Cantor’s Driving School Trainers
Cantor’s Driving School’s Experienced, Expert Trainers
Cantor’s Driving School trainers are the very best in Maricopa County Arizona. All trainers know how teens and adults learn to drive, so we customize our teaching approaches to our students. All Cantor’s Driving School trainers have clean driving records, have passed criminal background checks and been fingerprinted.
All Cantor’s Driving School trainers are Arizona state-certified.
Cantor’s Driving School has taught over 100,000 people how to drive – The Driving School That Gets Results®
Employment for Driving Trainers
Cantor’s Driving School is always looking for good driving trainers. Call us at 480-482-1900 to inquire about current opportunities, or send an email with your resume to cantorsdrivingaz@gmail.com.
Meet Our Driving Trainers
Instructors in Phoenix
Kathleen Hardison
Kathleen was born and raised in Glendale, but currently resides in Peoria. She is married and has 3 step-children and 2 granddaughters. Kathleen left Glendale at 18 to travel across country to seek new adventures. Kathleen worked in the medical field for 15 years, from the American Red Cross where she trained new employees to Dialysis where she taught her patients how to perform dialysis and take care of themselves. At age 35 she joined the US Army and was stationed at 286th Signal Company, 11th Brigade, 3rd Army at Fort Bliss, Texas where she was the NCOIC (Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge) of training for 250 soldiers. With her passion for training, she has been a certified behind the wheel driving trainer, teaching well over 7,000 teenagers and adults for the last 10 years in Maricopa County. She teaches students how to drive, including defensive techniques to keep them safe on the road. She has attended over 1,000 hours of defensive driving and drivers education courses.
Stephanie Burdick
Stephanie is a former kindergarten teacher, accountant, and has an Associate’s Degree in Law. She grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah where she taught kindergarten. After moving to Phoenix, she took a job in the accounting field and stayed in that profession for 20 years. Her interest in teaching always remained strong, and now giving driving lessons allows her to return to a job where she can instruct and interact with students once again. Stephanie is dedicated, passionate, patient and friendly. She enjoys organizing various group activities and continuing education.
Lisa Mikelat
Lisa is from Wilmington, Delaware. She attended Delaware Technical and Community College were she earned an Associates Degree in Applied Science (Criminal Justice), a certification in Medical Billing and Coding, and another as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). Later she joined the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She is married, and has 2 children, 2 dogs and 2 cats. She has earned numerous certifications in Psychological First Aid, Children’s Sexual Abuse and Prevention, Certified Emergency Response Team, Search and Rescue to name a few. Lisa now resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Rachelle Sanchez
Rachelle was born in California, and her family moved to Arizona when she was 2 years old. She is a graduate of North Canyon High School in Phoenix and lived in Germany for 3 years. Rachelle is a wife and mother of 4 wonderful children and her family has 3 dogs. She has a passion for learning and teaching, including working as a daycare teacher and many positions where she was teaching new employees to be successful. She has a diverse work background, including owning her own recording studio, having a health insurance license and attending real estate school. She studied martial arts for 8 years and earned a black belt in Okinawan Karate.
Jeff Blythe
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Jeff’s passion for driving began at an early age and has continued to shape his life. During his sophomore year at San Jose State University, Jeff realized he’d be much happier behind the wheel than behind a desk, so upon completion of a nine-month intensive training program offered by Sage Truck Driving Institute, Jeff earned his Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with doubles, triples, tanker and hazmat endorsements. He then spent the next decade and a half employed as a commercial truck driver, before opting to call it quits in order to spend more time with his family. He has since put his skills and experience to work as a Lead Driving Instructor for Waymo (Google’s self-driving vehicle project) and as a Fleet Operations Specialist and Transportation Network Company (TNC) Lead Driver for Hertz. Jeff has been involved in competitive motorsports for a long time. As a member of Arizona Corvette Racing, he serves as both driver and in-car instructor. With a highly advanced driving skill set coupled with an extremely safety-conscious mindset, he’s a top notch driving trainer.
