Brad Hildebrand

Houlihan Lokey Healthcare Group

Mr. Hildebrand is a member of Houlihan Lokey’s Healthcare Group. He has advised on a wide range of sell-side and buy-side M&A transactions, debt financings, and strategic advisory engagements. Mr. Hildebrand’s notable transactions include Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island, Smile Doctors, MB2 Dental, RMP Group, D4C Dental Brands, Altima Dental, IDOC, North East Dental Management, Absolute Dental, Avadyne Health, Windsor Healthcare, Vision Source, Dental Care Alliance, Deca Dental, The Fountains, Ingenious Med, Gentle Dental of New England, and XIFIN.

Prior to joining Houlihan Lokey in 2013, Mr. Hildebrand worked for Black River Asset Management and Lakepointe Capital Partners on numerous M&A transactions and equity investments as both an advisor and a principal across a variety of industries, including healthcare, agribusiness, energy, industrials, and technology.

Mr. Hildebrand holds a B.S.B. in Finance from the University of Minnesota and an MBA, with honors, in Analytic Finance and Economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Corby Ewing

Director of Business Intelligence
Mortenson Dental Partners

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.

Stacey Paul

Business Intelligence Analyst
Mortenson Dental Partners

Stacey Paul is a Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst at Mortenson Dental Partners with a passion for transforming data into actionable insights. Joining the team in January 2019, Stacey uses BI tools to interpret and summarize data with impactful visualizations that enables strategic decision making. Prior to MDP, Stacey spent over 10 years providing payment integrity solutions for healthcare providers with a focus on financial and operational analysis and business plan modeling. Stacey is a Louisville native, receiving her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Louisville. In her spare time, Stacey enjoys spending time with her husband, chasing her toddler twin daughters and lounging with the family pets. 

Dennis Roberts

Regional President
Mortenson Dental Partners

Dennis Roberts serves as Regional President for Mortenson Dental Partners in the Indianapolis/Cincinnati region, overseeing 22 separate practices.   Dennis was formerly the Regional President for ResCare, Inc., a $2 billion health and human services company. He was responsible for the day to day operations of over 200 facilities and managed a portfolio of $365 million in revenue across 10 states.  He has an extensive background in the health and human services field, with experience in a pharmacy, working with medically fragile patients, at-risk youth and patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Dennis has a post-graduate degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Louisville and an M.B.A. from Regis University.  Dennis currently lives in Louisville with his wife and three children.

Karan Garg

Managing Director
Houlihan Lokey Healthcare Group

Mr. Garg is a member of Houlihan Lokey’s Healthcare Group. He has more than a decade of healthcare investment banking and private equity experience, including seven years at Houlihan Lokey. During his career, Mr. Garg has closed more than 50 transactions, including buyside and sellside M&A transactions, as well as private financing and equity raise transactions for public and private companies. He focuses on a wide range of sectors within healthcare services, including dental services and products, outsourced physician services, behavioral health, technology-enabled healthcare services, and clinical laboratories.

Mr. Garg’s notable recent clients include D4C, Altima Dental, North East Dental Management, Absolute Dental, Valley Anesthesiology, RHA Health Services, Interactive Health Solutions, Dental Care Alliance, Deca Dental Group, DentMall, Gentle Dental of New England, ABILITY Network, MedHOK Healthcare Solutions, H.C. Materials, maxIT Healthcare, Calloway Labs, IEE, MWH Global, NextiraOne Group, Celsis, Accumed Home Health, CareFusion Technologies, Select Rehabilitation, and SourceOne Healthcare Technologies.

Prior to rejoining Houlihan Lokey in 2010, Mr. Garg was an Investment Manager with Primus Capital Funds, a middle-market private equity fund, where he structured and executed private equity investments in the healthcare and education sectors. While at Primus, he evaluated investments in home health, long-term care, HCIT, distribution, rehabilitation, practice management, and healthcare-focused, for-profit, post-secondary education companies. Mr. Garg received a B.S. in Finance from DePaul University.

