Here are 11 female DSO executives to know:
Kristen Cusack. CEO of Phase 1 Equity (Southlake, Texas): Ms. Cusack was appointed CEO of Phase 1 Equity in October 2022, making her one of the first female CEOs of a private equity-backed DSO. She has 15 years of experience working in executive leadership for healthcare organizations such as senior healthcare company Golden Living, emergency medical care group Adeptus Health and home health services organization AccentCare.
Victoria Garcia. CFO at Dental Care Alliance (Sarasota, Fla.): Ms. Garcia has served as Dental Care Alliance's CFO since May. Dental Care Alliance supports more than 400 offices in the U.S. Ms. Garcia was previously the senior vice president of finance and accounting for North American Partners in Anesthesia, a management services company supporting practices in 20 states.
Andrea Garson. Chief People Officer at Guardian Dentistry Partners (Miami): Ms. Garson is a seasoned human resources executive serving Guardian's practice network spanning 11 states and Washington, D.C. Her past experience includes serving as vice president of human resources for Cardinal Health Canada and several roles at PepsiCo. Guardian Dentistry was recently honored on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S.
Cindy Klein. Chief Information Officer at Affordable Care (Morrisville, N.C.): Ms. Klein joined Affordable Care in 2019. She previously served as senior vice president and chief medical information officer for United Surgical Partners International, an ASC chain supporting more than 475 locations in the U.S.
Misty Mattingly. Senior Vice President and Chief Dental Hygiene Officer at Sage Dental (Boca Raton, Fla.): Ms. Mattingly joined Sage Dental in 2018 as vice president and director of hygiene and orthodontics. She was appointed to her current role in February to oversee the DSO's hygiene program and manage more than 150 hygienists throughout Florida and Georgia. She also currently serves as vice president of the Georgia Board of Dentistry and has been a practicing dental hygienist for 17 years.
Zhi Meng, DDS. Dental Group President and Chief Dental Officer at Sonrava Health: Dr. Meng oversees clinical operations support for Sonrava Health's general dentistry and dental specialty offices. Sonrava Health supports nearly 600 practices in the U.S. Dr. Meng was previously a professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry in Los Angeles and the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. She has also been a licensed dentist in California since 1994.
Jacqueline Morris. Chief Strategy and Development Officer at The Aspen Group (Chicago): Ms. Morris oversees strategic growth initiatives for one of the largest DSOs in the U.S. In addition to dental companies, The Aspen Group also supports urgent care and medical aesthetic groups, overseeing more than 1,300 locations in 45 states. Before joining Aspen, Ms. Morris was the vice president of strategy and business development for Cardinal Health, a global healthcare products company.
Joanna Rodgers. Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President of People at Pacific Dental Services (Irvine, Calif.): Ms. Rodgers oversees several departments for Pacific Dental Services, which supports more than 900 practices nationwide. These include recruiting, events, communications and the Pacific Dental Services Foundation. She joined PDS in 1995 and has served in all levels of management, including director, vice president of operations and regional partner for the Southwest region. She received the PDS Career Champion Award in 2014.
Rahma Samow. CEO of ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers (Greenwood Village, Colo.): Ms. Samow was appointed to her role in July. She has nearly 20 years of experience in medtech, digital health and clinical and implant dentistry. Before joining ClearChoice, she served as executive vice president at Straumann Group managing its global DSO business unit. At ClearChoice, she oversees the company's more than 90 offices nationwide.
Lorilee Schmidt and Christy Englehart. COOs of Smile Brands (Irvine, Calif.): Ms. Schmidt and Ms. Englehart each serve as COO of Smile Brand's Pacific West and Central Atlantic regions, respectively. Together, they oversee operations at the company's nearly 700 affiliated dental offices. Both execs are recipients of the President's Award, the company's highest honor.