Maria Baker’s career in the dental industry began over 30 years ago on the clinical side and evolved to the business, management and leadership side. Maria’s expertise spans areas of : assisting, treatment and financial coordination, practice administration, business management, and personnel management.

Her background of real, relevant and broad-based dental experience allows Maria to uniquely understand and appreciate the challenges of owning and running a dental practice and to support the achievement of her client’s goals and objectives.

Advisement with perspective—that’s Maria’s motto. Creating success, one relationship at a time, as President and founder of MB Consulting, Maria finds ways to create or improve upon success–from an efficiency, effectiveness and/or profitability point-of-view (perspective).

Maria is a certified HR consultant with Bent Ericksen & Associates. She is also a member of the American Association of Dental Office Managers and the Academy of Dental Management Consultants.

Fran Pangakis has more than 30 years of experience in dentistry, from her clinical roots as a dental hygienist and, since 2002, practice management consulting, where her clients praise her ability to provide ‘transformational’ solutions that meet the needs of both doctor and team.

Fran’s passion is in creating office relationships that ‘work’. She is a certified training and development professional with extensive skills in facilitation, communications, training, coaching and professional development. Through the use of performance management assessments, Fran works with doctors and teams to unlock talent by tapping into their Emotional Intelligence (EQ) factors and behavioral traits. Her Coach-on-Call consulting service offers affordable, short-term, telephone-based consulting for doctors who want or need immediate help with specific issues that are affecting their practice.

Fran is a certified HR consultant and a certified consultant for the Drake P3 assessment, used for hiring, team building, leadership development and motivational assessment. She is a popular presenter and sought-after author.

Adele Reische of Synergy Practice Management brings a unique blend of training, support and insight to her clients, coaching them through the shift from surviving to thriving. With over 25 years of experience in dentistry, management and speaking, Adele is an expert in rallying the troops to action, engaging everyone on the dental team as they work together to effect positive change and practice growth.

Adele is a member of the prestigious Speaking Consulting Network, founded by Linda Miles, Linda Miles & Associates, LLC. She is also a graduate of The Consulting U, a masters training and continuing education program for management consultants founded by industry experts Virginia Moore and Debbie Castagna of The Practice Source. Adele is also a member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants,

The American Academy of Dental Office Mangers and she is a Certified Consultant in Employment Compliance with Bent Ericksen & Associates.

Amy Kirsch is a nationally known motivational speaker and dental consultant, providing customized consulting services, training programs and seminars to dentists and their teams. Amy has assisted hundreds of dentists by improving productivity, increasing profitability and creating motivated teams.

Prior to forming Amy Kirsch & Associates, Amy was a Senior Consultant with the Pride Institute and has been a Visiting Faculty member with the L.D. Pankey Institute since 1994.

She is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Dental School of Medicine, a member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants and a Faculty member of the International Institute of Healthcare Businesses.

Linda Harvey, RDH, MS, LHRM partners with doctors and teams to effectively integrate regulatory compliance into their practices. As president and founder of The Linda Harvey Group, Linda leverages her unique credentials and expertise to help practitioners significantly reduce risk and legal liability in practice.

Linda’s services complement practice management consultants whose clients need a specialist in risk management. Along with that, she teaches dentists and physicians how to protect their million-dollar practices through effective risk management and patient safety. Linda’s practical guidance effectively integrates regulatory statutes into your practice to close deficiency gaps in your policies, procedures and workflow.

Linda’s risk management credentials and regulatory experience enables her to bring keen insights coupled with practical guidance. Membership in organizations such as the Healthcare Compliance Association, the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention, and the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management allows Linda to bring practitioners the most cutting edge information available.

With more than 25 years of extensive clinical and administrative experience in both general and specialty dentistry, Kim Knapp knows firsthand about the needs of dental offices, professionals and patients. Since 2002, she has been meeting those needs through her business, Dental Temps Professional Services. Serving practices and professionals in several states through its interactive website, DTPS also provides specialized staffing services in Northeast Florida, offering temporary and permanent placement along with a variety of HR, consulting and career coaching services.

