Campus: West Palm Beach

Nina Cannon has a wealth of experience working in healthcare admissions within the higher education arena.  As Associate Director of Admissions, she is dedicated and takes the time to guide and ensure students are on track to starting their professional careers.

She is delighted to see students complete their education goals and loves to watch them graduate! As she always says, “One day you may be taking care of me, I will take care of you to get you started.”

Nina is committed to providing exemplary student connections. She is committed to student success.

Nina also has extensive experience from her time working with a major travel nursing company as the Director of Client Services, Account Executive, and Healthcare Recruiter.

In her free time, Nina takes pride in cooking meals for loved ones and enjoying time with her family!

Hannah DiCarlo is a passionate and dedicated Associate Director of Admissions at HCI College West Palm Beach campus, with years of experience working in Admissions in higher education. Hannah prioritizes student’s success through the detailed process of enrollment into HCI College’s programs. She has a thorough understanding of the collaborative operations between Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid and Academics to ensure students begin their college journey with efficiency. She maintains strong relationships with students and staff and makes herself available to offer support to whoever needs it.

Hannah’s commitment to HCI College’s Mission is her priority, which is to transform lives and produce professionals who serve the community.

Hannah holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Florida Atlantic University.

Jeanne Colia earned her Associate Degree in Nursing from Suffolk Community College and her BSN Degree from SUNY Stony Brook University, Long Island, New York, all while working as a Certified Operating Room Nurse in SUNY Stony Brook Medical Center, a teaching hospital. From the beginning of her nursing career, she knew that she wanted to teach Nursing.

In 1991, she was recruited by St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida to assist in coordinating the operating room with the emergency room to develop the Trauma Center. Following her responsibilities at the Trauma Center, she moved on to develop and teach a Surgical Technology operating room course for the Palm Beach School Board.

During the development of the Surgical Technology program, she pursued a master’s degree in nursing education from Barry University in North Miami, Florida. This master’s degree opened up opportunities for her to teach Nursing in Palm Beach County universities, colleges, and technical schools. She joined HCI College in September 2016 and has been enjoying teaching there ever since.

Nursing instructors and colleagues who combined genuine passion for nursing with caring attitudes significantly influenced her career development as a nurse educator. She emphasizes the importance of forming a team of caring and nurturing faculty members, staff, and administrators who work together to guide the students and mentor new faculty. She often shares the saying “it takes a village” with her students and peers, and she feels a strong sense of camaraderie at HCI College.

She takes great pride in being able to give back to her profession. She finds it especially rewarding when she sees one of her graduates at a hospital or clinic, their faces beaming with pride, and they are always eager to share their stories of their career accomplishments.

Elizabeth Young is a fervent, knowledgeable educator with nine years of education experience.  She has served as a higher education Dean for many years and strongly agrees with Nelson Mandela that education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world!   Throughout Elizabeth’s career, she has made it her mission to support staff development and prepare students for employment in their chosen field that serves the community.

Elizabeth’s high expectations of herself and everyone, have been evident in her collaborative teamwork and mentorship.  She strongly believes that everyone can excel, given the right tools.

MICO Teachers College provided the foundation for a lifetime career in education.   She continued her education journey by earning a Bachelor of Science and later, a master’s degree in Higher Education – College Leadership and Administration.  

Elizabeth will continue to positively impact the community as she undertakes the role as Dean of Academic Affairs.  Her role specifically involves supporting the education department in its quests to build careers, foster professional growth, and overall campus effectiveness.

Alecia Dennis has been a member of the HCI Nursing faculty since 2018. She is a Registered Nurse, Administrator and Public Health Educator with a passion for transforming lives through nursing education.

She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and holds a certification as a Public Health Nurse. Prior to her academic career, Alecia held a variety of clinical and administrative roles including surgical nurse, nurse consultant, program director and has presented both nationally and internationally on a variety of topics. 

Alecia is committed to ensuring that her students receive a quality education that not only equips them to function as highly skilled healthcare providers but also prepares them to serve as trusted members of the South Florida community.

Laurie Bernat is the Medical Assisting Program Director at our West Palm Beach campus. Laurie joins us with a plethora of experience. Having been in the Allied Health field for 40 years; as a medical biller, medical assistant, and office manager.

In addition, she has over 20 years’ experience working in career institutes; as an instructor, corporate trainer, and program manager. She was most recently with a large college school group in South Florida. She comes highly recommended as an expert in her field and with a lot of higher education experience.

On a personal note, she is married, with 3 grown children, 3 granddaughters and a grandson on the way, one very large Siberian Husky and two stray cats. She shared that she is very excited to become part of the HCI family!

We are very excited to bring her expertise to HCI College!