Presenters

Jason Barger

Jason Barger is committed to engaging the minds and hearts of people in order to strengthen leadership, culture, and clarity of mission, vision & values.

He is a globally celebrated Author / Speaker / Consultant and creator of the Step Back from the Baggage Claim Movement – featured in the New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Kiplinger, Book TV, and many other spots worldwide. His dynamic storytelling and engaging keynote speeches have resonated at global leadership conferences around the world as well as with places like Discover Card, Alliance Data, TEDx, the Society for Human Resource Management, Nationwide Insurance, Stanley Black & Decker, Deloitte, Wendy’s and many more.

Prior to sleeping in airports and observing human behavior, Barger led over 1700 people to construct 125 houses internationally for families living in poverty as well as implemented the Streets Mission Project to serve the homeless on the streets of Columbus, Ohio. As the former Director of First Community Church’s Camp Akita, he designed leadership programming focused on living with joy, love, compassion, faith, and service for over 1900 campers a summer.

Jason is a graduate of Denison University, where he served as Captain of the men’s basketball team, and also received certification from Georgetown University in Nonprofit Executive Management. In 2004, he was one of five people in Columbus, Ohio to receive a Jefferson Award, a national award given to “Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things”. In 2014, he was selected as a “40 Under 40” award winner by Business First.

Jason is a sought-after Keynote Speaker, visionary, and leadership consultant. As the founder of Step Back Leadership Consulting LLC, he works with organizations that are passionate about Culture Change, Leadership Development, Innovation, Service, and bringing their Mission to life every day.

Barger delivers over 70 speeches annually around the world and is passionate about positive change in people, leaders, organizations, and our world!

ABOUT HIS BOOKS: Jason’s most recent book “Thermostat Cultures” has been a bestseller!! His book ReMember: renewing our memberships, relationships and focus in a distracting world sold out within days on Amazon. Other editions of Step Back from the Baggage Claim include the Business Leader Edition with Howard Behar, former President of Starbucks Coffee. The Healthcare Leader Edition with Dr. Chip Souba, Dean of the Dartmouth Medical School. And with Christian Long, Global Educational Consultant, the Education Edition. Join the Movement.

Bill Becknell

Bill Becknell is the CEO of Mortenson Dental Partners, a 144 practice Dental Support Organization based in Louisville, Kentucky. Bill joined Mortenson Dental Partners in 2014 and served as the Chief Strategic Officer, President of Dental Teams. He became a member of the Board of Directors in 2017 and Chief Executive Officer in 2018.

Bill was previously the Director of Store Operations for North America at PPG Industries. During his tenure at PPG, the business grew from 357 locations to 867 locations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Prior to PPG, Bill spent twenty-one years in the grocery industry with The Kroger Company. When recruited by PPG, Bill was Manager of Store Operations for Kroger’s Mid-South Division, a 156-store chain serving Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee.

Bill holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and completed the Executive MBA program at University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business. He enhanced his leadership and executive education through programs at the University of Notre Dame and Kellogg School of Business.

Brian Colao

Brian is widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities in the United States on the corporate practice of dentistry, illegal fee splitting and related regulations, including advertising, laboratory, patient finance, billing, HIPAA, credentialing, permit and licensure, and labor law regulations affecting dental practices.

Brian specializes in the representation of DSOs nationwide in the following areas:

• Creating regulatory compliant business models and conducting ongoing compliance on a broad range of issues affecting DSOs.
• Defending DSOs in all manner of litigation and regulatory actions including Dental Board Investigations, State Attorney General Investigations, Federal Investigations, and private legal proceedings involving affiliated doctors
• Assisting Private Equity Investors in buying, selling or investing in DSOs

In recent years Brian has successfully resolved on behalf of his clients several significant civil and criminal Medicaid fraud investigations and state dental board actions alleging the corporate practice of dentistry, fee splitting, and related violations, and he is the “go-to” person in the industry for all manner of regulatory issues. Brian has also handled, as lead regulatory counsel, some of the most significant transactions in the industry on behalf of buyers, sellers, lenders or potential investors. In recent years Brian has handled over 100 significant dental transactions representing in excess of $6 billion of the total value. Brian also assists lenders in conducting due diligence prior to extending credit to Dental Service Organizations.

Brian currently has clients in 46 states and has appeared before 37 separate state dental boards. Brian got his start in this industry approximately 15 years ago when he represented a group of 90 orthodontists in litigation with OrthAlliance, Inc. and Orthodontic Centers of America and handled cases of first impression involving the corporate practice of dentistry and fee splitting in 18 states that resulted in legal opinions that defined and established the law in this area.

Steven L. DeLong

Steve came to Bluetree Dental with almost 20 years of successful corporate, private and non-profit management experience. His path to the dental and DSO world was almost by accident. In 2010, after serving as the CEO of a Utah non-profit for almost 6 years and supervising its financial turn around Steve returned to his home state of Nevada and settled in Reno. Through a mutual acquaintance he connected with 2 pediatric dentists who were looking for additional administrative support in their large single location practice. In 2012, after 18 months of learning the ins and outs of pediatric dentistry, Steve formed Bluetree Dental and Bluetree Practice Services with the two pediatric dentists and two local orthodontists. The partnership has grown from the four founding doctors and himself to supporting over 30 providers, over 250 team members, and over 20 practice locations in 4 states. In addition, Steve founded Carefree Professional Practice Resources where he and a partner provide DSO consulting, tax, and valuation services.

