Hello, Nice to Meet You!
Cornerstone Healthcare Training is a licensed private vocational school and a contracted Community Instructor with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
Cornerstone Healthcare Training Company, LLC was established in 2010 when Robin VanHyning recognized the need for online caregiver training.
For over a decade, Robin and her team have supported and trained over 30,000+ healthcare professionals in Washington State. The majority of this training was done online.
Today, the dynamic team at Cornerstone Healthcare Training strives to provide every student with an exceptional online learning experience.
Meet the team behind your success.
The Team
ROBIN VANHYNING,
MSN, RN, NHA
CEO, DIRECTOR OF TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
Cornerstone was born out of Robin's passion for caring for others; a passion that is weaved into every aspect of her life. Robin has over 30 years of experience as a geriatric nurse, she is a licensed nursing home and assisted living administrator, and has owned and operated an adult family home. She lives in Bellingham, WA. When not brainstorming ways to better serve Cornerstone students, she can be found walking in the woods, reading, and traveling.
DAVE TINKER
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Dave has invested his career serving in technical solutions delivery, operations management, sales, and corporate financial oversight for over 25 years. He has significant experience in server systems architecture, complex technical process development and deployment, technical team management, and delivery project management. Dave's college career focused on science and mathematics and he has achieved several certifications and awards including IBM's Professional Server Specialist Certification, IBM's Leading Teams in New Blue Certification, IBM's Project Leadership Certification, Microsoft Certified Professional - Windows Server Administration & Networking, and he is an IBM Means Service Award recipient.
J JOHNSTON
CHIEF CUSTOMER OFFICER
J grew up in Southern New Mexico, but his adopted home is Portland, Oregon, where he has lived for the past 6 years. He joined Cornerstone as an already established Client Success expert, given that he was the Vice President of Client Success at his previous position. J loves comic books and it’s most likely you’ll find him at a comic book shop at least once a week, checking out new releases. Another love of his are PC video games, even though he’s not always the best at them (his own words!) Fun fact: he has thrown a party for every Groundhog Day for the past twenty years!
DIANE GIESY
VP OF SALES
Diane lives in Mount Vernon, WA, having recently moved from her home on San Juan Island after 41 years.
She is passionate about making a difference and inspiring people to grow. Most of her career choices have been in “helping” professions - hospitality, restaurants, real estate, health & wellness, retail, and now Cornerstone.
Diane loves to travel and experience different parts of the world. Her interests include music, boating, flying, RVing, gardening, reading & sunsets.
She has two adult children, two granddaughters, and lives with her little dog Mabel.
KATARINA MIRKOVIĆ ARSIĆ
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Katarina is all about words and stories. Although she has background in teaching, she decided to pursue her career in content writing, copywriting and digital marketing. She is way too much into fantasy novels for an adult. If her face is not buried in a book, it means she is either traveling or swimming. Born and raised in Ruma, Serbia, where she lives with her husband.
KIM FLACK
BUSINESS MANAGER
Kim is a native Washingtonian and is happy to call Mount Vernon, WA her home. Her work experience has always included customer service in some fashion as she loves being able to help people. The loves of her life are family, friends, music, reading, road trips and her cat, Dahlia.
MARIA PIPER
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE MANAGER
Originally a Texas girl, Maria made Washington State her home for over a decade. However, her husband's Boeing career has them now calling Charleston, South Carolina home!
She and her husband along with their two kids have embraced the South and all of its sunshine! Although they are not in Washington State, Maria is still an avid Seahawks and Mariners fan! Outside of work, they spend their time boating, fishing and exploring SC. Though, most of their time is spent helping their son, Joey, prepare for life after high school. He stays busy with his flight ground school, along with leadership roles in the JROTC. He hopes to someday become a pilot flying C-17's for the Air Force. Their daughter, Alice, keeps them on their toes as she prepares for high school life, and all things theater! With Maria having a 10 year background in Aviation, transitioning to a desk job was a bit of a change…a good change!
APRIL TINKER
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
April has focused most of her working career on caring for people of all ages, from children to youth and the elderly. In the last few years she finished her bachelors of science in Psychology and has focused on working with seniors as a home health aide and most recently worked with a non-profit as an in-home aide case manager. Her love for the elderly gives her the passion to move forward with finishing a masters in Social Work with a focus in gerontology.Her desire is to be able to continue to focus on elder care and education for those who are in the senior health industry. April enjoys hanging out with her husband and dog at the beach, traveling to new places and finding great places to eat.