Kim is passionate about customer service and getting the perfect personnel fit. The popular speaker and Certified HR Consultant provides one-on-one consulting for clients seeking to improve policies and procedures, create manuals and improve overall performance. She sits on several academic advisory boards, is a member and past president of Women Business Owners of North Florida, and is active in professional organizations including the American Dental Assisting Association. She is proud to be affiliated with Bent Ericksen & Associates.

Lorraine Dudley launched her career in dentistry over 35 years ago. While successfully leading a respected periodontal-implant practice in upstate New York, her husband’s career led them to the Twin Cities in Minnesota in 1997. She continued her work in dentistry through practice development and shortly thereafter founded IDR, a Compliance and Professional Management Resource Company.

IDR specializes as a practice management connection. Lorraine works with organizations as a Business Operations Specialist providing support with staff and human resources, employee manuals and compliance, team recruitment, training and protocol applications. IDR partners with teams to implement systems to improve workflow strategies while offering a range of success solutions as your onsite and offsite administrator.

IDR strengthens dental teams by defining priorities, developing strategies for improvement and implement successful action plans that work. Lorraine ensures that teams stay focused on what is important and her “make sense” techniques implement systems and solutions to improve workflow strategies for the entire team

With over 25 years of experience, certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and an extensive background as a speaker, writer and consultant, Ginny Hegarty, owner and President of Dental Practice Development, Inc. is best known as a turnaround expert specializing in practice leadership, accountability and employee engagement.

Her expertise in leadership, communication and human resource development enables her to cut through the drama and build solid teams that support sustainable, bottom-line success.

Ginny is the current President of The Academy of Dental Management Consultants and a visiting faculty member at LVI Global. She authors HR411 in the Progressive Dentist Magazine, writes for Dental Products Report, and First Impressions Magazine on human resources and communication.

She has podcasts on HR Best Practices available on the Academy of General Dentistry website. Ginny also lectures at the Kornberg School of Dentistry at Temple University in Philadelphia as part of their Practice Management Program.

Cindy Ishimoto is passionate about cultivating self-directed leaders and helps their practices flourish. She wants dentists and teams to know that they CAN make a change and grow as professionals, leaders, and self-directed individuals.

With 35 years of dental consulting and speaking experience, Cindy has worked in all specialties, small practices, very large group practices, with new practitioners and those transitioning out of dentistry. Her focus is on helping practices establish systems that balance serving patients, profitability and enjoyment of profession. She is well known for her expertise in the business, financial management, motivational and team building systems of the practice.

Cindy’s enthusiasm, expertise and energy make her one of the most influential speakers and consultants in dentistry today. Cindy understands that repetition is the key to learning, and her creative presentations and coaching sessions ensure this happens.

Cindy is an active member of The Academy of Dental Management Consultants, the American Association of Dental Office Managers, the American Dental Assistants Association and the National Speakers Association.

Jody began her coaching and consulting career in 1985 with a focus on general business and productivity consulting. She co-founded MOSAIC Management Group in 1994, a dental practice management coaching and consulting firm. Jody values the rewarding work she does for dentists and their teams, specifically creating fulfilling, less stressful, and profitable practices.

Jody knows each practice has its unique culture. There is no one size fits all or standard program that works for every practice. Jody enjoys providing comprehensive, personalized service to meet the needs of an individual practice. Her passion for resolving issues and creating simple straightforward solution is why clients achieve their professional goals, maintain long-term relationships with MOSAIC, and refer others.

As both a member, and a former board member, of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants not only is she dedicated to personal and professional growth, but also committed to high standards of professionalism and excellence.

Connie Brownis an industry leader having been a consultant and practice analyst, software trainer, professional speaker & founder of Dental Solutions, Inc. Her experience and expertise spans the clinical, technological and business sides of dentistry, thus enabling Connie to truly understand all aspects of the dental practice. She is an expert in efficient business systems & improving the bottom line.

