Meet the Founder

Dr. Taaka Cash, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, MPH — Founder and Executive Director, ShiftReady Institute

Dr. Taaka Cash

DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, MPH

Dr. Taaka Cash

For more than two decades, Dr. Taaka Cash has worked at the intersection of healthcare, behavioral health, education, leadership, and workforce development — from direct patient care and advanced psychiatric practice to executive leadership, teaching, mentoring, and building pathways that help people move forward.

A doctoral-prepared, board-certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and U.S. Navy veteran, Dr. Cash is a Vanderbilt University graduate who also holds a Master of Public Health degree. She has spent more than 20 years in nursing and more than 14 years in advanced psychiatric practice.

ShiftReady was built because she saw the same problem over and over: people were being asked to succeed while navigating health, career preparation, employment, leadership, and opportunity as if those things had nothing to do with one another. They do. ShiftReady was created to connect those pieces.

"I built ShiftReady because real life does not happen in departments. Your health affects your work. Your work affects your life. Your preparation affects your opportunities. And the right opportunity can change an entire family."
— Dr. Taaka Cash
20+ Years in Nursing14+ Years Advanced Psychiatric PracticeU.S. Navy VeteranDNP · PMHNP-BC · MPHVanderbilt UniversityAlpha Kappa Alpha SororityHealthcare + Workforce Leadership

Why ShiftReady Exists

About ShiftReady Institute, LLC

ShiftReady Institute, LLC is an integrated health, wellness, workforce development, Registered Apprenticeship, employer solutions, leadership, innovation, and community-impact organization designed to help people and organizations stay ready for what comes next.

Work, health, education, and opportunity are often treated as separate problems. ShiftReady brings them together. We help people prepare for work, stay healthy enough to succeed, continue developing throughout their careers — and help employers build stronger teams around them.

EDUCATE·HEAL·DEVELOP·EMPLOY·EMPOWER

The Ecosystem

One Ecosystem. Multiple Solutions. Measurable Impact.

Every service area inside ShiftReady is designed to work together — because the people we serve need more than one thing at a time.

U.S. DOL Registered Apprenticeship Sponsor

Registered Nurse Resident — Program No. 2026-TX-142651

Healthcare Services

Behavioral health, psychiatry, occupational health, women's health

Wellness Services

Wellness consultations, metabolic health, lifestyle-focused care

Occupational Health

Employer-focused workforce health and return-to-work support

Workforce Development

Training, career readiness, mentorship, community programs

Employer Solutions

Talent pipelines, readiness, retention and workforce health

Leadership Development

ShiftReady Leadership Academy™

Innovation & Research

ShiftReady XR™, digital learning, workforce technology

Outcome Tracking

Apprentices Enrolled

Data Coming Soon

Training Completions

Data Coming Soon

Employers Engaged

Data Coming Soon

Patients Served

Data Coming Soon

Placement Outcomes

Data Coming Soon

Leadership Participants

Data Coming Soon