Our Staff at BrightStar Care® Ventura

Dr. Wagner is the Medical Director/Co-Owner of the Ventura & Camarillo/Oxnard BrightsStar Franchises.  He is a Board Certified and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Wagner received his BS from UC-Irvine and my Medical Degree from UC-San Francisco.  He did his internship/residency at Marquette University in Milwaukee Wisconsin.  He practiced Emergency Medicine for over 33 yrs in Ventura County.  He was the Director of the Emergency Department at Simi Valley Adventist Hospital for 10 of those years and then a partner in the Mission Emergency Group practicing out of St Johns Regional Medical Center for the last 18 years. Dr. Wagner started six free standing Urgent Care centers in Ventura County over the last 30 years and still owns and operates the one in Ventura, The Ventura Urgent Care Center.   He is married to a wonderful and beautiful local Oxnard girl, a product of the local McGrath and Laubacher farming families.  His wife is a Family and Marriage Counselor.  They have 4 wonderful fully grown children and live locally in Ventura.  Dr. Wagner is extremely excited about the future of Home Health in this country and the role that BrightStar has in this arena.

A 1986 graduate of the Southern California College of Optometry, Oxnard native Dr. Holden also completed one year as a Clinical Instructor in the Contact Lens Department at SCCO. In addition to practicing general optometry, he is certified to treat ocular diseases, and co manages cataract and Lasik procedures.    Dr. Holden is actively involved in the community including serving on the Oxnard City Council for 10 years, and recently retired as the Mayor of Oxnard after serving eight years. He is Past President of the Tri-County Optometric Society. Dr. Holden is a St. John's Hospital Humanitarian, and currently sits on the St. John's Hospitals Community Board. He has served on the Boys and Girls Club Board, receiving the National Service to Youth award, Oxnard Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary Club, where he was presented the distinguished Paul Harris Award.  Dr. Holden was also selected as Oxnard's Distinguished Citizen of the Year.  With three sons actively involved in sports, Dr. Holden has also been involved in coaching and fundraising for many local teams and charities.  

Mike York is a Ventura County born and raised native, with the support of his wife Lisa. Mike Previously owned York Business Records Storage, a family business founded in 1977. York (as the business came to be known) was the trusted records and information repository for most hospitals in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties along with many physicians groups. “Best Practices” coupled with “Best Individuals” allowed York to provide the full range of 24/7 services to more than 500 unique corporations for over 32 years. Mike and Lisa’s oldest child has dealt with the challenges of Type I Diabetes since his first birthday. Round the clock care has allowed for him to mature into a healthy young adult. Mike’s father and business partner Richard, despite the tireless dedication of his wife, succumbed to the ravages of Parkinson Disease in his home state of Pennsylvania in late 2011. Without the combined efforts of family, medical professionals and friends the quality of life (in our cases both the beginning and the end) would have been significantly less. “Making More Possible”, BrightStar’s Mission Statement, is being implemented in Ventura County while providing the full continuum of care from Pediatrics to Geriatrics.

Amanda is a graduate from the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics at California State University Fullerton and received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. The diverse coursework she obtained in her business degree and her years of management experience, has set the foundation for her to succeed with BrightStar. She is currently furthering her education by completing her MBA, and she is excited to provide BrightStar of Ventura with the special skill sets her education has helped her attain. Since joining BrightStar, Amanda has learned more about the home care industry, and exudes a great compassion for clients and the business. Amanda is committed to hiring the best team of caregivers, tirelessly devotes herself to implementing the “BrightStar Standards,” and making BrightStar of Ventura the premier homecare in Ventura County.