Connie believes that every practice is different, individual and unique, and thus creates customized plans to tap into each practice’s potential, boosting their productivity. Connie’s management style is motivating for doctors and teams with results-oriented, tangible solutions that are designed to increase revenue, reduce stress and allow practices to run more effectively. Her enthusiasm & knowledge of the dental profession is astounding.

Connie is a member of the prestigious Academy of Dental Management Consultants and is a certified HR consultant with Bent Ericksen & Associates (BE & A), as well as a certified Drake P3 Personality Assessment Consultant with BE & A. She is also a member of NAWBO, National Association of Women Business Owners.

Jennifer Schultz, RDH has contagious energy and passion for dentistry. She possesses an exceptional blend of clinical, practice management and technological expertise. With over 18 years of combined experience as a clinical hygienist, practice management and transition consultant, Jennifer understands and appreciates the multi-faceted, inter-connectedness and unique challenges of getting the clinical side and business side of dentistry to work seamlessly and effortlessly.

Jennifer develops customized plans for each of her clients based on the practice’s goals and vision, to tap into their potential, boost their productivity, take advantage of technology, give their patients what they want and enjoy dentistry more. As a result, Jennifer’s approach is personal, uniquely tailored to each practice and results-oriented.

Jennifer is a certified consultant with HygieneFusion, Bent Ericksen & Associates and Paragon Practice Transitions; and is a member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants (ADMC) and Speaking Consulting Network (SCN).

Lisa Michalek has been active in the dental community for over 30 years and is a fellow of the American Association of Dental Office Managers. She has first hand experience in private dental practices ranging from dental assisting to office and business administration and was also a beta tester for the Dentrix program. Lisa has a vast knowledge of systems and policies for the dental professional that are easily implemented and produce and exceed expectations. Lisa has been coaching dentists and their TEAM’s for years to reach their highest potential and goals that give their patients the ultimate dental experience that they deserve. Lisa worked with a practice to implement new systems and policies that took that practice from a $125,000 accounts receivable to a negative accounts receivable. Lisa’s approach to coaching is to focus on the positive and what’s working well for a practice and build on those systems to reach the ultimate goal. Her outgoing personality helps her to connect with her clients and their teams to reach their potential and further their successes in dentistry.

Terri Bradley’s extensive hands-on experience of over 25 years in the healthcare field includes oversight and management of a multi-doctor Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery practice. This experience, and her acquired knowledge and expertise, laid the foundation for her success as a practice management speaker and consultant.

Terri is an expert in the area of insurance fees and cross coding, and is current with policy updates and changes in the insurance industry as they effect dental offices on a daily basis. She presents OMS coding and billing workshops and courses for private practices around the country. Terri also assists general and specialist practices with insurance negotiation and contract issues.

Terri is a member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants, Speaking Consulting Network, Directory of Dental Speakers and the Medical Group Management Association. Terri developed and presents a popular 7-part webinar series with Insurance Solutions Newsletter on Medical Billing for Dental Practices.

Amy Smith established her dental consulting business in 2005, following an award-winning career in the practice management division of a large dental corporation. She is well-known throughout the Northeast as the ‘go to’ dental consultant for lasting, transformational change.

Amy’s career in dentistry spans more than 25 years, and includes time spent on the clinical side, office administration and management roles. This experience, combined with proven communication and leadership skills, places her at the top of her profession. After thoroughly assessing each practice, Amy brings a specific plan to her clients based on their unique and particular needs. She then works closely with them on a step-by-step basis to implement this plan, working within a mutually-agreed time frame and budget.

Her client base is broad, consisting of single- and multi-practitioner offices of all sizes. In addition to comprehensive financial and systems consulting, she assists in fee balancing and budgeting, practice valuations, associate agreements, employment agreements and exit strategies. She is also recognized for her expertise in consulting for the new doctor/new practice.

