Yvette Hitchens earns REEA Gold Standard Instructor certification

Yvette Hitchens, founder of California HCD-approved education provider The MH Trainer, has earned the Real Estate Educators Association’s Gold Standard Instructor credential after completing three instructor development workshops. The new certification adds to her ARELLO CDEI designation and underscores her role in manufactured housing education.

Why it matters: - The new REEA credential strengthens The MH Trainer’s instructor credentials for manufactured housing education in California. - Hitchens now holds two national education credentials that cover both online course delivery and broader classroom instruction. - The certification may matter to students and industry professionals who rely on state-required training and continuing education to stay compliant.

What happened: - Yvette Hitchens, founder of The MH Trainer and a California HCD-approved education provider, earned the Gold Standard Instructor (GSI) certification from the Real Estate Educators Association (REEA). - REEA awarded the certification on July 25, 2026. - Hitchens completed REEA’s Instructor Development Workshops #1, #2 and #3 to qualify. - The MH Trainer is based in California and serves the manufactured housing education market.

The details: - REEA was founded in 1980 as a national professional society for real estate educators, including instructors, trainers, regulators, education directors, schools and authors. - The association says its mission is to provide resources and professional development opportunities for people and organizations involved in real estate education. - Gold Standard Instructor is REEA’s foundational instructor credential and the first step toward the Distinguished Real Estate Instructor designation. - IDW #1 focuses on interactive learning and instructor self-assessment. - IDW #2 covers active learning techniques, team building, timed outlines and presentation design. - IDW #3 focuses on tools and technologies for keeping students engaged. - The curriculum emphasizes self-evaluation, how adults learn and adding assessment into instruction from the start. - Hitchens said, “Knowing a subject and knowing how to teach it are two different skills, and students pay for both.” - Hitchens said nearly 30 years in California manufactured housing gave her subject matter expertise, while REEA helped her better understand adult learning and where instructors lose a class. - Hitchens said she wants compliance education to be something students finish understanding better, not just endure. - Hitchens already holds the Certified Distance Education Instructor (CDEI) credential from ARELLO, which certifies competency in designing and delivering online education. - REEA’s GSI credential is broader than CDEI and focuses on instructional craft. - The two credentials together cover The MH Trainer’s online courses and its teaching quality.

Between the lines: - The certification signals a push to pair subject expertise with formal teaching skill, especially in compliance-heavy education. - The MH Trainer is positioning itself as both a technical training provider and a professional education brand. - The dual-credential setup suggests Hitchens is building credibility with both regulators and students who want state-required instruction to be more effective.

What's next: - The MH Trainer will continue offering online, self-paced education that meets or exceeds Title 25 and California HCD requirements. - Course offerings remain centered on Park Manager Training, pre-licensing, continuing education and the Certified Manufactured Home Specialist designation. - Enrollment and course information are available at more information.

The bottom line: - Hitchens’ REEA certification adds a national teaching credential to an already compliance-focused education business, reinforcing The MH Trainer’s position in California manufactured housing training.