David Wright (Speaks English and Spanish)
David was born in Ohio, and raised between Montgomery County, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia. He moved to Arizona in 2014. As a certified electrician, he was always intrigued with energy and how things worked, so he began building off grid cabins. He started teaching others how build these cabins and found his new passion in teaching others. He became a road supervisor for Valley Metro, teaching professional operators how to drive buses. Safety is always in the forefront of his teaching methods. He finds it rewarding to watch others learn and grow into good drivers. He is married with three sons. His hobbies include camping, riding motorcycles, archery, and building cabins, which he does with his family.
Janet Warrenburg
Janet is a 4th generation Santa Barbara native, where she married, raised her family and worked in the grocery industry in the Central Coast for 20 plus years. During that time she made the decision to leave the workforce to homeschool all 5 of her children for several years. She then returned to the grocery workforce in the early 2000s. after a labor strike, she decided to pursue her next professional career as a certified school bus driver. “Miss Jan”,as her students affectionately called her, devoted nearly 20 years to the transportation department working with the very rewarding Exceptional Student Services (ESS) program, getting certified yearly in CPR and first aid.
During the early 2000s Janet wanted to check off a bucket list item, so she completed the Motorcycle Safety Program and rode her Harley-Davidson Heritage motorcycle for 10 years. In 2018 she made the decision to move to Arizona, following several of her children. Upon her arrival she decided to swap her Harley for a Mustang, checking off yet another item on that bucket list, and continued the now well-established family tradition of car enthusiasts attending car cruises and car show events in the Valley. In her spare time, Janet enjoys camping, researching health topics, movies with family, walking her dog and visiting her other adult children in California, Oregon and Utah.
Melissa Winters
Melissa was born and raised in Arizona. As a dedicated professional driver, she spent many years navigating the roads and highways, both as a skilled driver and as a trusted supervisor and trainer in the industry. She appreciates the freedom of the open road and the thrill of sharing her driving expertise with others. She has 3 children and is the devoted caretaker of 3 furry companions. Her life is a balance between family, pets, and the endless adventure of the highway.
Zephan Hughes
Zephan was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. He was previously employed through another driving school company for 2 years before joining Cantor’s Driving School. He is a graduate of Chandler Gilbert Community College and is actively pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Human Communication and a minor in Organizational Studies. He has served in the United States Army Reserves for 6 years. Zephan has worked for a number of different Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) clinics and enjoys being of service to others. He now enjoys working with new drivers to get them where they need to be for road safety and following all traffic rules. Encouragement and supportive words are the key basis of his teaching strategy. His hobbies include exercising, boxing, watching movies, playing his guitar and spending time with friends and family.
Steve Balster
Steve was born at Ft. Benning, Georgia, lived in Germany and moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1972. A few years after high school he moved to Seattle, Washington from 1992 to 1996, where he worked for over twenty years in multilayer printed circuits. He attended Chandler-Gilbert Community College in 2006. In 2017 Steve began working for Valley Metro in Phoenix. After a year Steve became a behind-the-wheel trainer and trained new bus drivers for five years. In 2023, Steve became a safety trainer for Valley Metro and was a classroom instructor for new drivers. Then he was a certified instructor with LLLC. (Look Ahead, Look Around, Leave Room, Communicate). These four principles encompass all safe driving techniques and these safe driving tips are easy to memorize and are effective defensive driving behaviors. Safety is very important to Steve as he has trained many drivers over the last six years to be accident free and safety conscious. Steve was once a professional guitarist in the late 1980s/early 1990s in Phoenix and Seattle. A Chandler, AZ homeowner since 2003, he is married with four beautiful daughters. His hobbies include computer graphic art, PC gaming, camping, guitar and recording music.
Leah Else
Leah is a dedicated professional with a background in real estate and a strong interest in forensic psychology. Originally from New Mexico, Leah moved to Phoenix at the age of 7, where she has since established both her personal and professional life. After completing her studies in real estate, Leah is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in forensic psychology, focusing on expanding her knowledge in this field. She also recently earned a certificate in project management, further enhancing her skill set in managing complex tasks and projects effectively. Prior to her current endeavors, Leah worked as a driving instructor for three years, where she honed her teaching and communication skills.