Kathy Asted brings 30 years of passion and dental experience to all aspects of managing and operating successful dental practices. She especially excels in helping doctors successfully navigate the world of human resources and the mine field of employment compliance.

Kathy’s goal is to bring a practice from “good to great” and employs personality assessments and uses them to enhance team building. She helps implement effective policies and procedures, assists in monitoring overhead and setting goals for the practice.

Kathy has a degree in business administration from Gustavus Adolphus College. She is a certified HR Consultant with Bent Ericksen and Associates as well as a certified Drake P3, personality assessment consultant. She is a certified “Transformational Trainer” and is a member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants.

Kathy is a writer and has spoken for the Women Dentists of Minnesota, The University of Minnesota Dental School and Study clubs.

Linda Valencia has over 30 years of experience as a business administrator, dental assistant, and dental hygienist. She has a Master’s Degree in Dental Public Health from Boston University School of Graduate Dentistry, and since 1990 has worked exclusively as a dental management consultant, presenting seminars and in-office workshops to hundreds of dental teams across the United States and Canada.

Linda specializes in:

• Providing personalized, comprehensive, results-oriented management consulting to dental practices,
• Coaching doctors and teams to greater levels of success and productivity, and
• Presenting inspiring and motivational lectures and workshops to study clubs and dental societies.

Linda has been a guest presenter at the prestigious L.D. Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne, Florida. She has co-authored the books: Get Paid for Your Services: Simple, Sensible Payment Arrangements That Work and Culture Rules. She is a faculty member at the International Institute for HealthCare Businesses and is a member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants.

Gayle Christensen has dedicated her professional career to developing and implementing effective dental management systems that bring clarity, accountability and increased profits. Serving dentists primarily in the Midwest, Gayle is a firm believer in the power of the team as the “heart of the practice”.

Doctors praise Gayle’s unique ability to relate to and motivate the entire dental team to bring about positive change. Her caring attitude and years of experience give her the insight to develop personalized methods for improving day-to-day operations and meeting common dental office challenges.

Gayle has extensive experience as a trainer and coach. She is certified in employment compliance and Drake P3 assessments through Bent Ericksen & Associates. Gayle has spoken at numerous dental study groups, and lectured to dental students at the University of Minnesota.

Gayle is a proud member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants, American Association of Dental Office Managers and Speaking and Consulting Network.

Lois Banta has over 37 years of dental experience and consults and speaks nationally and internationally. She is CEO, President and Founder of Banta Consulting, Inc., a company that specializes in all aspects of dental practice management. Lois is also the owner and CEO of The Speaking Consulting Network.

Lois began her career as a dental receptionist. She immediately devised simple practical methods for streamlining scheduling, resolving outstanding insurance claims and decreasing accounts receivable. With the help of her newly found techniques, she became financial manager, “insurance detective”, accounts receivable expert, team-building counselor and internal marketing guru of a large dental practice in Minneapolis. With the “hands-on” experience, knowledge and solid, practical foundation, other offices began contacting Lois for advice.

She is a member of The Academy of Dental Management Consultants (ADMC). The American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA), The Academy of Dental Office Managers (AADOM) and The American Academy of Dental Practice Administration (AADPA).

Janice Janssen, RDS, CFE, is the co-founder of Global Team Solutions, a practice management consulting firm specializing in team building and team training. Combining her clinical expertise and her extensive management experience enables Janice to provide clients with quality consulting services, backed by results. Her zeal for a proven successful periodontal program is of upmost importance when working with dental hygienists around the country.

Janice has a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential based on ACFE’s character, experience and education requirements. With her CFE, Janice provides education on deterring fraud and embezzlement in practices.

Janice is co-author of OMG! 😉 Office Management Guide, which is used in workshops and offices throughout the country to assist office managers in dealing with their daily tasks. She is also a member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants (ADMC), and certified with Bent Ericksen & Associates as an employment compliance and Drake P3 consultant.

