Our Team
Mitchell Aikens, Chief Operating Officer
m.aikens@cpraq.com
Instructor Certifications:
American Red Cross:
- Lifeguard Instructor Trainer
- Waterfront Lifeguard Instructor Trainer
- Basic Life Support Instructor Trainer
- Emergency Medical Response Instructor Trainer
- Water Safety Instructor
- Babysitting Instructor
- First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor Trainer
- Advanced Life Support Instructor Trainer
- Wilderness and Remote First Aid Instructor Trainer
American Heart Association:
- Faculty (HeartSaver, BLS, PEARS, ACLS, PALS)
Additional Training:
- Certified Pool and Spa Operator (PHTA)
- Incident Investigation (PHTA)
- Active Shooter Training (FEMA)
Mitchell is 29 years old and holds a Bachelor degree in Chemistry from the University of Michigan - Flint. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Chemistry from Oakland University while working as the leading executive at CPR and Aquatics LLC. Mitchell has an interest in toxicology and organic chemical synthesis and is actively working to bring toxicology and HazMat training to Michigan specific to healthcare providers.
Mitchell has been in aquatics since he was 15, starting out as a lifeguard. He found a passion for it and began teaching not long after. If you ask him what his favorite course to teach is, he will tell you that it is definitely Waterfront Lifeguarding.
Valorie Aikens, Chief Financial Officer
Instructor Certifications:
- Basic Life Support Instructor
- First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor
- Babysitting Instructor
Valorie is a retired engineer with 25+ years working in corporate environments in the automotive industry. She spent her career focusing on internal controls and quality controls and retired in 2009 from the automotive industry.
When Valorie was in her undergraduate studies, she completed two bachelors degree from Saginaw Valley State University. Her degrees are in Industrial Engineering and Art. Valorie is a musician as well, and sang most of her life on the side. She is currently back in graduate school pursuing a Masters of Art in Liberal Studies focusing on Historic Preservation.
Valorie has four children, of which Mitchell is the youngest, and four grand children. She also enjoys being around her family and in her free time enjoys sewing, stained glass, and other hands on activities.
Diana Brakel, Director of Aquatics
Instructor Certifications:
Lifeguard Instructor Trainer
Waterfront Lifeguard Instructor Trainer
Water Safety Instructor Trainer
First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor Trainer
Basic Life Support Instructor Trainer
WaterART Master Trainer
Wilderness and Remote First Aid Instructor Trainer
Diana has been involved with aquatics since she was 15. She taught swim lessons while obtaining her Bachelor’s degree of a double major in English and History at Illinois Wesleyan University. She holds a Master of Science in Parks and Recreation from Michigan State University. During that time, she taught CPR and First Aid classes at the Red Cross facility in Lansing and helped out in Disaster Services. She worked at several aquatic facilities and currently has as her home aquatic center Waterford Pool and Fitness Centers in Waterford, Michigan. She believes that nothing is more important than a life and will travel to teach Red Cross courses to meet that goal.
She loves to travel and studied in York, England for a year and traveled the Continent. She also spent six months in Seoul, South Korea working for a language development company editing all of their manuals and creating English programs for them.
Every summer finds her at a summer camp lifeguarding at lakes and pools as well as teaching swimming, lifeguarding, canoeing and outdoor living skills.
She is married with two children. She enjoys playing disc golf with her family and friends and sometimes competes in disc golf tournaments. She likes to read, loves plants and gardening, enjoys hands on activities, and spending time with friends and family.
Carson Rose, Assistant Director of Nursing
Instructor Certifications:
- Basic Life Support Instructor
- First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor
Carson is currently 20 years old and is working on a Bachelor’s degree in nursing at Saginaw Valley State University, with plans to obtain graduate education to become a nurse practitioner.
Carson’s passion for healthcare and helping others started young, as he has been assisting with the care of his younger brother who lives with aicardi syndrome. Because of his brothers rare condition, Carson has been with his brother on multiple hospital visits and has experienced the good and bad of the healthcare system. Carson hopes to use his degree and education to make advancements in patient centered care in the future.
Amy Giustiniani, Director of Nursing
Instructor Certifications:
Basic Life Support Instructor
First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor
Amy is a registered nurse with 20+ years experience and has worked in various areas of nursing including acute care, primary care, occupational health and case/care management. She acquired a passion for nursing while taking a training course to become a Medical Assistant and continued her learning into nursing school. She received her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing from The Ohio State University. Her hobbies include assisting her husband with their catering business, reading and gardening.