As a mother of two, Leah balances her professional, academic, and personal commitments with a strong sense of responsibility. She enjoys spending quality time with her children and values the importance of family. Outside of her work and studies, Leah is passionate about music and plays the piano professionally. She also enjoys horseback riding and finds it both relaxing and energizing, while motorcycle riding gives her a sense of adventure and freedom. Leah is always seeking opportunities to grow personally and professionally, embracing the continuous learning process that allows her to bring a thoughtful, well-rounded perspective to all aspects of her life.
Maddison Cruz
Maddison was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. She has been in the USA since 2001, and resided in Texas until 2011, when she relocated to Arizona. Maddison had a 20 plus year career in Human Resources as a Recruiter. Prior to joining Cantor’s Driving School, she spent 5 years in the autonomous vehicle industry, where she became a certified trainer and enjoyed teaching others the skills to operate and drive the autonomous vehicles. She has always enjoyed driving, and has obtained certificates in advanced and performance driving. Her passion is working one-on-one with people, and teaching them to become competent and safe drivers. Maddison is a strong animal advocate, and has done foster, rescue, and adoption for many years. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband, Mitch, and their cats, Chance and Wee Boy. She gets her “dog fix” from dog sitting.
Dustin Moreland
Dustin was born and raised in Gilbert, Arizona, but is currently residing in Mesa. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserves at 18 years old where he served as a Squad Leader overlooking thirteen junior enlisted Marines until 2019. He then enlisted in the Army Reserves in 2019 where he served in Counter Intelligence until 2025. In 2016 he earned his Arizona peace officer certification and served as a Police Officer for 8 years. During his time as an officer he became a AZPOST General Instructor, assisted teaching recruits at the police academy, and became very familiar with Arizona traffic laws and regulations. Dustin enjoys teaching others in all aspects to make them better, safer, and more informed drivers. Outside of work his hobbies include building classic cars, exploring the outdoors, and traveling to new places.
Derek Lookingbill
Derek is a proud father of three. He spent his formative years primarily in Mesa, Arizona, before embarking on a distinguished career in the United States Air Force. Following his military service, Derek transitioned into the rapidly evolving autonomous vehicle industry. Since 2017, he has been deeply involved in numerous aspects and roles within this cutting-edge field, including working at Cruise.
Derek has attended immersive courses at both the renowned Bondurant Racing School and Sonoma Raceway. He is fascinated with classic automobiles, the latest advancements in electric vehicles, the intricacies of modern technology, and the freedom of motorcycles. Above all, Derek maintains an insatiable curiosity and a lifelong commitment to learning and exploring new horizons.
Victor Parades
Originally from Downey, California, Victor has been a professional driving instructor for over 28 years, with more than 24,000 lessons taught in California, Idaho, and now Arizona. A former U.S. Marine and longtime fitness trainer, he brings discipline, safety, and dedication to every lesson. He has also trained new instructors and worked as a classroom educator for one of Southern California’s largest driving schools. A proud father and grandfather, Victor enjoys mentoring others and believes in living with accountability, effort, and kindness.
Instructors in Tucson
Mani Namzi
Mani has been in the driving school industry for 18 years. For the past 11 years, he was a master driving instructor for DriversEd.com, trained and guided by Cantor’s Driving School Director of Operations Hale Gammill. He has trained thousands of driving students in Southern California, trained other instructors, and done marketing at school assemblies too. Mani is a former owner/operator and instructor for Safety 1st Driving School. He’s a very patient and detailed instructor, trained to help adults, teenagers, senior citizens to become safe, defensive drivers. He has been attending the Driving School Association of California (DSAC) continuing education programs for the past 16 years, making sure he has the latest information and keeping his instructor skills sharp.
Employment for Driving Trainers
Cantor’s Driving School is always looking for good driving trainers. Call us at 480-482-1900 to inquire about current opportunities, or send an email with your resume to cantorsdrivingaz@gmail.com.