud graduate of Northwest Career College, class of 1999, and has been a Licensed Massage Therapist ever since. Her eighteen years of experience has taken her through an eclectic array of job opportunities, from day spas, to resort spa, chiropractic offices, poker room and casino chair massage, as well as being self-employed as an independent contractor. Ivy came to Northwest to work as a Massage Instructor in 2002. In 2006 she left to start a family, but couldn’t stay away for long, rejoining the Northwest family again in 2015.
David Bolshazy, M.Ed., R.T.(R)(ARRT)
Radiography Program Chair
M.Ed. Northcentral University
B.S. Pima Medical Institute
Having started his medical career as an X-ray Specialist while in the U.S. Army, David left the military and became an EMT in Las Vegas. Transitioning to Orthopaedics for the next 17 years, David eventually ended up working as an EEG Technician in Neurology for 2 years.
It was during his time in Neurology that David joined the team here at Northwest, coming to work with us in 2019 as one of our Medical Assisting Instructors.
Passionate about medicine in all its forms David loves to share his 30 years of clinical experience with our students. David continues to advance his knowledge of the medical field whenever he can and plans to study for his Bachelors in Radiographic Technology in 2020.
At the weekends, David loves to spend time with his family and can most often be found teaching them how to tie their own flies for fly fishing.
Amy Byrd, R.M.A., R.P.T.
Phlebotomy Technician Program Chair
R.M.A. Northwest Career College
Amy grew up in the wilds of Minnesota until, at the age of thirty, she decided she was tired of the brutal winters and moved to sunny Nevada, stopping in at Salt Lake City for a few years before heading a little further west to Las Vegas.
Amy attended High School and College in Minnesota and attended Northwest when she moved to Las Vegas, receiving her Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) and Registered Phlebotomy Technician (RPT) Certifications in 2012.
A lover of the outdoors, Amy heads out of town every chance she gets. Heading to the dunes or the lake to go boating, finding peace while hiking in the mountains, being by the ocean or while she is traveling.
During work hours, Amy is inspired by the passion of her co-workers and the loves watching the journey NCC students go on, from enrollment in their first module to the excitement of their graduation day.
Shindona Dines
Legal Studies Program Chair
B.S. National Paralegal College
A.A.S. Northwest Career College
Shindona, or Dona as she prefers to be called, is a proud alumnus of the Northwest Career College Paralegal Studies degree program. Originally from Southern California, Dona attended High School in Rialto, before moving on to received her Associates Degree in Applied Science in Paralegal Studies and is currently enrolled in National Paralegal College where she is looking to receive her Bachelor’s Degree in Paralegal Studies.
A 14 year veteran of the medical field, Dona now passes on her wealth of knowledge in order to achieve her professional passion for helping her students reach their full potential.
In her spare time, Dona can be found feeding the homeless, organizing a backpack drive for the neighborhood schools, supporting her kids during their sporting events.
Part of what Dona loves about working for NCC is working with great individuals who also have a passion to help others succeed and working in a positive environment where everyone is always cheerful, encouraging, helpful and has a great energy.
Eligio Gandarilla
Criminal Justice Program Chair
A.A.S. Northwest Career College
Born in Paramount,California, Eligio moved to Las Vegas at the tender age of three and has been here ever since, graduating from Northwest with his Associates Degree In Criminal Justice.
On a professional level, Eligio’s passion is to one day be a part of the gang unit and to help teenagers from going down the wrong road. On a personal level, he is passionate about helping his younger brothers achieve their dreams of becoming professional soccer players.
For Eligio, the best thing about working as part of our security team is the family atmosphere and his coworkers, who always motivate him to do better.
In his spare time, Eligio can be found being a full-time soccer dad watching and coaching his two brothers and sister when he is not playing himself.
Samantha Huntsman, M.S., CPhT
Pharmacy Technician Program Chair
M.S. University of Illinois at Chicago
Raised in Cedar City in southern Utah, Samantha ended up in Nevada in 2014 after moving here from Minnesota to escape the winter.
After graduating from Cedar City High School, Samantha moved to Southern Utah University where she got her bachelor’s degree and then to the University of Illinois at Chicago for her master’s degree.
After spending six years at CVS Pharmacy where she was a lead technician, Samantha has joined our cadre of committed Pharmacy Technician Instructors. Passionate about science and how science can better the lives of the community, especially through medicine, Samantha loves being a mentor and helping our students succeed.
Samantha is also passionate about conservation and about how we, as humans, can reduce our impact on the environment. Much of her education was centered around studying water pollution and she remains devoted to the topic to this day.
