Emmet Scott is the co-founder and CEO of The DEO and one of the most respected figures in dental entrepreneurship. He co-founded Community Dental Partners from a single operatory and built it into a $150M organization with 1,300 employees across 70+ locations. He then dedicated the next decade to building The DEO — a platform that gives every dental entrepreneur access to the same frameworks, coaching, and community that built one of the most successful DSOs in the country.

Amber led marketing for a $135M DSO as Chief Marketing Officer, driving patient acquisition and practice expansion. She optimized lead conversion and operations as call center director for 70+ locations. She shares expertise at ADSO and Women in DSO, inspiring dental professionals to build thriving practices.

Michael served as CEO, COO, and CTO at Community Dental Partners, driving success across diverse businesses. He builds and refines operational systems, integrating technology to enhance efficiency and performance. He excels in budgeting, forecasting, and data analysis to maximize profitability and informed decision-making.

Tiffany has over 25 years of experience specializing in pediatric, orthodontic, and All-on-X practices. She optimizes revenue cycle management workflows to boost profitability through data-driven strategies. She creates duplicatable roles with extreme ownership, fostering scalable systems and exceptional patient experiences.

Jordin has over 14 years of experience, advancing from dental assistant to regional manager and CEO. She boosts practice profitability through streamlined processes, SOP optimization, and revenue cycle management. She excels at provider onboarding and team development, fostering cohesive, results-driven cultures.

Dr. Shilpi is a proven dental and operational leader with 12 years clinical experience and 6 years leading 130+ providers across 40 Jefferson Dental locations. She holds a DDS from UCSF and a Master's in Health Administration from SDSU. She deployed AI to enhance the patient journey and increased case acceptance from 38% to 71%.

Dr. Patel founded and leads Blueprint Smiles, growing it to 8 locations with a focus on automation and team happiness. He drives clinical leadership and patient flow to optimize dental KPIs and executes strategic acquisitions and new practice launches to fuel scalable growth and EBITDA improvement.

Jordyn is a systemization specialist who designs and implements sustainable systems to optimize workflows and drive strategic success in dental practices. She conducts diagnostics and crafts action plans to enhance revenue cycle management and profitability. She guides dental professionals from entrepreneurial vision to executive leadership.

Tom has over 20 years leading multi-specialty office development, driving exponential growth and strong profit margins. He executes seamless practice acquisitions and new office openings. He boosts profitability through financial clarity, HR solutions, and optimized operational systems while fostering cohesive, aligned teams.

Ray scaled Lone Peak Dental Group to a $150M+ enterprise as CEO, with a track record of transformative growth. He drives successful practice acquisitions and new location launches with strategic execution. He excels at developing high-performing leadership teams and leading process and change management initiatives.

Dr. Oh grew BEAM Dental Group to 13 locations in NJ/NY since 2018 through strategic De Novo expansion. He built a collaborative partnership structure strengthening team commitment and practice success. He is a Columbia University professor who combines academic expertise with hands-on leadership to mentor dental teams.

Dr. Renken founded and grew Renken Dentistry to seven practices across Texas and Illinois with 14 dentists. He scaled through strategic De Novo openings and developed a renowned standard of care delivery system. He founded Smile From Within, overseeing Practice Water, Health Assurance, and proprietary dental products.

Dr. Molina scaled a dental group from 15 to over 180 locations in five years with Guardian Dentistry Partners. He built and managed a 9-office DSO, driving operational efficiency and revenue growth. He excels at recruiting top dental talent and enhancing profitability through sharp financial decisions.

Dr. Patel founded ROOT Periodontal and Implant Centers and co-founded Center for Oral Pathology. He streamlines processes and SOPs to enhance multi-unit operations and develops financial strategies to scale periodontal and pathology groups. He is dedicated to building high-performing teams and elevating patient outcomes.

Vanessa leverages chair-side clinical experience to boost practice profitability and streamline operations. She specializes in project management and full-month rehab to optimize practice performance metrics. She creates collaborative, high-performing team environments and expertly navigates conflict resolution to foster growth-oriented cultures.

Christi scaled a startup DSO from 4 practices and $4M to 220+ locations, achieving a $300M+ exit. She is an acquisition and integration expert who drives seamless mergers and performance turnarounds for private and PE-backed groups. She combines discipline and empathy to build scalable systems and high-performing teams.

Megan has over 10 years in dentistry, streamlining processes to enhance service quality and practice efficiency. She drives seamless integration of new practices and builds high-performing teams through focused coaching and alignment. She utilizes KPIs and data analysis to optimize multi-site operations and boost profitability.