Steve graduated from Utah State University – Jon Huntsman School of Business with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, and a Master’s in Business Administration and Management.

Volunteer Service

• Current Board Member – Reno Tahoe Junior Cycling
• Past Board Member  – Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation
• Past Board Member – Bear River Heritage Area
• Past Board Member – Cache Valley Tourism Council

Family Life

Steve enjoys road and mountain biking, running, traveling with his family, and reading in his spare time.  Steve has been married to his wife Joann for over 20 years, they have four children, and two grandsons.  

Andrea Edelen

Andrea Edelen, RDH, BS graduated from the University of Louisville Dental Hygiene Program and later received her Bachelor of Science in Oral Health Promotion from O’Hehir University. She spent the early part of her career working in private practice before joining Mortenson Dental Partners in 2008. Her passion for patient care and helping hygienists achieve success led her to mentoring and eventually the roles of Regional and National Director of Dental Hygiene and Clinical Support. She is a member of the Practice Excellence Team which integrates Operations and Learning. Andrea is a member of the American Dental Hygiene Association and Toastmasters. She is a Louisville Cardinal fan and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Dr. William Engilman, DMD, MS

Dr. William Engilman, President and CIO of Mortenson Dental Partners, has a unique educational background that he has used to propel Mortenson Dental Partners into the visionary practice management group they are today. Prior to attending dental school at the University of Louisville, Dr. Engilman studied computer science and mathematics at Brigham Young University.

But soon after marrying his beautiful wife, Dena, she suggested dental school. He decided to attend the University of Louisville School of Dentistry. As his passion for orthodontics grew, Dr. Engilman decided to move his family east and attend the University of North Carolina for three more years of studies, and then returned to Louisville to practice orthodontics. His love for computer science led Dr. Engilman to creating a unique and intricate real time reporting system to improve practice performance.

Corby Ewing

Corby leads Business Intelligence for Mortenson Dental Partners, one of the nation’s largest employee-owned dental service organizations.  With a passion for improving patient care and business operations through analytics, Corby has helped champion new methods of data insights for the dental industry and group practice efficiency.  Prior to MDP, Corby served in varying multi-site operations and business development roles to successfully grow businesses and improve efficiencies of scale. Corby earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University as well as an MBA from the University of Louisville.  Outside of work, Corby enjoys the outdoors, travel, cooking, and working with his hands. He is a native to Louisville, KY and makes his home with his wife and three kids.

Tina Jones

Tina joined Mortenson Dental Partners in August 2017. Her role as Patient Experience Coach allows her to focus on dental care as viewed through the lens of a patient and equip team members with skills needed to elevate the patient experience. She facilitates training, conducts observations while patients are being cared for, and provides one-on-one coaching and feedback. Prior to joining Mortenson Dental Partners, Tina spent five years working in a large hospital system, during which she earned the designation of Certified Patient Experience Coach. Tina’s current experience, in addition to her extensive background working as a District Manager in the banking industry, has allowed her to utilize her leadership skills to drive results that achieve an exceptional patient/customer experience. A proud graduate of The Ohio State University with a B.S. in Finance, Tina enjoys spending her free time with family and friends.

Dr. Kamyar Nasseh

Kamyar Nasseh is a health economist at the American Dental Association and has been with the organization since May 2012. Dr. Nasseh has published recent articles in Health Affairs, Health Services Research, The American Journal of Public Health and the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA). Dr. Nasseh received his Ph.D. in Economics in 2007 from Michigan State University. 

Nicholas Partridge

Nick is the founder and President of Five Lakes Professional Services, a consulting and technology firm helping dental practices develop, implement and manage an insurance participation strategy to attract and retain patients. Five Lakes is a 3-time Inc. 5000 honoree as one of the fastest growing private companies in the US. Mr. Partridge is an industry leader in analyzing the impact of dental insurance networks on the financial health of a dental practice. He has been featured as a guest speaker and guest columnist for many events and publications on the topic of dental insurance and dental benefits and is honored to be making his second tour at Scaling Up. Previously, he was the product development and technology lead at a privately held fleet services provider. Past experiences include co-founding, developing and managing a Dallas-based dental benefits startup, and spent his early career in roles of increasing responsibility with a Fortune 500 industry leader. Nick is a graduate of the Richard T. Farmer School of Business at Miami University.