In her spare time, Samantha enjoys writing fiction, which is something she’s been doing since she was very young. She’s also an avid gamer and loves to watch east Asian dramas.
Yu Lee
Healthcare Administration Program Chair
B.S. UNLV Healthcare Administration
Born in South Korea, Yu Chung Lee moved to Las Vegas to attend Spring Valley High School and then UNLV. She is now a member of our educational staff and is the instructor for one of our dental administrative assisting classes.
Yu Chung Lee’s professional passion is to help students achieve their goals so they have the skills and knowledge to excel in their careers, a passion she shares with all the staff here at Northwest.
In her spare time, Yu Chung Lee loves food, almost as much as her chubby Yorkie named Bopeep, and tries to travel as much as possible.
Crissandra Marion-Stovall, B.A.
Medical Assistant Program Chair
A.A.S in Social Work from Nashville State Community College
Medical Assisting Diploma from Southeastern Career College
Originally born and raised in a small town in Holly Springs, MS, Crissandra recently moved from Nashville to Las Vegas to join our Medical Assisting Instructor team.
Cassandra graduated from Holly Springs High School and Nashville State Community College before going to Middle TN State University to study Psychology with minors in Social Welfare and Mental Health Counseling.
As part of our medical assisting team, Crissandra is looking forward to interacting with our students and helping them reach their goals and uncovering their purposes.
At the weekend, Crissandra can be found spending time with friends and family or painting, writing, listening to music, or learning new things.
Lisa Myers, J.D., L.L.M.
General Education Department Director
J.D., L.L.M. Campbell University
Beginning her career as a Paralegal, Lisa soon advanced to the role of Senior Paralegal for various Family Law, Personal Injury and Corporate law firms in the Las Vegas community. She obtained her Juris Doctor and LL.M, completing her fellowship in Washington D.C. and Carson City, Nevada. Lisa also heads up the Educational Board of the LVVPA (Las Vegas Valley Paralegal Association) which is the local chapter affiliated with NALA, the Paralegal Association and CCBA, the Clark County Bar Association. As the Program Chair and an Instructor for the Legal Studies Department here at Northwest Career College, which is comprised of both the Paralegal Studies and Criminal Justice Degree Programs, Lisa uses her passion and love for the law, teaching, and politics to inspire our students.
Tanya Sprang
Business Administration Program Chair
B.A. University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Tanya moved to Nevada in eighth grade from Tucson, Arizona. Coming from a USAF family, Tanya has lived in many places, such as Arizona, Hawaii, and South Korea. She went to college at UNLV and has a minor in Japanese. Tanya also served in the Peace Corps from 2017 to 2019, teaching in China for two years at a college in Guizhou, Tongren.
As a member of our Business Administrative Assistant instructor team, Tanya’s professional passion is establishing a mutual relationship of trust with both her colleagues and students and helping her students grow while also learning from them in turn.
Tanya loves the positive energy of the school. She always looks forward to spending time with her students because seeing them grow both personally and professionally is wonderful and she’s thankful for being part of their journey.
On the weekends, Tanya likes to meet up with friends to go shopping and eat plenty of food. Her favorites are Chinese hotpot and Korean BBQ, although she’s open to trying a lot of new things if they’re delicious. She also enjoys reading and writing in her free time with her favorite genres being horror and drama.
Jessica Vazquez, R.D.A.
Dental Assistant Program Chair
R.D.A. Charter College
Originally from Southern California, Jessica moved to Las Vegas with her family before she found both a job as part of our Dental Assisting Team and her husband here. Jessica attended Sylmar HS in California and then Charter College for the Dental Assisting Program and she now hopes to go back to school and further her career in the dental field.
Jessica loves working at Northwest because the people that work here are very easy to get along with, everyone is super friendly, and Jessica finds the Kenny family to be very inspiring.
On the weekend, Jessica can usually be found spending time with her family and three fur babies or taking a quick trip to California
Tashonda Shaw, CBCS
Medical Billing & Coding Program Chair
A.A. University of Phoenix
Originally from Staten Island, NY, Tashonda has been in the medical field since 2009 and has had the opportunity to work in various fields within the time span of her career.
Having graduated from the University of Phoenix and the Drake Business School, Tashonda now works as one of our excellent Medical Billing and Coding Instructors.
For Tashonda, the best thing about working for NCC is the ability to pursue her professional passion helping, mentoring, and training our students. Tashonda enjoys getting to be a part of helping someone achieve their goals and making a difference in someone’s life.
On the weekends, Tashonda enjoys cooking and baking and can occasionally be found playing pool and singing karaoke.