Keynote Speakers

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Dr. Gordon Christensen Dr. Gordon J. Christensen is the Founder and Director of Practical Clinical Courses (PCC) in Utah, and Dean of the Scottsdale Center for Dentistry (SCD) in Arizona. Both groups are international continuing education organizations providing courses and videos for all dental professionals.

Dr. Christensen has presented over 45,000 hours of continuing education throughout the world and has published many articles and books.

Gordon and Dr. Rella Christensen are co-founders of the non-profit CRA Foundation (CRA), which Rella directed for many years. Since 1976, CRA has conducted research in all areas of dentistry and published the findings to the profession in the well-known CRA Newsletter.

Gordon's degrees include: DDS, University of Southern California; MSD, University of Washington; PhD, University of Denver; an Honorary Doctor of Science from Utah State University, and an honorary Doctor of Dental Education and Research from Utah Valley State University.

Early in his career, Gordon helped initiate the University of Kentucky and University of Colorado Dental Schools and taught at the University of Washington. Gordon is a practicing prosthodontist in Provo, Utah.


Bob Hirschfield Bob Hirschfield who Jay Leno calls "one of the top satirists in the country," has transformed the mood and energy at more than 200 conferences for such clients as Microsoft, Forbes and Johnson & Johnson.

As the world's first (self-proclaimed) "Cybersatirist," Bob Hirschfeld initially made his mark online with a popular web site that was named a PC magazine Top 100, followed by his success at high–profile business events. He's performed for Fortune 500 CEO's at invitation–only conferences and international audiences of leading financial managers, and followed Microsoft President Steve Ballmer after he unveiled Windows XP.

Bob Hirschfeld has been profiled in USA Today and The Wall Street Journal as well as been featured in Newsweek and Fast Company. His humor has appeared in the op–ed pages of The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and USA Today.

Course Speakers

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Lois Banta
Ghajiibah Campbell
Janice Chipolla
Gayle Christensen
Patti DiGangi
Dr. Larry Emmott
Michael Garrett
Marianne Harper
Dr Eugene Heller
Janice Hurley-Trailor
Cathy Jameson
Fred Joyal
Tom Limoli
Jason McKnight
Serena Oldroyd-Wixom
Sandy Pardue
Brenda Penwell
Kerry Straine
Bethany Valachi
Jamie Yanez

Lois Banta Lois Banta began as a dental receptionist and quickly working her way up the administrative ladder, Lois discovered secrets that make a practice successful. Always the innovator, Lois developed a successful method to schedule for optimum production, developed techniques to resolve outstanding insurance claims (The Insurance Detective), and structured financial policies to make the practice healthy and profitable. Lois Banta's SCI approach (See, Commit, and Implement) has allowed her to take practices from mediocrity to excellence. Her no-nonsense approach and tenacity have earned this 5 ft. tall dynamo the apt reputation, "Ten Feet Tall and Bullet Proof." As a staff trainer and team builder, Lois has an effective way of teaching the entire dental staff how to move in the same direction, while doing their individual tasks. Her recipe for success is for practices of all sizes and her program is a "must have" for dentists who are committed to reaching their potential.


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Ghajiibah Campbell Ghajiibah Campbell, BA, MA, is a Certified Trainer and Instructor for Dentrix and Easy Dental and has been for the past 11 years. She has trained over 300 practices in 15 different states and in Barbados, and West Indies. When she is not teaching a seminar or training, Ghajiibah works as a Regional Manager in a State–of–the–Art Dental Practice in Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland. Her concern for the quality control and the need to improve on customer service has inspired her to write a book on Customer Service.


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Janice Chipolla, EFDA was one of the first certified Enterprise trainers in the country. She maintains a strong commitment to the dental community and has been in the dental profession for many years.

Janice has been associated with Dentrix for over 10 years as a certified Dentrix, Dentrix Enterprise and Hi Tech Trainer. She is a former recipient of the "Trainer of the Year" and "Enterprise Trainer of the Year" awards.