Milena scaled a PPO practice to a fee-for-service, full-arch operation, increasing production fivefold and achieving a successful sale. She has coached 120+ private practices and DSOs, driving profitability through strategic systems. She leverages P&L and KPI analysis to craft marketing and growth strategies.

Kendall scaled a dental practice from $750,000 to over $4M in production, leading to a successful sale. She has coached 150+ practices, guiding CEOs and teams to enhance patient experience and drive profitability. She leverages P&L and KPI analysis to support transitions into DSOs or private sales.

Fabio scaled Shared Practices Group from 13 to 36 locations, surpassing $50M in annual revenue with a focus on full-arch implants. He has supported 100+ dentists in launching or acquiring 70+ practices. He achieved 40% growth for a major NYC practice and grew Pure Dental 5x the national average.

Julie Hannan brings more than 40 years of experience to the dental profession, having worked in both clinical and nonclinical roles across private practice and DSO settings. She is renowned for her expertise in case acceptance, patient experience, revenue cycle management, and team coaching — helping practices build consistency and excellence at every level.

As a coach for over a decade, Julie has developed professionals across a wide range of roles, from Treatment Coordinators to Program Managers, with a focus on quality patient care and strong practice management. Her deep understanding of dental business operations makes her especially effective at guiding practices toward their budgeting and growth goals through smart RCM strategy and a clear-eyed view of the business of dentistry.

Above all, Julie is passionate about the dental industry and helping people become the very best in their chosen fields.

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Toni is a former National Senior Vice President of Sales at ClearChoice, where she led sales strategy and execution across 100+ locations and helped scale one of the largest dental implant organizations in the country. She specializes in building structured, repeatable treatment conversion systems that drive patient commitment and increase revenue per treatment plan. Her work focuses on aligning doctors and teams through clear communication, defined KPIs, and consistent execution across the entire patient journey.

Jacquie brings over 36 years in dental practice consulting, specializing in revenue enhancement, patient retention, financial systems, and system design. She has held significant roles at Pride Institute and Bank of America Practice Solutions. She founded her own consulting and dental staffing firms, providing coaching, training, and recruiting services nationwide.

Melanie has 20+ years of cross-functional leadership in dental operations spanning Texas and the East Coast with major DSOs including Heartland Dental and Star Dental Partners. She managed a $50M+ P&L leading multi-specialty operations and achieved +12% EBITDA growth year over year. She is a 2024 Top Dog Award winner at Star Dental Partners.

Brooke has 17 years of progressive leadership in dental operations, HR, and multi-site management. She built the HR department at ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers, oversaw 50 practices driving $75M in annual revenue at Affordable Dentures & Implants, and served as COO at Espire Dental, leading expansion from 12 to 40+ locations.

Leslie has over three decades leading and scaling multi-site, multi-specialty healthcare and dental organizations with oversight of $123M in managed revenue. She drove 9%+ year-over-year growth and designed leadership development programs for 300+ dentists and managers. She is a recipient of the 2024 Impact Award for outstanding leadership.

Josh has 20+ years leading healthcare and dental operations, talent, and organizational development. He managed talent strategy for a 17,000-employee dental platform supporting 30+ markets and $3B in annual revenue, scaling the organization from 9,000 to 17,000 employees. His specialties include general dentistry, ortho, oral surgery, endo, perio, and pedo.

Jeff has 20+ years leading dental and healthcare marketing operations across the U.S. He supported 646 of Heartland Dental's practices, increasing collections by $40 million and improving production by $28 million while keeping marketing spend under 2% of revenue. He is a featured speaker at Heartland Dental's leadership programs.

Mark is a seasoned dental executive with 20+ years leading private practices and DSOs. He has led dozens of acquisitions and multiple DSO and practice sales, and has resolved high-risk owner issues including federal investigations and financial misstatements. His advisory work spans the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast regions.

Monica Gomez is a dental growth strategist and executive consultant with 25+ years of experience in general and specialty dentistry. She specializes in developing strong leaders, building high-performing teams, and helping practices turn strategy into measurable growth through clear systems, accountability, and operational alignment.

Briney has 30+ years leading operations in the dental and veterinary industries. She has supported 300+ practices nationwide, helping owners strengthen culture, accountability, and profitability. Her expertise spans general dentistry, med spa, veterinary, and wellness business models, with a focus on culture transformation and leadership coaching.

Max McCusker is a multi-practice owner, DEO Executive Coach, and Fractional CMO/CRO who has scaled dental practices across multiple specialties. With his brother Ian, Max grew a dental implant center from $0 to $3.6 million in annual revenue and went on to acquire and optimize additional practices. Earlier in his career, he built his foundation in digital marketing and sales at Nuvia Dental Implant Center. His rare blend of marketing, sales, and operational expertise gives him an operator-level perspective most agencies cannot match. Max is driven by closing the gaps between marketing, sales, and clinical operations to help practices grow.

