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Staying informed about leadership changes within DSOs is critical for success, whether you’re a vendor or part of a DSO team. Understanding the shifts at the executive and C-suite levels gives you the insights needed to navigate the evolving landscape and enhance your performance.
With DSO People, you have a reliable source to stay up to date on key personnel movements. In today’s fast-paced DSO space, knowing who’s who is essential for driving growth and making informed business decisions.
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 October’s DSO People list:
James Keith, DDS teamed up with Straine Dental Management as their Chief Innovation Officer and Clinical Leader at North Atlanta Family Dentistry. Prior to joining Straine, Dr. Keith was Chief Innovation officers at DentFirst Dental Care. He was also CEO and Founder at Keith Venture Associates. Additionally, Dr. Keith was Chief Dental Officer at Cobb & Douglas Public Heatlh. Straine was feature on Group Dentistry Now’s Emerging Groups to Watch in 2024 list.
Dental Care Alliance, which supports more than 400 affiliated dental practices in 24 states, announced:
- Jason Heffelfinger has joined as their new CEO. Prior to this, Jason held C-Suite and executive positions at Petco, 7-Eleven, and Cricut City.
- Tina Patton has been appointed their new Vice President of Partner Development. Tina most recently served as HR Director at Petco. She has also held leadership roles at Bath & Body Works, Apple, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Certified as a Gallup Global Strengths Coach and Hogan Assessor.
Alexis Warner joined Motor City Dental Partners as their new Vice President of Operations. Prior to this job, Alexis was Vice President of Operations at MODIS Dental Partners, Together Women’s Health, North America Dental Group, and District Manager at CVS Health. Founded in 2012 with one orthodontic office, they established MCDP in 2021.
Nileena Kumar is promoted to Vice President of Operations at Specialty1 Partners. She has also held management jobs at Dental Force, Inc. and Coast Dental. She has a degree in Dental Surgery from Sree Balaji Dental College in India.
Tejesh Patel, DDS is promoted to VP of Clinical Affairs at Guardian Dentistry Partners. Prior to this administrationve positoin, he was a partner dentist. He founded Matthews Family Dentistsry in Matthews NC in 2003. Founded in 2018, Guardian has expanded rapidly and now supports dental entrepreneurs in Alabama, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
Smile Doctors, the largest OSO in the U.S. with more than 450 locations, made personnel announcements:
- Shelli McNabb is promoted to Vice President of Operations Excellence. She has held various management positions at the ortho-focused dental support organization (OSO) since she began there in 2018.
- Jonathan H. Kaufman joined as their Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer. Prior to this position, Jonathan was CMO at Sage Dental.
Dallas-based Smile Doctors was founded in 2015 by Dr. Scott Law, Dr. Dana Fender, and Dr. Greg Goggans. They plan to continue expansion, including entry into the state of Pennsylvania and the addition of four new affiliated practices.
Sonrava Health, the parent organization of a family of health and wellness companies, announced that Preet Takkar has rejoined the organization as President and Chief Operating Officer. Preet is no stranger to the Sonrava family. From 2015 to 2022, he held multiple leadership roles within the company, including Senior Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Operating Officer. After two years as Chief Operating Officer at Upstream Rehabilitation, Takkar is returning to Sonrava Health. In his new role, Takkar will oversee all aspects of operations and spearhead initiatives to further streamline business operations and drive strategic growth.
U.S. Oral Surgery Management (USOSM) President and CEO Richard Hall received the SCALE Community MSO Excellence Award, which recognizes excellence in healthcare management. Hall was one of just seven executives chosen for this honor. Award winners were selected for their hard work, commitment to excellence and making a significant impact within the healthcare community. They were recognized Oct. 1, during the SCALE Healthcare Leadership Conference in New York City. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, USOSM is an oral and maxillofacial surgery management organization spanning 28 states.
Chick Hoff has transitioned from his role as COO at Nuva Smile to join My Orthodontist, where he will take on the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Chick has also held operations positions at Dimensional Mgmt., SBS Dental and L2m Construction. My Orthodontist is headquartered in Lawrence Township, NJ and has nine New Jersey and New York locations.