Janice not only helps certify new Enterprise trainers, but also helps in Beta testing and implementation. She is responsible for training and implementation at several Ivy League Schools and multi–million dollar practices throughout the country. She remains in continuous contact with these locations to facilitate updates through the DXOne upgrades.

She continues to be a major factor in many of the country's community health centers by helping them meet the needs of the indigent.


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Gayle Christensen Gayle Christensen has spent the last 30+ years developing and implementing effective dental management systems that have brought clarity, accountability, increased profits and patient satisfaction to dental practices. She has the unique ability to relate and motivate the entire dental team to make necessary changes in their practices and ultimately their own lives. Her caring attitude and years of dental management experience as a Dental Administrator gives Gayle the insight to develop methods of improving the day–to–day operations and challenges of any dental practice. Gayle is President of Christensen Dental Consulting, LLC of Minnesota, an independent dental management consulting firm and founder of the Dental Administrative Symposium.


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Patti DiGiangi Patti DiGangi, RDH, BS is a speaker, author and still practicing dental hygiene clinician. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Leadership in 1996. She is completing a Masters in Business Administration degree with a certificate in Educational Management.

Patti received the Illinois Dental Hygienist of the Year 2000 Presidential award and is a charter member of the IDHA Scholar Society. She has been president of her local component, state membership chair, and multi-year delegate to American Dental Hygienists Association. She is a member of the Governing Board American Academy of Dental Hygiene.

Patti is a certified presenter through Academy of General Dentistry National Speaker's Bureau for Periodontal Disease. She is a member of GC America Key Opinion Leaders, Zila Pharmaceuticals National Speaker's Bureau, the Hu-Friedy Thought Leaders Program and P&G Oral and Whole Health Lecture Board. She is also a member of the Linda Miles Speaking & Consulting Network, Dental Team Concepts Speakers Group and new faculty member for CareerFlow Professional Development.

Patti's articles appear regularly in RDH Magazine and is a member of their Key Influencer Panel. Her work is also seen in other professional periodicals and is a reviewer for The Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice. Patti is currently co-writing a book on minimal intervention philosophy.

She has been speaking nationally since 1993 and brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and spontaneity to her presentations.


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Dr Larry Emmott Dr. Larry Emmott is one of the most entertaining speakers in dentistry and he is considered the leading dental high tech authority in the country. He is a practicing general dentist in Phoenix, AZ. He will have you laughing while you are learning. He has addressed hundreds of professional groups, has been a featured speaker at every ADA Technology Day, a consultant to many other dentists and a professional speaker to thousands of dentists throughout the country every year. He is a regular contributor to leading national magazines; he is the high tech columnist for "Dental Products Report" Magazine and makes frequent radio and television appearances.


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Michael Garrett Michael Garrett is an associate with Stoel Rives' Wealth Management section. He advises clients on estate planning, estate and trust administration, federal and state taxation, and general business and corporate law matters. He is a member of the Utah State Bar, the Utah State Bar Estate Planning Section, and the Utah State Bar Tax Section.


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Marianne Harper Marianne Harper is the owner of "The Art of Practice Management," a dental practice management consulting company. Marianne's specialties in her consultancy are front desk systems, business forms, the implementation of systems to lower accounts receivable, and the implementation of a dental–medical cross coding system. In addition, Marianne is the author of a medical coding manual for dental practices and is a published author of dental practice management articles, as well as being a well–respected speaker and trainer.


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Dr. Eugene W. Heller is a 1976 graduate of the Marquette University School of Dentistry. His pre-professional school background included accounting and small business tax consulting. During his 15 years in clinical practice, his Curriculum Vitae in practice management was extensive.

In 1985, Dr. Heller established his own practice-management consulting company, leaving private practice in 1990 to pursue consulting full-time. Since then, Dr. Heller has written the practice management program used by a major national healthcare consulting and transition company, while training more than 40 of their practice-management consultants.

His concept of in–office, hands–on practice management has led to his direct consulting with several hundred practices during the past ten years. Special areas of attention have focused on computerization, scheduling, insurance and financial controls, and soft tissue/hygiene department protocols. He has also conducted in–office surveys on practice system efficiencies on several hundred practices.