Ian McCusker is Co-founder and COO of Dental Implant Group, a multi-location dental business he launched with his brother Max shortly after college. Ian and his team have developed a proven ability to add over seven figures of revenue to practices within 12 months or less, a track record that sets them apart in the industry. As a DEO Executive Coach and fractional CMO/CRO, he has advised over 70 practices on marketing funnels and patient conversion strategy. He is driven by the belief that the right data and systems transform interested leads into life-changing, high-ticket care.

Dean Hostovich is a Business Strategy Advisor at Dental Talent Solutions and a talent acquisition leader with over 20 years of experience in the DSO space. At Advantage Dental, he oversaw recruitment across 80 practices in 8 states, drove a 58% increase in hires, and delivered $400,000 in cost savings. Earlier at Marquette Dental Partners, he reduced dentist turnover from 55% to 22% through scalable recruiting and cultural alignment strategies. Dean is driven by the belief that an organization's greatest competitive advantage is its people.

A dentist, entrepreneur, and growth leader, she is the Founder & CEO of Whole Dental Wellness and Chief Growth Officer at ICON Dental Partners. She focuses on helping doctors grow while protecting autonomy and building culture-driven organizations that elevate teams, patient care, and community impact.

Colleen McFarlin is Director of Specialty Growth at Dental Care Alliance (DCA), driving performance across Ortho, Perio, Pedo, Oral Surgery, and Endo specialties. Prior to her current role, she served as DCA's Vice President of Specialty, overseeing a $128M revenue stream across 46 locations while delivering consistent revenue and EBITDA growth. Earlier in her career, she grew DCA's New York region by 19% in three years as Regional Manager. With more than 25 years in dentistry, she also serves as a Key Opinion Leader for a dental startup, advising on clinical adoption and integration. Colleen is passionate about operational excellence, employee engagement, and forging doctor partnerships that drive long-term success.

Shawna Hicks is an Executive Coach at DEO (Dentist Entrepreneur Organization), where she helps dental practice owners become the executives their organizations need. Her path started chairside as a dental assistant — and over 20 years she worked her way through every layer of practice operations, serving as an Office Manager who led a single-doctor, $850K practice to a three-doctor team producing $2.5M with Heartland Dental, before going on to serve as an Integrations Manager with Star Dental Partners.Shawna specializes in revenue cycle management, streamlining operations, and building high-performing teams rooted in strong culture. She believes that when leadership thrives and culture is right, everything else follows — from collections to efficiency to lasting profitability. Passionate about developing people as much as processes, she brings a ground-level understanding of what it takes to build a dental organization that truly runs well. Her members don't just get strategy — they get a coach who has lived every role in the building.

Krysten Garduno is a Specialty Coach at the DEO with 15+ years in dental revenue cycle management. Earlier in her career, she served as Senior Director of RCM at Espire Dental, leading revenue strategy across nearly 40 practices in six states, before founding her own virtual dental billing company. A recognized industry voice, she has spoken at the California Dental Association, Spear Education, and the Rocky Mountain Dental Convention, is a three-time Zentist RCM Bootcamp speaker, and has been featured on Dental Nachos and The Doers by CareStack. Krysten is passionate about turning revenue cycle operations into a competitive advantage.

Marcela is a dynamic dental leader with over 15 years of experience driving $85M+ revenue across multi-site dental operations and DSO platforms. She excels in P&L management and organic growth, building high-performing teams through servant leadership and strategic coaching. Her expertise includes sales process optimization and DSO transitions.

Dr. Janash founded Underbite Management, scaling 12 multi-specialty dental centers in New York City. He drives practice profitability through sharp financial analysis and tailored KPI strategies. He leverages insight into management psychology to boost team performance and case acceptance while combining personalized care with DSO-level efficiency.

Dani Short, RDH, is a Registered Dental Hygienist with over 20 years of experience in clinical care, operations, and practice growth. She works with dentists and multi-location teams to improve hygiene performance, patient experience, and team alignment. Dani focuses on implementing practical systems that increase treatment acceptance, strengthen culture, and support sustainable practice growth.

Richelle co-founded American Pediatric Dental Group, scaling it to seven locations, 18 doctors, and 130 team members before an eight-figure exit in 2021. A former Fortune 500 healthcare executive, she co-authored the Amazon #1 Best Seller The Power Couple and contributes monthly to NBC South Florida Live. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, CNN, and Success Magazine. Richelle is passionate about helping entrepreneurs build thriving businesses without losing themselves.