Laci Phillips began her dental career over 20 years ago as a chairside assistant while going to college in southern New Mexico to pursue a life of communications. Now, through her company, Practice Dynamics, Laci is “communicating” her expertise to dental practices, both large and small, across the country.

A software/technology coach and a team builder, Laci recognizes the importance of a solid foundation to build from. As a Bent Ericksen & Associates certified consultant, Laci has the tools to ensure an environment where both the doctor and team can thrive.

Laci’s coaching style, coupled with her experience from dental assisting and office administration, connects with audiences and clients. Her style has proven effective in motivating entire teams to move forward, while excelling as individuals. In addition to being a sought after speaker and coach, Laci has written columns and/or articles for many of the industry’s publications including Dental Economics, Hygienetown & DentalIQ.com.

Karen Marshall, owner of Vero3 Consulting, provides dental practices with customized, tangible solutions designed to increase revenue, reduce stress and run efficiently. With nearly 30 years in the dental industry, Karen offers a unique combination of practical clinical expertise and business management. She is passionate about her clients’ success and works from the inside-out to achieve growth and increase profitability.

With its comprehensive approach, Vero3 Consulting offers in-depth analysis and customized strategies, to improve and support your business. Applying decades of experience with a holistic approach toward business and clinical systems, Karen digs in deep to uncover opportunities for improvement.

Offering a full spectrum of services and support through the life cycle of your business, Karen’s focus is to help build a truly sustainable business with a secure financial future, thus enabling you to focus on what your enjoy most: delivering exceptional care to your clients.

Tammie Maddy has over 20 years of management experience, specializing in customer service, hiring, team training, reward and recognition programming, problem solving, and overall office communication training.

In October of 2005, she began an affiliation with Zimmerman, Boltz & Company, primarily assisting dentists with the implementation of human resource strategies and support. Zimmerman, Boltz & Company, a Founding Member of the ADCPA (Academy of Dental CPA’s), works with hundreds of dentists nationwide.

Tammie is particularly passionate about helping and educating the young dental professional. She has been a frequent guest lecturer for Ohio State University School of Dentistry. Tammie is also actively involved in several dental student study clubs and in 2009 spearheaded the formation of “Transitions”, a study forum chaired by a group of dental advisors, whose mission is to educate the young dental professional along the path from student to practicing dentist and business owner.

Robyn Reis began her dental career nearly 20 years ago as a marketing and communications director for a large group practice. She immediately found her passion–the combination of business, management and the dental industry.

This combination uniquely allows Robyn to utilize her expertise in all aspects of practice management, namely: marketing, communications, HR, continuing education and dental laboratory sales. As part of her consulting mission, one of Robyn’s goals is to personally make a difference in the lives of the people with whom she works. She accomplishes this through her coaching and collaborative approach. By empowering dentists and their teams, Robyn contributes to sustainable practice success and increased personal and professional satisfaction.

As Founder of Office Management Services and Academy of Dental Practice Careers (ADPC), Becky Gerber is a committed Educator, Practice Administrator, Consultant and Trainer with more than 30 years of experience.

Office Management Services specializes in cleaning up front office systems, while Academy of Dental Practice Careers is a unique training facility dedicated to teaching front office administration. ADPC combines a hands-on approach to educating doctors, hygienists, assistants and receptionists with proven results in many offices across the country.

Becky is also a speaker for the California Dental Assistants Association, the Continuing Education Adventures Dental Roadshow and Carestream Dental, as well as a guest columnist for “Facets”, the San Diego County Dental Society Newsletter.

ADPC is a registered provider of Continuing Education Units with the California Dental Board.

Adrienne Twigg provides consulting, training and human resource services to dental professionals. With a successful background in managing a large dental group practice, Adrienne is uniquely qualified to provide insightful, practical and results-focused consulting.

With her hands-on experience in management, marketing, technology and administration, Adrienne provides comprehensive consulting advice and guidance. Adrienne’s focus is goal-based, results-oriented coaching and her strategic direction helps her clients address their challenges and build on their strengths-services that have proven to help practices attain a greater level of profitability, and a lower level of stress.

