Mpuana is excited to take on the role of Program Specialist. She previously worked in Title III at Spokane Falls Community College, which gave her time to learn about the community through engagement with students and staff. Through her studies, she has finished her A.A. at North Idaho College and is close to finishing her B.A. in English and Cultural Communication at the University of Hawaii.

Mpuana is happy to help serve as the Program Specialist and point of contact for students in the Allied Health programs, Addiction Studies, and Social Behavioral Sciences.

Program Director
Jessica received her degree in occupational therapy from Eastern Washington University in 2006 and has since remained a licensed, practicing occupational therapist. 

She has worked in a variety of capacities and settings, including acute care, home health, skilled nursing, school district, and Veteran's services. Her passions in occupational therapy are neurological rehabilitation and splinting. 

Outside of teaching, she enjoys outdoor activities, reading, and spending time with her family.

Instructional Technician for the PTA and OTA Programs

Lance Best has been a Physical Therapist Assistant since 2015 where he worked at St-Luke's Rehabilitation Institute inpatient Brain Injury, Stroke and as a Primary therapist on the Spinal Cord Injury Unit. He has an AA in teaching, Human Resource Management and a BA in Business Leadership and Management. Prior to becoming a PTA, he retired from the United States Air Force where he served various roles to include Avionics Technician on RC-135 aircraft, Master Instructor, First Sergeant, Production Supervisor and Flight Chief.

Assistant to the Dean of Professional Studies, Library, and Workforce Education

Dr. Danielle DiLuzio OTD, OTR/L earned a Master’s degree in occupational therapy and a post professional doctorate degree both from Gannon University. Danielle has experience working as an occupational therapist in a variety of clinical settings including serving adults with orthopedic and neurological impairments in inpatient rehabilitation and acute care and serving adults with serious mental illness in inpatient mental health settings. Clinically, Danielle is passionate about providing empathetic, client-centered, and evidence-based care. In the academic setting, Danielle strives to provide the most updated and evidence-based education to facilitate student success as they enter clinical practice settings. She is focusing future research pursuits on international student experiences, occupational therapy services within mental health and community-based settings, interprofessional education, holistic admissions, and increasing availability of services for underserved populations.

Allie has been an occupational therapist at Sacred Heart Medical Center since 2013. She received her Master's of Occupational Therapy from Eastern Washington University. Allie is skilled in acute care, critical care, mechanical heart devices, neuro rehabilitation, adult and geriatric psych. Allie enjoys tea, traveling, cross country skiing, hiking, running, and spending time with her family.

Athena graduated in June 2013 from the NBCOT Accredited Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Spokane Falls Community College. She completed a student rotation in the Cheney School District and discovered her passion for working with the pediatric population. She began working full time at Center for Pediatric Therapy in August of 2013. Athena is passionate about living a wholistic lifestyle and enjoys teaching yoga in her spare time. She enjoys drawing, painting, cooking, spending time with family and friends, and being outdoors.

Dana McPhee, MS, PT, NCS – Core Faculty

Dana has been a physical therapist since 1993 and a Neurologic Certified Specialist since 2004. She has practiced in rehabilitation, inpatient acute care, and long-term acute care. Her specialty is traumatic brain injury, stroke, and critical care. In addition to being full time core faculty at SFCC, Dana has been an adjunct professor at Eastern Washington University in the physical therapy program and is on the Advisory Board for Whitworth University’s Physical Therapy Program. She holds an MS in Physical Therapy and a BS in Biology. She was given the Award for Clinical Excellence in Neurology by the APTA in 2013. She has had the great opportunity to participate in several international medical missions over the past 13 years. Dana enjoys hiking, cycling, kayaking, running, and spending time with her family and dogs.

Skylor Mitchell, Admin Assistant 2 – Allied Health - OTA/PTA

Skylor has been with Allied Health since December 2022 and is learning the various parts of the PTA and OTA programs. He graduated SFCC in 2013 with an AAS as an Administrative & Computer Specialist. Starting in 2013, Skylor spent nearly 6 years as an Instructional Tech in Business Math here at SFCC. Since leaving Business Math, he has been on a journey gaining administrative knowledge while learning about new programs (PACE/SEER and Head Start) throughout CCS.

Skylor was born and raised in west Spokane and enjoys simply being outside (weather permitting). While outside, he enjoys occasional yard work, gardening (though not a “green thumb”) and landscape/nature photography.

Emily Orne - Clinical Coordinator

Emily is the Allied Health Clinical Coordinator for both the Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) and Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) programs at SFCC. She graduated from SCC with a Baking Degree where she became the lead cake decorator and baker for a bakery in Spokane for a few years until making an adjustment to her career ambitions. Emily then attended SFCC and graduated with honors while earning her Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree and becoming a Microsoft Office Specialist Associate.

Animals, sports (hockey, football, baseball, and men's college basketball), crafting, cooking, and baking, are all things Emily absolutely loves.

Dean of Professional Studies, Library, and Workforce Education

I am the Professional Studies, Library, and Workforce Dean at Spokane Falls Community College. I am from the area earning my degrees from Eastern Washington University (EWU) and the University of Idaho. I have worked at several colleges during my career, which include EWU, Ithaca College, Stanford, and North Idaho College. We look forward to the introduction of a new dynamic leader to our community.

Academic Fieldwork Coordinator
Tana is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant licensed in the State of Washington. Currently, Tana is the active Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Instructor for the SFCC OTA program. Her experience includes 8 years as an OTA in Acute Care and Acute Geriatric Psych Unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center and Skilled Nursing Facility. Prior to OT, Tana worked for over 15 years in Marketing, Advertising, and event planning for Fortune 500 Telecom and Real Estate investment companies in Dallas TX. Tana is a mother of two boys, her youngest with Down syndrome, and an advocate of all people with special needs. She holds a BA in Graphic Arts and Art History from Western Washington and working towards her MA in Adult Education. Tana was a member of the first graduating class of the SFCC COTA program.