Garry Meeks

Regional President
Mortenson Dental Partners

Dr. Meeks is a Louisville, Kentucky native and 1992 graduate of DuPont Manual High School. After graduating from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, he pursued a career in dentistry and earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D) degree from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry in 2000. Following graduation, he was awarded a residency at the University of Florida Post-Graduate Advanced General Dentistry Program. During his residency, Dr. Meeks gained valuable experience in all aspects of dentistry – from hospital-based care, to advanced cosmetic procedures. Dr. Meeks began practice in 2001 as an associate of Dr. Robert Fuchs near his hometown roots in Louisville. In 2004, they partnered with Mortenson Family Dental. In 2018, Dr. Meeks accepted the position of Regional President of Howard Family Dental, a regional partner of Mortenson Family Dental with offices in Coastal Georgia and South Carolina. He continues to practice in the Howard Family Dental offices 1 day week and is a lifetime qualified member of the Crown Council. Dr. Meeks is the former chairman of the finance committee of Mortenson Dental Partners and continues to serve on the committee. He currently is serving his third term as a member of the Mortenson Dental Partners Board of Directors and currently serves as vice-chairman.

Jacqueline Guinn

Doctor Recruiter
Mortenson Dental Partners

Jackie Guinn is a doctor recruiter who joined Mortenson Dental Partners on October 1, 2018. Jackie Guinn comes to Mortenson Dental Partners with numerous years in recruitment. In addition to recruitment experience, Jackie worked for the KentuckyOne Health the largest healthcare system in Kentucky. With this experience Jackie brings recruitment, management, and operations experience. Jackie attended the University of Louisville and obtained a Bachelors in Communications. In addition to having a passion for recruiting, Jackie enjoys spending time with her husband, her child who is 2 years old, and her 3 fur animals.

Rupinder Kaur

Doctor Recruiter
Mortenson Dental Partners

Rupinder Kaur has joined Mortenson Family Dental as National Doctor Recruitment Manager. Rupinder grew up in Northern Virginia. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. She graduated with her Master of Business Administration from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. She spent four years with Norton Healthcare where she was recruiting physicians and advanced providers for four hospitals and over 200 medical practices. Over 40 percent of the candidates she recruited were not from Kentucky. Prior to working with Norton Healthcare, Rupinder had worked in the banking industry in a leadership role for over a decade. Rupinder’s strengths include leveraging marketing strategies, competitive recruitment and relationship building. Rupinder is married and has three children: Armaan, Soren and Sophia. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, hiking and spending time with her family.

Kristen Wilson

Human Resources Business Partner
Mortenson Family Dental - Specialty

Kristen Wilson, PHR, has spent her the majority of her military and civilian careers in Human Resources, combining a no-nonsense approach to interpreting and implementing federal law, local ordinances and corporate policies with a dedicated concern for identifying top talent and assisting employees in building the best career that they can. Since arriving at Mortenson three years ago, Kristen has identified additional candidate sourcing strategies, implemented a more efficient Applicant Tracking System, provided in depth training and resources to hiring managers, and introduced the use of recruiting metrics to develop a more qualified Talent Pipeline, reducing the time is takes to get New Hires on to the Mortenson Dental Partners team. Kristen takes pride in finding the best talent, assisting in providing employees with the best working environment, and maintaining the best Human Resource practices to support organizational success. Kristen graduated from Liberty University with a BS in Human Resources and was recently recognized by Louisville Business First’s 2018 Salute to Veterans. 

Sherri Toohey-Taylor

Director of Human Resources
Mortenson Dental Partners

Sherri has more than 25 years of experience in Human Resources in both the Private and Public Sectors.  Over the span of her career, Sherri held senior human resources positions with the US Postal Service in Washington, DC., Director of Human Resources for Louisville Metro Government and is currently the Director of Human Resources for Mortenson Dental Partners.

Professional Designations/Accreditations/Awards:Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), 20 People to Know in Human Resources, Business First 2015, Public speaking awards in persuasion at IU and UofL

Education: MBA from Indiana University, B.A. in Finance from the University of Louisville

Colin Carr

CEO
CARR Healthcare Realty

Colin Carr is the founder and CEO of CARR Healthcare Realty, the nation’s leading provider of commercial real estate services for healthcare tenants and buyers. Every year, thousands of healthcare practices trust CARR to help them achieve the most favorable terms on their lease and purchase negotiations.

By not representing landlords or sellers, CARR avoids conflicts of interest while assisting with all types of real estate transactions, including start-ups, lease renewals, relocations, expansions, purchases, de novos and practice transitions.

