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Women continue to increase their presence in C-suites and executive leadership within DSOs and dental groups. This month’s list is made up of almost 70% women.
Group Dentistry Now (GDN) has been committed to the success of DSOs, dental groups, and the people who work for them since 2014. DSO People is the only comprehensive list of new hires, promotions and awards. Here is March’s list:
Bethany Robinson was promoted to Chief Operating Officer at Premier Smiles Orthodontics. Prior to this new role as COO, Bethany was their VP of Revenue. She has also worked at SouthPark Pediatric Dentistry and Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry. She founded R3 Athletics, a non-profit organization that leverages sports to create relationships with children helping them overcome financial obstacles that may create barriers to opportunities in their lives.
Alayna Brent joined Spark Dental Managment as their new Chief Operating Officer. Spark, which is based in West Chester, PA, is a regional pediatric DSO with 70+ locations across seven states. Alayna joins Spark from D4C Dental Brands Inc., where she served as VP of Operations. She has also worked for Specialty Dental Brands and Snodgrass-King Pediatric Dental.
Amy Merica started a new position as Sr. Director of Learning & Development for Emerging Brands at TAG – The Aspen Group. Prior to this role, she worked as director L&D for TAG. She has also held training positions at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics. TAG – The Aspen Group, is the umbrella organization under which Aspen Dental, Chapter, ClearChoice, WellNow, and AZPetVet fall. TAG is headquartered in Chicago, IL.
Nichole Lauer joined Southern Orthodontic Partners (SOP) as Director of Doctor Recruiting. Prior to SOP, she held talent acquisition positions at Aspen Dental, Heartland Dental, and most recently PhyNet Dermatology LLC. The specialty DSO is headquartered in Nashville, TN.
Coast Dental announced the appointment of Margaret “Meg” Russell as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the organization. Prior to joining Coast Dental, Meg served as the VP of Finance and CFO of Florida Community Health Centers, Inc., a federally qualified health center in the Lake Okeechobee area. With over 30 years of experience in various healthcare positions, Meg’s knowledge and skills are invaluable assets to the organization. Coast Dental is a DSO with over 100 locations throughout Florida, Georgia, and Texas.
Smile Doctors promoted David Nolan to the role of COO. Prior to this position, David held various executive level operations positions at the orthodontic DSO. He has also held finance positions at Linden Captial Partners, Houlihan Lokey, and Illinois Business Consulting. Smile Doctors currently has more than 415 locations in 28 states.
Gino DeSimone started a new position as Chief Executive Officer at WorkWell Dental Group. Prior to joining the periodontist-owned multi-site group of dental practices, he was COO at Qualitas Dental Partners. He has also held C-suite positions at NHOMS, DMD Consortium and ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers. WorkWell Dental Group currently operates in Maine and Massachusetts. Led by Dr. Kevin Guze, who serves on the faculty of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, the group is headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts and it was founded in 2014.
Aspen Dental promoted Lori D’Anna to President of Field Operations from Senior VP of Operations. D’Anna’s journey with Aspen Dental predates the company itself – she was hired by Bob Fontana, Founder and CEO of the Aspen Group, more than 25 years ago as a Patient Services Representative at Aspen’s predecessor company, Upstate Dental. Over her 25-year tenure at Aspen, D’Anna has held numerous roles, leveraging her deep experience and versatile skillset to drive the organization’s growth. There are now more than 1,000 Aspen Dental locations across the country.
Dental365 promoted Jonathan Liebling to COO. Jonathan, a seasoned industry professional, joined Dental365 in 2021. He swiftly integrated into the Executive Leadership team and has been instrumental as the Executive Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining Dental365, Jonathan ascended through the ranks at Henry Schein, garnering four promotions. His final role there involved overseeing sales and operations in the Greater New York area. Jonathan will remain pivotal in overseeing core operations, human resources, procurement, learning management and development functions. In his role as EVP of Operations, he led the implementation of many of their protocols and processes that they now take for granted as part of their daily operations.
Kate Smith joined OMS360 as their new Director of Revenue Cycle. Prior to this new role, Kate was a Strategy Partner at Meduit, Revenue Cycle Director at Riverview Regional Medical Center, and Director of Operations at Guidehouse. OMS360 brings strategic resources to Oral Maxillofacial Surgery practices. The group is led by Trevor Maurer, CEO.
Co-CEO Dr. Jason Auerbach, @bloodytoothguy, announced Mark Censoprano as the new Co-CEO at MAX Surgical Specialty Management. As Co-CEO, Mark will work alongside Dr. Auerbach to lead MAX’s growth strategy and executive team. Mark’s arrival will help accelerate MAX SSM’s growth. Mark has held leadership positions in two of Fortune’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work For. Mark has also been CEO, President, and CMO/COO at Guardian Dentistry Partners. As CMO at Aspen Dental earlier in his career, he led transformative brand initiatives which contributed to the doubling of sales and earnings during his tenure.
PepperPointe Partnerships welcomed Christy Englehart as its new COO. Christy has been in the dental industry for more than 30 years. She most recently served as COO for Smile Brands Inc., one of the nation’s largest DSOs, where she led the support of more than 250 dental practices nationwide. PepperPointe has celebrated significant growth since its formation in 2017, and currently serves 135 practice locations and more than 160 doctors throughout Kentucky, New York, and Virginia. Dr. Greg White leads the group as President and CEO.
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.
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