Meet Our Faculty
Skilled, supportive, and experienced instruction
Massage Therapy faculty at COCC are compassionate and highly trained professionals who practice a wide variety of techniques and methods. Our many instructors come from diverse professional backgrounds and remain active local leaders in their fields. Massage Therapy faculty provide our students with industry insights and best practices, hands-on learning opportunities, and knowledgeable advising. View the Allied Health Directory for a full listing of Massage Therapy faculty and staff.
Full-Time Faculty Profiles
Alan Nunes, AAS, LMT, NCBTMB
Program Director, Chair of Allied Health and Assistant Professor II of Massage Therapy
Email: anunes@cocc.edu
Alan entered the world of massage therapy in 2002 at National Holistic Institute in Emeryville, California and began a rewarding career helping others. Fascinated by the effects of massage therapy and their ability to allow clients to reconnect to their health, he set out to broaden his practice and pursue education, eventually leading him to COCC in 2007.
Alan loves passing on the rich traditions of Shiatsu, Thai, Ayurveda and western-based massage techniques. His work over the years include: massage internship at a mental hospital for those affected by severe schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder, spa and clinical work, private practice and instructional workshops along the west coast. He has traveled the country, speaking at national massage conferences, served on committees for the AMTA and ABMP and works closely with the OBMT. He loves community volunteer work and provides continuing education for LMT's in several states.
Alan serves COCC as the Program Director for the LMT Program as well as the Department Chair of Allied Health. He is a dedicated advisor and passionate instructor that provides an academic experience that is engaging, diverse and cultivates student success. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing music, and traveling.
Alissa Locke, AAS, LMT
Alissa began her massage therapy journey here at COCC in the Fall of 2003, completing the 2-year degree program.
Since then, she has worked alongside chiropractors, physical therapists, and fellow massage therapists in addition to building her private practice. Alissa would describe her massage style as “Therapeutic Swedish”, focusing on pain relief while allowing for a connected relaxing experience for her clients.
After gaining 5 years of clinical experience in the field, Alissa joined the COCC massage therapy team in 2010 as a teaching assistant. Enjoying the balance of private practice and working with the student community, she seized the opportunity to move into an instructor role in 2019. With a commitment to upholding a high standard of excellence in the profession and student experience, Alissa is honored to be part of the educational team at COCC.
Adjunct Faculty Profiles
Kristan "PeaceBird" Banks, LMT
Kristan, known more commonly as “PeaceBird”, is a COCC alumni of the massage therapy program, graduating in 2019. She joined the team early on as a TA, with a primary focus on Kinesiology. Now, years later, PeaceBird is the lead instructor for this series, as well as Prenatal massage and other various courses throughout the program.
PeaceBird brings over 15 years of body and energy work experience through her work with local non-profit OMfield; a sustainable eco-village and healing community, spiritual teachings from indigenous elders, and later through her own practice, Healing Spaces.
Drawing from her interests in psychology, biology, and the spirit that connects us all, PeaceBird discovered a way to blend her unique qualities and intuitive talents, along with massage therapy, into a healing opportunity that goes beyond the surface of the physical.
With a passion for helping individuals identify the source of their “dis-ease”, PeaceBird is continually practicing the arts of self-care, and fine tuning the inner and outer layers of releasing that which no longer serves us, both individually and collectively. She is convinced that the philosophy of “as one heals, we all heal” holds as much truth as “everything happens for a reason”, further inspiring her to reach out as a facilitator of healing the spaces within.
Her years of living off grid and learning the language of the universe have brought with it a vibration that lets her know when it’s time to get outside of the four corners of town, and back into nature… a place to recalibrate, realign, and center.