She is a member and past Membership Director of the Miami Valley Medical Group Management Association, American Association of Dental Office Managers, the American Academy of Dental Group Practices, Academy of Dental Management Consultants, Speaking Consulting Network, and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Maribeth Nicholls’s extensive knowledge and expertise in both the clinical and management aspects of a dental practice makes her a tremendous consultative resource. She has proven herself to be a creative, enthusiastic, people-oriented and multi-disciplined leader. A native of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Maribeth currently is a practice management coach and consultant with Million Dollar PPO (MDPPO).

Working in the dental industry for over 3 decades, Maribeth’s path began as a clinical assistant with a variety of roles and expanded duties in the clinical setting, and progressed to the front office including business office management, recruiting, and training. Her experience includes managing all aspects of a multi-doctor, multi-location private practice.

As a practice development coach with MDPPO, Maribeth’s knowledge in the field of dentistry and skill in managing people and processes, systematically empowers each member of the team to maximize his or her unique role and contribution to the practice

Kay Huff has been helping teams as a Dental Practice Coach for over 20 years. She proudly has been the driving force for hundreds of practices to reach and exceed their professional goals. Her expertise and experience spans all facets of the dental practice.

Kay defines herself as a “true team player” and has no problem rolling up her sleeves and doing whatever it takes each and every day to make a difference in her practices. She is passionate about her work and carries a strong background in dental business systems, team motivation, leadership, and practice profitability. She is gifted at seeing the strengths, and also the challenges of each practice, and then thrives on applying creative solutions that consistently prove to impact teams in a positive way.

Kay is affiliated with ACT Dental Practice Consulting. She is also a member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants.

Denise Ciardello is a professional speaker, published author, and co-founder of Global Team Solutions, a practice management consulting firm specializing in team building and team training. She is an expert in efficient business systems and helping practices improve marketing results, professional image and the bottom line. Her enthusiasm and knowledge for the dental profession has motivated and directed dental teams to greater success. She brings this experience, insight and creativity into her management style, along with a bit of humor.

Denise is co-author of OMG! Office Management Guide, which is used in workshops and offices throughout the country to assist office managers in dealing with their daily tasks. She has been a Certified Dentrix trainer since 2005. In 2010, Dentrix awarded her the coveted title of Trainer of the Year.

Denise is a member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants (ADMC) and is currently ADMC’s Vice President/President Elect. She is also a member of the Hill Country Women in Business, Toastmasters International, and Directory of Dental Speakers and is also certified with Bent Ericksen and Associates as an employment compliance consultant and Drake P3 Integrated Performance Management System consultant.

Vicky Moreno has been working in the dental industry for over 20 years. She has extensive knowledge in the clinical and management aspects of a dental practice. As a practice development coach with MDPPO, her knowledge in the field of dentistry and skill in managing dental operations will systematically empower each member of your staff to maximize his or her unique role in the office. Vicky was born and raised in South Texas, where she still resides with her family.

Vicky has also worked as a certified Dentrix software trainer and has broad expertise in various dental software programs and products. Through all of this training and experience, she has developed a passion for dentistry and a solid confidence in her ability as a coach.

Marsha Pilgrim, President of MSP Consulting, has over 30 years’ experience in the dental office, first as a registered dental assistant and then as office manager. For the last 10 years, Marsha has been working directly with practices helping put systems in place to make their offices more productive and stress free.

Marsha’s expertise includes: knowledge of expense forecasting, collections, staff hiring and retention, production and overhead control, scheduling, setting production goals and obtaining them. She understands the role technology plays in the dental office, having been a certified trainer for Dentrix.

Marsha is certified in employment compliance and as a Drake P3 consultant with Bent Ericksen & Associates. She is a member of The Academy of Dental Management Consultants and The Speaking Consulting Network, as well as a lifetime member of the American Association of Dental Office Managers. Marsha is also a graduate of The Consulting U.