Since 1990, Dr. Heller has been involved as a consultant to more than 1000 practice transitions involving the sale of practices and the formation of partnerships, group practices, office sharing arrangements, and other practice transitions. He also personally reviews more than 200 practice appraisals annually. From 1995 to 1997, he served as President and CEO of Professional Practice Transitions, L.L.C., where his primary responsibilities included the development of practice appraisal protocols and the development of a national practice brokerage network.

In July 1997, Professional Practice Transitions was acquired by Henry Schein Dental, a Henry Schein Company. Dr. Heller presently serves as Henry Schein Dental's National Director of Transition Services. The field transition team supervised by Dr. Heller includes thirty–plus individuals and has provided transition consulting and/or appraisal services to all fifty states.

Dr. Heller has lectured throughout the United States to many state professional associations and at several professional schools. Topics have included Practice Management, Determination of Practice Values, and The Buying and Selling of Healthcare Practices. He has also published numerous articles on practice transition–related subjects. He has also served as a consultant to St. Paul Liability Insurance Company, evaluating alleged malpractice claims. He has served as an expert witness for both malpractice cases and practice valuations.


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Janice Hurley-Trailor Janice Hurley–Trailor – Dentistry's Image Expert has a degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco and has over 20 years of success as one of our industries' top dental consultants. Her articles on Treatment Presentation and Professional Image are seen regularly in Dental Practice Report, Dental Economics, Dentistry Today, Modern Hygienist and RDH magazine. She has spoken recently at: American Academy of Cosmetic Dentists, Seattle Study Club National Symposium, Western Regional Dental Conference and American Association of Dental Office Managers. Woody Oaks, DDS Excellence in Dentistry says : "In fourteen plus years of presenting seminars, Janice is one of the best we have ever seen" Linda Miles says: "Janice holds the audience's attention like no one else". Janice is an Image Coach to those of us in Dentistry who want to make the best impact possible. She is passionate about helping people advance their careers through the God-given tools they so uniquely possess. Her real world dental makeovers continue to be an audience hit as she encourages us to reach our full potential. www.janicehurley.com


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Cathy Jameson Cathy Jameson is founder and CEO of Jameson, an international dental coaching, speaking and product development firm. The Jameson Method of Management, developed by Cathy, offers proven business and clinical systems for helping dental professionals improve their practices through comprehensive coaching. An accomplished speaker, writer and workshop leader, Cathy integrates her continuous studies of communication into the management of dental teams and practices. She and her team of coaches have lectured and consulted in 26 countries. In addition to two Oklahoma offices, Jameson has offices in New York and the United Kingdom. The Jameson team has changed thousands of lives through presentations and in-office coaching as well as books, CDs, DVDs and other products.


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Fred Joyal Fred Joyal founded 1–800–DENTIST® in 1986 to provide a consistent flow of screened patients to member dentists while encouraging millions of consumers to visit the dentist on a regular basis. He has written, produced or appeared in over 100 television and radio commercials, which air more than 5,000 times a month on major networks nationwide.

Fred sits on the board of The Children's Dental Center, a non–profit, state–of–the–art, comprehensive oral health care and education center in Inglewood, California, as well as the National Children's Oral Health Foundation, a nationwide network of dental practices and educational facilities.


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Tom Limoli Tom Limoli, Jr. is the prevailing expert on proper coding and administration of dental insurance benefit claims. He serves as president of Limoli and Associates/Atlanta Dental Consultants, Inc., a company that over the past quarter century has assisted dental offices in streamlining the insurance reimbursement process. Mr. Limoli's no-nonsense approach to the management of third-party reimbursement has been implemented in thousands of dental practices across the country.

Mr. Limoli received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Valdosta State University. Following his work with the U.S. Treasury Department's Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Mr. Limoli has actively investigated fraudulent claims for the insurance industry, as well as numerous other third-party fiduciaries. He is a licensed private investigator and a member of the American Association of Dental Consultants, the National Speakers Association, the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, and the past president of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants.