Kimberly Jee is appointed VP of Operations at Kingsway DPO. With 12 years of dental clinic operations experience, Kimberly was employee #1 at Brush Dental, where she rose through the ranks to VP of Operations, and the company grew from 1 to 17 clinics, eventually selling to 123Dentists. Kingsway DPO is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario and is led by Brian Holland, General Partner & CEO.
Seva Dental Team is headquartered in Detroit Metro Region, MI and has seven locations with plans to expand into Northeast Ohio, Illinois, and Arizona. They made the following personnel announcements:
- Rob Spears has transitioned from his role as Vice President of IT at Smile Partners USA to Chief Information Officer at Seva. He has also held IT executive roles at Heartland Dental.
- Lisa Niespolo recently joined as Director of Integration and Training, also bringing her experience from Smile Partners USA. Prior to that she held administrator and operations positions at Generations Family Dental Care, Creekwood Dental, DentalOne Partners, Smile Ameria Partners, Troy Dental Studio, Village Place Dental and Logistics Health Inc.
Andrew Wildeman, DMD joined The Smilist‘s Clinical Advisory Board. He joined fellow board members: John Kline, Craig Feldman, Amit Rajani, DMD, and Joseph Oleske. He is currently The Smilist‘s Dental Director. He has also held the position of Clinical Director at Three Tree Dental LLC.
Specialty Smile Partners (SSP) made the following announcements:
- David Sopp joined as the Chief Development Officer. David has spent his career leading mergers and acquisitions for private equity-owned healthcare businesses and investing private capital as a Partner with private equity funds; specializing in acquiring and managing family-owned and owner-operated businesses.
- Dan Smelter joined as Chief RCM Officer. Dan attended Penn State University and started his dental career at United Concordia. He has remained in the dental industry over the past 22 years with work in private practice and at three large dental groups prior to joining SSP.
- Jared Ayes joined as a VP of Operations. Jared is a purpose-driven leader with over 15 years of experience in the dental field. Jared leads with a passion for building relationships and empowering teams to achieve both clinical, operational and financial success. He began his career as a Treatment Coordinator in a private practice and then founded and operated de novo dental practices.
Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics welcomed Brooke Newton as their new VP of Growth & Marketing. Previously, Brooke worked as Head of Marketing & Communications at Specialized Dental Partners. She has also held marketing leadership positions at Platinum Dermatology Partners and CHRISTUS Health. Rodeo was founded in 2008 by Dr. Saam Zarrabi in Fort Worth, TX
Founded in 1975, Affordable Dentures & Implants – Affordable Care is exclusively focused on tooth replacement solutions, serving affiliated dentists at ~425 practices in 42 states. They made the following personnel announcements:
- Baltazar Torres was appointed Director of Operations. He previously worked as a regional manager at TAG – The Aspen Group. He began his career as a dental assistant at The Smile Zone and then Pacific Dental Services.
- Dave Tankovich was promoted to Senior Director of Operations. He had been their Director of Operations. He has also held management and operations positions at ImmediaDent, MK Dental Excellence, Erieview Dental, and Allcare Dental.
Advanced Dental Brands welcomed Wendy Flanagan as Vice President of Operations. She most recently worked at Specialty Dental Brands as their VP of Operations, Central Division. Shed has held executive operations positions at Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners, Dental Healthcare – River Valley, and Great Expressions Dental Centers. Advanced Dental Brands represents, owns and manages over 50+ dental practices across New England.
Dentalcorp Holdings Ltd. (TSX: DNTL), Canada’s largest and one of North America’s fastest-growing networks of dental practices, announced its inclusion in the Globe and Mail’s 2024 Report on Business Magazine’s ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies. This marks Dentalcorp’s second appearance on the prestigious list since its creation in 2019, highlighting the company’s consistent high performance. Notably, Dentalcorp ranks as the 2nd fastest-growing company among businesses with over $1 billion of revenue. Dentalcorp’s remarkable growth trajectory is highlighted by its three-year revenue growth of 114% between 2020 and 2023, with revenues now exceeding $1.5 billion in 2024.
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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