NOAH ATCHLEY
SERVICE DELIVERY MANAGER
Noah grew up in South Carolina, moving to the PNW in 2012 to be with his college sweetheart. He enjoys life in Friday Harbor, WA tending to his chickens and spending time with his dogs, Finn and Edie. When he’s not supporting students and other team members in the office, you can find him with friends playing and writing music, hiking, or volunteering with the community theater.
SONDA EARLEY
INSTRUCTOR
Sonda became a caregiver at an early age working as a Certified Nursing Assistant in 1977. Over the years she has worked in Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, and Adult Family Homes. She has worked for Home Care Agencies, and as an Individual Provider. Sonda started working for Cornerstone in August of 2010. She loves being able to work with fellow caregivers. Her experience has given her a unique perspective on the challenges faced by caregivers in many different work settings.
JOCELYN WAGNER
INSTRUCTOR
Jocelyn was born and raised in eastern Washington where she calls the Yakima Valley her home. Currently living in Illinois, she plans on moving back to the Pacific Northwest soon. She is passionate about all things education as most of her work experiences revolve around education and curriculum development. Outside of work, you can find her spending time with her husband and kids, their two dogs, painting, cooking, and “up-cycling” furniture.
MICHAEL ANDERSON
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER
Mike is originally from Chicago, IL. He’s lived near the Tampa Bay area in Florida for 30+ years but is thinking about moving out to the Pacific Northwestern sometime soon. He’s worked in several IT roles spanning nearly 10 years and has been developing online training as an Instructional Designer for the past 6. Mike is active in ecological recovery efforts and animal rights and protection organizations and charities. He can regularly be found cleaning up local waters on the weekends. He enjoys the outdoors, playing with his pit rescue Bella and his re-homed Boston Terrier, Bear.
RYAN HAGEL
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SPECIALIST
Ryan was born in Alaska, but has spent most of his life in Washington State and loves the Northwest. Fixing problems and finding solutions are his specialties. He’s always up for a game of disc golf, playing board games, or snowboarding! His favorite things are spending time with his wife and kids, cooking delicious food, and connecting with friends.
MEAGAN PALMATEER
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SPECIALIST
Meagan was born and raised in Washington State, currently living in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She pursued a career in healthcare as she has a desire to help people. Meagan‘s love of the outdoors often leads her on adventurous hikes through the PNW! When not exploring the outdoors, she can be found in a book.
CLAIRE ALFORD
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SPECIALIST
Claire lives with her family in Atlanta, Georgia. Her wide education covers areas from software engineering to psychology. She is a devoted foodie and a world traveler. Her laughter and kindness light up any room. That, and her amazing skills and experience make her the perfect person to take care of the Cornerstone clients.
OMAR FRANCO
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SPECIALIST
Omar is from Mexico City, but he considers home to be every place where he can feel harmony with the surroundings. In most cases, it means that home is where his loved ones are. His education is in International Affairs which aligns with his desire to travel and meet incredible people wherever he goes. The fact that he speaks Spanish, English, and some Italian, means that helps him achieve that goal. His hobbies include photography, reading, cat-adoring, learning about the universe, and hiking.
TAYLOR IVERSON
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SPECIALIST
Taylor grew up in St. George, Utah. She lived on a small farm where she managed all of the livestock. Taylor has 3 younger brothers. It's no surprise then that she grew up being a tomboy and would do everything that her brother's did. They would hunt, fish, shoot, and everything in between. Taylor's passion is training animals, mainly horses.
JOCELYNE GONZALEZ
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SPECIALIST
Jocelyne “Josie” was raised in Central Washington, and currently lives in Spokane, Washington. Josie started off her career in the medical field as a Child Life Specialist and is currently pursuing her master’s in education to become a School Counselor. She is happy to be able to combine her passion for healthcare and education as a grader for Cornerstone. Outside of work, you can find her spending time with her husband and two cats. Her hobbies include reading, listening to music, dancing, and traveling.
VANESSA CASTELLANOS
INSTRUCTOR
Vanessa grew up in a small town in the Yakima Valley in Washington. She has been in the education and caregiving fields for the last 8 years and have been loving being able to combine both experiences at Cornerstone! When she's not working you can find her out in the forests hiking! Vanessa loves to eat so you can also find her out trying new restaurants and foods. Most of all, her favorite thing to do is spend time with her family and friends.
LESLIE BYRON
SHIPPING & RECEIVING COORDINATOR
Leslie has called the Pacific Northwest her home all her life. When not helping with Cornerstone student support and administrative duties, she enjoys cooking, gardening, and helping her husband run Kanaka Bay Farm seasonal greenhouse nursery and flower stand at her home on San Juan Island. And with any extra time, she volunteers and helps fundraise for local animal welfare organizations.