Mr. Limoli is the editor of Dental Insurance Today, a monthly publication that addresses third-party reimbursement in the dental office. He is the author of Dental Insurance and Reimbursement Coding and Claim Submission, and co-author of Fee-for-Service Dentistry With a Managed-Care Component.


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Jason McKnight Jason McKnight is a certified DENTRIX ENTERPRISE Trainer and has 10 years of extensive practice management experience in the dental field. His variety of experience and thorough understanding of practice management allows him to present the technical aspects in an easy to understand manner.


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Serena Oldroyd-Wixom Serena Oldroyd–Wixom is the President and Owner of Advanced Dental Consulting, based in Orem, UT. She started in the dental field in 1978. Serena has a passion for dentistry. Before consulting, she founded and managed several successful practices. Her knowledge and experience with practice start-ups, increasing production and collections, insurances, and system implementations have brought her and the practices she's worked and consulted for continued success.


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Sandy Pardue Sandy Pardue is an internationally recognized lecturer, published author and practice management consultant. She has assisted hundreds of doctors with practice expansion and staff development, over the past 15 years. She offers a refreshing point of view on how to become more efficient and productive in a dental practice. Sandy is known for her comprehensive and interesting approach to successful dental office systems. She is director of consulting with Classic Practice Resources and was named a "Leader in Consulting" by Dentistry Today for the past 5 years.


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Brenad Penwell Brenda Penwell joined Dr. Michael Schuster and The Schuster Center for Professional Development 23 years ago where she is currently President and C.F.O. As a member of the Schuster Center faculty, Brenda has the opportunity to work closely with dentists and their teams and possesses the unique ability to relate to the doctors as well as team members. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. As an experienced speaker and trainer, Brenda has represented The Schuster Center at events across the United States and Puerto Rico. She is dedicated to helping each dentist and team member achieve his or her individual and collective goals. Feedback from her presentations over the years makes it obvious that she has a passion for the profession of dentistry.


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Kerry Straine Kerry Straine, a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Accounting. Kerry has been involved in business and financial management for more than thirty years. It was Kerry's education and experience in accounting that led to the development of The Straine Management System™, the premier platform that provides strategic planning, leadership and team development, policy and management system design, training, monitoring and coaching for dental professionals throughout the United States and Canada.

As a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst, Kerry is able to assist dental professionals gain a better understanding of the complexity of strategic leadership. Kerry states, "Thinking strategically, acting decisively and in alignment with the practice's strategy, and influencing others' commitment to short– and long–range objectives is the essence of effective leadership. The Straine Management System™ provides the essential systems and processes that can improve the strategic functioning of a dental team."


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Bethany Valachi Bethany Valachi, PT, MS, CEAS is a physical therapist, dental ergonomic consultant and author of the newly released book, "Practice Dentistry Pain–Free: Evidence–based Strategies to Prevent Pain and Extend your Career". She is president of Posturedontics®, a company that provides research–based dental ergonomic education and lectures internationally for dental meetings, study clubs and associations. Bethany has been widely published in numerous peer–reviewed dental journals, including the JADA, CDA and Contemporary Oral Hygiene and has developed chair–side stretching and home exercise videos specifically for dental professionals.


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Jamie Yanez Jamie Yanez has been actively involved in the Dental profession for 36 years. She has an extensive background in dental practice administration. This practical experience has inspired her passion for the dental industry. As a certified trainer and seminar instructor for Dentrix and Easy Dental for 10 years, Jamie takes great pride in holding Trainer of the Year and Sprit of Dentrix awards from Dentrix.

Jamie is also an instructor for Dentrix and Easy Dental courses presented at several major dental meetings. She has participated on the Dentrix Implementation Board and was elected in 2004 to the Trainers Advisory Board where she continues in a leadership role. Jamie has been a guest speaker for a major insurance carrier and continues to bring her lively presentation to many users groups and study clubs in her home base of New Jersey. Working directly with Dentists and their teams is still a passion of Jamie's. She emphasizes that "working smarter, not harder", is no longer a concept, but a reality and a necessity.


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