The Academy Difference
Our self-paced modules empower learners to engage with content on their schedule, making it easier to balance professional development with daily responsibilities
Meet our Educators
to engage and support every learner
Kelly Sutton
Kelly is a registered nurse and CDI leader with 30+ years of healthcare experience spanning bedside care and extensive leadership in Clinical Documentation Integrity. She has led CDI education and implementation across multi facility health systems and served as a national educator, author, and speaker with ACDIS. Kelly oversees Hivero Learning and the Expert Network bringing deep clinical insight and a strong commitment to compliant, high quality CDI education.
Nicole Rodriguez
Nicole is a registered nurse and CDI educator with more than 15 years of clinical experience across multiple specialties. She has served as a CDI educator, team lead for a multi‑hospital system, and national educator, author, and speaker with ACDIS. As an Academy Education Specialist, Nicole is known for making complex clinical concepts approachable and meaningful for CDI professionals.
Debbie Breton
Debbie Breton is an ACDIS‑approved educator and CDI leader with more than 13 years of clinical nursing experience. She has held CDI leadership and educator roles across multi‑hospital and multi‑state health systems, leading onboarding, advanced education, and mentorship initiatives. Debbie is known for her practical, clinically grounded approach to CDI education.
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6543 Las Vegas Blvd. SLas Vegas, NV 89119
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academy@hivero.com
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Kelly Sutton
MHL, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCS
With over 30 years of diverse experience in healthcare, Kelly Sutton brings a strong clinical foundation and a proven leadership track record to every role she undertakes. Her career began in direct patient care, including Home Health, Hospice, and 13 years in Emergency Medicine. Over time, she transitioned into leadership roles in Employee Occupational Health and Workers’ Compensation, Stroke Program Coordination, and Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI).
Nicole Rodriguez
MSN, RN, CCDS
Nicole is an Academy Education Specialist with The Academy and brings a deep passion for Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) and a strong foundation in nursing leadership. With over 15 years of clinical nursing experience across diverse specialties including ER/Trauma, Labor and Delivery, Interventional Radiology, Vascular Access, Infusion, and Wound Care she has cultivated a comprehensive understanding of patient care that informs her work in CDI education and strategy.
Nicole’s journey in CDI has included roles as a CDI Educator, team lead for a multi-hospital organization, and national CDI educator and instructor for HCPro/ACDIS. She has reviewed inpatient, outpatient, second-level, and mortality cases, and thrives on translating complex clinical concepts into meaningful education that empowers CDI professionals to elevate documentation quality and patient outcomes.
Nicole holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Nursing Leadership and is a Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS). Nicole has also participated in the ACDIS Physician Advisor Committee. Beyond her professional life, she is a proud wife and mom of five, and finds joy and balance on their family farm, where she cares for animals and spends quality time with loved ones.
Nicole is always eager to connect with fellow CDI professionals, educators, and healthcare leaders who share a commitment to excellence, innovation, and lifelong learning.
Debbie Breton
BSN, RN, CCDS
Debbie is an ACDIS Approved Educator and Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) leader with more than 13 years of clinical nursing experience. Her background includes coronary critical care, home health, hospice, and hospital-based case management. That clinical foundation continues to shape her CDI work, grounding her approach in strong clinical reasoning and a commitment to documentation that accurately reflects the patient’s condition and the complexity of care delivered.
Debbie transitioned into CDI in 2017 within a multi-hospital organization and advanced into leadership in 2019, where she supported teams across multiple inpatient facilities. Her leadership centered on strengthening documentation consistency, fostering collaborative provider engagement, and developing structured growth pathways that enabled CDI professionals to build confidence and deepen their expertise. In 2021, she assumed a leadership role at a 600+ bed flagship hospital, where she advanced documentation practices across a large, high-volume, multidisciplinary environment while maintaining a clear focus on team development and cross-disciplinary alignment.
Most recently, Debbie served as a CDI Educator within a multi-state health system. She developed and delivered structured onboarding and advanced education programs and designed and implemented a formal CDI mentorship framework to support professional development and sustainable team growth. Her educational approach emphasizes clarity, critical thinking, and practical application, equipping teams to navigate complex documentation scenarios with confidence and integrity.
Debbie holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and maintains certification as a Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) through ACDIS. She currently serves on the Furthering Education Committee (2024–present). She also recently served on the ACDIS Leadership Council (2023–2025). She values shared learning, professional growth, and creating environments where CDI professionals feel supported, capable, and connected.