Colin has been involved in commercial real estate for over 17 years and personally completed over 1,000 transactions. He is a licensed real estate broker in ten states.

Colin has lectured to thousands of healthcare professionals and administrators throughout the country at national meetings, conventions, study clubs, associations, universities and more.

Wayne Mortenson

Founder
Mortenson Dental Partners

Dr. Mortenson was born and raised in the small town of Elfrida, in Southern Arizona. He received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in agriculture. Dr. Mortenson graduated from The University of Louisville School of Dentistry in 1979, Dr. Mortenson opened his first dental practice in Middletown Kentucky. That practice has now expanded to Mortenson Dental Partners with over 140 affiliate offices. Dr. Mortenson is a committed supporter of dental education. He and his wife, Sue, have made planned gifts to the University of Louisville and University of Kentucky Schools of Dentistry. Dr. Mortenson has received numerous awards for his charitable work including, the Garth Brooks Teammates for kids award. Dr. Mortenson was recognized as Ernst & Young’s Business Person of the Year for Kentucky-Ohio Region. He has been honored by the Crown Council, an international dental society, with a Lifetime Achievement Award and was first inducted into the Dental Hall of Fame. Dr. Mortenson is also a member of the Kentucky-Indiana Business Hall of Fame.

Cheryl Penava

Vice President Practice Excellence
Mortenson Dental Partners

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!

Andrea Kartch

Director, Professsional Skills and Leadership Programs
Mortenson Dental Partners

Andrea has been with our company since January of 2016. She focuses on learning, skills development, leadership, and providing support to all teams within our company. Whether through live classes, webinars, participation at the regional level, or private discussion, Andrea seeks to equip our team members at all levels with new approaches, mindsets, and decision-making tools that drive business acumen, performance, and teams. In her spare time and while working from home in Arizona, Andrea keeps an eye out for wild animals which are seen with regularity from her home office window, volunteers with local organizations, and spends time outdoors.

Christy Williams

Director, Learning & Development
Mortenson Dental Partners

Christy has coached and trained dental professionals and teams throughout her career in Learning & Development. Her areas of expertise include The Patient Experience, New Hire Onboarding and Development, Role Specific Training, Clinical Continuing Education, and Leadership Development. Christy joined Mortenson Family Dental in 2008 – participating in its growth from 22 practices to the DSO leader it is today! Christy pioneered multiple programs including the national New Employee Orientation series and most recently, Operation: Team Bootcamp a back-to-the-basics communication skills program. Her efforts resulted in MDP becoming a Nationally Approved Continuing Education Provider through the Academy of General Dentistry. She currently leads the Scaling Up Group Dental Symposium, oversees New Hire Onboarding, Continuing Education, Instructional Design, and MDPU, the online learning platform for Mortenson Dental Partners She serves on the INSPIRE Leadership Team both as a leader and facilitator. With specific interests in leading organizational change, emotional intelligence, and leadership coaching and development, Christy frequently speaks on collaboration, influence, and a spirit of teamwork.

Tina Jones

Patient Experience Coach
Mortenson Dental Partners

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. Eric Tobler

Regional President
Stonehaven Dental

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.

Michael Rowe

President and General Manager
Denzinger Family Dentistry

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.

Dr. Kamyar Nasseh

Health Economist
American Dental Association Health Policy Institute

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. 

Dan Wicker

Partner
Cain Watters & Associates

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.

Nicholas Partridge

President
Five Lakes Professional Services

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.

Jason Barger

Author and Speaker

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.

Brian Colao

Director of Dental Service Organizations Industry Group
Dykema

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.

Cecile Schauer

President of Strategic Accounts
Patterson Dental

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.

Steven DeLong

CEO
Bluetree Dental

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.  

Will Engilman

President and Chief Information Officer
Mortenson Dental Partners

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.

Bill Becknell

Chief Executive Officer
Mortenson Dental Partners

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.

Corby Ewing

Director of Business Intelligence
Mortenson Dental Partners

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.

Andrea Edelen

Director of Dental Hygiene and Clinical Support
Mortenson Dental Partners

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.

Cheryl Penava

Vice President Practice Excellence
Mortenson Dental Partners

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!

Melissa Thomas

Director of Business Operations
Mortenson Dental Partners

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.