DSO People! New DSO and Dental Group Hires, Promotions & Awards December 2024

In recent months, layoffs have noticeably increased, particularly among vendors in the dental industry. Staying informed about leadership changes within DSOs is essential for success, whether you’re a vendor or part of a DSO team. Keeping track of shifts at the executive and C-suite levels provides valuable insights needed to navigate the evolving landscape and improve performance. Notably, this month’s list highlights a significant milestone, with over 60% of the featured individuals being women.

DSO People serves as your trusted source for staying current on key personnel movements. In the fast-paced DSO space, understanding who’s who is vital for driving growth and making well-informed business decisions.

Here is December’s DSO People list:

Rondi Michaux joins Espire Dental as their Chief Growth Officer. She has been on their Board of Directors since July 2024. She has held the title of Director of Corporate Development at both 42 North Dental and Dental Care Alliance. Her last position was with iCreditWorks. She spent the first 15 years of her dental career as an Office Manager.

Espire Dental Management, a fast-growing, cosmetic and multi-specialty group practice, recently announced a significant strategic move in the Pacific Northwest, further strengthening its position in the western United States, with the acquisition of Sauvage PLLC, a five-location dental practice based in Seattle, Washington, and Tranquility Dental Wellness, a four-location practice serving the Tacoma/Olympia area. The group operates 39 practices across Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma, California, Texas, and Washington.  Learn more HERE.

Theresa Murphy joined SALT Dental Partners as their Director of Operational Growth. She previously served as Director of Specialty Services at Marquee Dental Partners. She held various operations and management jobs at Pacific Dental Servies for over a decade. SALT supports 160+ practices across the U.S.

Dave Salciccioli has joined Shared Practices Group as the VP of Operations. He previously worked as Chief Strategy Officer at Singing River Dental Partners. Both groups were featured on the Group Dentistry Now Emerging Groups to Watch in 2023 list.

Patricia Mahony became Chief Operating Officer at Tend. Prior to joining the dental groups, Patricia was COO at The Smilist Management. She was also CEO at the Smilist and Senior VP operations at Western Dental Services. Tend launched in 2019 and has locations in five major cities: New York, Washington DC, Boston, Atlanta and Nashville.

Imagen Dental Partners welcomed Marla Smith as their Western Director of Business Development. Previously she was the VP of Business Development at Specialty Smile Partners. She has also worked for Heartland Dental and Elite Dental Partners. Imagen is a DPO headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ. It was founded in 2020.

Meghan (Brownshield) Jones was promoted to Senior Director of Operations and New Office Operations at TAG – The Aspen Group. She had held operations and management positions at Aspen Dental Management, Inc. (ADMI) for nearly a decade. She began her dental career as an Aspen Dental Office Manager.  At Aspen Dental, an impressive 79% of the clinical workforce is composed of women, showcasing their significant presence and influence. Learn more HERE.

Freedom Dental Health System (formerly Freedom Dental Managment) announced two promotions:

• Rosetta Searle-Wandless has been promoted to Director of Human Resources. She started her career with Freedom over 10 years ago as a dental assistant. Rosetta’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping their culture, launching initiatives like virtual learning platforms, and fostering growth across the organization.
• Heather Hague has been promoted to Director of Orthodontics. Over the past 10 years, she has played a pivotal role in growing FDHS’s orthodontics division from its infancy to a thriving, multi-location specialty spanning Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

Elite Dental Partners’ personnel announcements:

• Dr. Victoria Yu became their CEO and Chief Dental Officer. She is Elite’s first female CEO. Prior to this position, Dr. Yu worked at Walmart Health as their Chief Dental Officer. She was also Chief Clinical Officer at Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners. In April 2024, Walmart Health announced that they were to close all 51 health centers across five states and shut down the virtual care offering.
• Jenna Dominski was promoted to Director of Clinical Operations at Elite Dental Partners. Before this promotion, she was their Director of Doctor Relations. She began her career as an Office Manager at Aspen Dental. Elite Dental Partners was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Chicago, Il.

Sonrava Health welcomed Arisbel Gutierrez as their Senior Manger Procurement Operations. Before joining the parent organization of a family of health and wellness companies, Arisbel was the Special Markets Manager at Supply Doc Inc. She has also held Office Manager and Patient Care Coordinator positions at Western Dental & Orthodontics and Bright Now! Dental. Sonrava is comprised of several companies – including Western Dental & Orthodontics, Western Dental Kids, Brident Dental & Orthodontics, Brident Dental Kids, LooksBrite Eye Centers, EyeMax Vision Plan, MIB Insurance Plans and Vital Smiles.

Michelle Hottes has been appointed Regional Operations Manager at Impression Dental Group (IDG). Michelle has spent 20 years working in the dental and medical field where she has gained deep insights into both industries, primarily in operational management positions. Michelle’s most recent role in a dental network was as a Practice Development Manager with Bupa Dental where she looked after 23 practices across the NSW region. IDG has transformed the dental landscape of Australia since its inception in late 2021. IDG is also the first international winner of the Emerging Groups to Watch Award.

Great Expressions Dental Centers promoted Julie Schiller to Division VP from Senior Area Operations Manager. Founded in 1982, Great Expressions has 250 practices in nine states.

Chris Wright joins HuFriedyGroup as their new Senior Vice President, North America Sales. In his new role, Chris will be responsible for managing and driving North America sales growth, customer experience initiatives and the reputation of HuFriedyGroup through service to end-users, dental schools, DSOs and corporate owned dentistry practices. Prior to this move he was Chief Growth Officer at iCreditWorks. He spent over two decades at Dentsply Sirona.

DSO People is sponsored by Fidler and Associates, the premier executive search firm in the DSO industry and proud partner of Group Dentistry Now. From startup and emerging groups to large, private equity backed organizations Fidler and Associates reputation and experience are unmatched within the industry. Whether you are looking to hire an executive or looking for a new career, please contact Fidler and Associates to discuss your next steps at www.fidlerandassociates.com.

Send your DSO’s new hires/promotions/awards
to DSO People at info@groupdentistrynow.com