Rhonda brings 20 years of healthcare services leadership to the dental industry. Prior to joining DEO, she served as a Vice President overseeing revenue cycle and system transformation, where she standardized data management across more than 10 practice management systems and unified workflows for over 30 practices. Throughout her career, she has driven revenue growth through payer negotiations, performance metrics, and cost-saving initiatives. Rhonda is passionate about empowering dental entrepreneurs master revenue cycle management as a foundation for sustainable growth.

Trish Ackerman is a dental industry consultant and practice growth advisor with more than 25 years of experience supporting dental teams across Arizona and beyond. Throughout her career, she has held nearly every role inside a dental practice, including dental assistant, treatment coordinator, practice manager, consultant, and director of operations. That breadth gives her a rare ability to connect with team members at every level and diagnose operational challenges from the inside out. Trish is passionate about building healthy team cultures, strengthening systems, and helping practices reach their fullest potential.

Jennifer is recognized for helping practices create accountability, improve profitability, and build high-performing teams that drive lasting results. Her ability to align people, processes, and strategy has helped organizations navigate change and maximize performance. Passionate about developing leaders, Jennifer partners with practice owners and their teams to build strong foundations, create operational clarity, and develop thriving, profitable organizations. She believes that when leaders grow, teams flourish—and lasting success naturally follows. Operations is her core area of expertise, as she has spent her career helping practices improve performance, strengthen teams, and build scalable systems that support sustainable growth. Having worked alongside practices at every stage—from private practices and startups to established multi-location organizations—she brings a practical, hands-on approach to solving business challenges.

Holly Swanson is an Executive Coach at the Dentist Entrepreneur Organization (DEO), bringing over 15 years of leadership experience across the dental and healthcare industry. Prior to joining DEO, she advanced from front desk roles to Director of Operations overseeing multi-site dental practices, developing deep expertise in specialty management, insurance workflows, KPI management, and team development. Holly is known for her hands-on leadership style and her ability to build high-performing teams. Outside of dentistry, she owns a boutique gym coaching women in fitness and personal growth. She is driven by a passion for operational excellence and elevating the patient experience.

Angela Golden, RDH, CEPA, has more than 30 years of executive experience in dental practice ownership, management, and strategic growth. She works with dentists nationwide to increase profitability, strengthen leadership systems, and maximize enterprise value ahead of associate buy-ins, partnerships, and practice sales. Her advisory work spans General Dentistry, Orthodontics, and related specialties, helping clinically driven practices become scalable businesses with strong EBITDA and lasting equity value. Known for relentless execution and financial rigor, Angela is passionate about helping practice owners maximize the value of their life's work.

Jeani Spencer is an Executive Coach at the DEO, bringing more than 20 years of leadership and organizational development experience to dental entrepreneurs. Over an 18-year career at Pacific Dental Services (PDS), she built development programs that supported more than 18,000 team members and clinicians. Beginning as an Office Manager and Regional Manager, she led multi-million-dollar practices recognized for strong retention, operational excellence, and consistent year-over-year revenue growth. A trusted advisor and mentor, Jeani is passionate about developing exceptional leaders and strengthening culture, guided by a simple philosophy: dream big, strategize wisely, and invest in the right people.

Cassie Gaglio is a Provider Recruiter at the DEO, bringing more than 20 years of experience across the dental industry as both a clinician and a talent acquisition specialist. A registered dental hygienist with a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from Indiana University, she spent 12 years delivering patient care before moving into recruitment. Over the past eight years, she has specialized in placing dental providers, building strategic talent pipelines, and partnering with leadership teams to drive growth. Above all, she is passionate about advancing the dental profession and building strong teams that deliver outstanding patient care.

He brings more than 15 years of multi-site healthcare operations leadership to the dental groups he partners with, defined not just by the scale of what he has overseen but how he achieved it: through genuine partnership between business and clinical leadership. He spent over a decade at North American Dental Group, rising from Practice Operations Manager to Senior Vice President of Business Operations, where he led up to 210 practices across 15 states and $450M in annual revenue, building the operating rhythms, accountability systems, and field leadership teams that let each practice scale without losing what made it great. He most recently served as Head of Operations at Suveto, leading 75 veterinary hospitals, and now consults independently on operational transformation, leadership development, and integration planning.

Nikki founded and grew 16 de novo dental practices across Southern California and West Texas, spanning general dentistry, endodontics, periodontics, oral medicine and pathology, and mobile pediatrics. She is a de novo development and multi-specialty operations expert who takes owners from site selection and buildout through acquisition and exit. She builds leadership structure and KPI accountability so teams execute without the owner in the room.