Cheryl Penava

Cheryl has a unique background of leadership experiences at several Fortune 500 companies. Her areas of expertise include operational best practices, learning & development, leadership development, change management, and the ability to create cultural shifts in the workplace. She is a certified facilitator and coach. Cheryl has managed her own executive coaching and consulting practice and held corporate positions at Bellsouth Publishing, Allstate Financial, and Humana. At Mortenson, she leads the Practice Excellence team, which consists of both Operations and Learning & Development. Her team strives to increase skill proficiency and drive excellence across practices through highly engaged team members. Cheryl is a Kentucky native (Bardstown) and a graduate of the University of Kentucky, where she studied Broadcast Journalism. Cheryl received her Executive MBA at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management (Chicago, IL). Cheryl is passionate around the development of people and the goal of operational excellence – resulting in outstanding patient care. She wants to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of role or title. Everyone leads from where they are!

Michael Rowe

Mike is currently President and General Manager of Denzinger Family Dentistry and Denzinger Dental Partners.  Since 2002, he has led the growth of these businesses from a start-up with two employees to five current locations with 75 employees. In 2012, Denzinger Family Dentistry was named One Southern Indiana’s Small Business of the Year and Greater Louisville Inc’s Inc.credible Award winner…an extraordinary same year sweep of the two area Chamber of Commerce awards. Mike’s vision for the businesses emphasizes a focus on servant leadership and building a company that humbly serves its patients and employees.  

As part of an overall plan of diversification, Mike has built a network of companies within and outside of the dental industry including real estate ventures and a dental lab. Mike also has investment and advisory roles in a diverse group of local businesses. Prior to starting the dental companies, Mike served in executive positions including Vice President of Channels and Alliances for Monster.com, as well as senior management positions at Humana, Capital Holding (now Aegon), and Dental Associates of Wisconsin. 

Mike has published professional journal articles and has been interviewed and quoted by local and national broadcast and print media including The Chicago Tribune and The New York Times.

Mike is an active community leader, having served on local boards and has coached thousands of youth in baseball, basketball, tennis and golf. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University, where he graduated with honors.

Mike lives in Floyds Knobs, Indiana with his wife, Sara, and two boys when they are not on campus at Indiana University.  He is an avid golfer having played around the world, is a track-certified Porsche driver, enjoys travel and virtually all kinds of sports.

Cecile Schauer

Cecile Schauer is the president of Strategic Accounts for Patterson Dental. In this role, she works closely with group practices across the country from the largest DSO’s to emerging group practices that have expanded from a single to multiple locations. Her team has conducted extensive research with emerging and regional DSO’s to identify their needs and challenges, and also their best practices in streamlining efficiencies while rapidly expanding growth. Based on this research and working with their customers, the Strategic Accounts group at Patterson develops new programs and business solutions to meet the unique needs of these emerging DSO’s. Cecile oversees a field and internal support teams responsible for ensuring that Patterson Dental is supporting the distribution and tech service needs of group practices, and also providing the solutions, products and services to support their business, clinical and growth goals.

Melissa Thomas

Melissa started her career in public accounting as a CPA and joined Mortenson Dental Partners in 2014 as the Assistant Controller. She recently ascended to her current position as the Director of Business Operations, where her business and financial expertise coupled with her strong relationship skills, provide valuable insight into the business of dentistry. In her current role, Melissa acts as the advocate for the business operations team members, while striving to drive alignment and improvement in all front office processes across Mortenson Dental Partners. In her spare time, Melissa and her husband chase their toddler daughter around and strive to raise her to be a civilized member of society.

Dr. Eric Tobler

Dr. Eric Tobler has been practicing dentistry at Stonehaven Dental since 2007. He has an anesthesia class III permit that allows for IV sedation. Dr. Eric is also certified in advanced cardiac life support and pediatric advanced life support. He is a member of the American Dental Association, the Utah Dental Association, the Academy of LDS Dentists and the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology. Dr. Eric earned his DMD from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. After serving an LDS mission in Indiana he completed his undergraduate degree at Utah State University. He has worked in the Dominican Republic and Haiti to provide medical and dental care. Dr. Eric enjoys skiing and mixed martial arts. He and wife Ashley love living in Utah.

Dan Wicker

Dan is managing partner at Cain Watters & Associates (CWA), a Dallas-area CPA/RIA firm providing tax and accounting services, ongoing financial monitoring, investments solutions, practice valuations and transition services, and estate planning. At CWA, he has designed financial plans for hundreds of dental professionals across the country helping them take full advantage of their earning power. Additionally, Dan oversees the operational and organizational aspects of the firm’s business.

After graduating with a Business Administration – Accounting degree from Kansas State University, Dan began his career at international accounting firm KPMG before joining CWA. He is a Certified Public Accountant, Investment Advisor Representative and holds an AICPA Personal Financial Specialist designation. He is a member of Vistage International, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and both Texas and Missouri Society of CPAs.

Dan regularly lectures to dental organizations, study clubs, associations, and investment symposiums nationally and writes for industry publications on dentistry trends as well as business and financial challenges dentist face daily. His hard-hitting, high-energy style, infused with intimate knowledge of the business systems that make practices successful, resonates with audiences, equipping and empowering them to move their practice and personal financial goals forward.

Dan is an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoys spending as much time as possible waterskiing, snow skiing, and running. He is married to Kim and has two children Justin and Jenna.