Board of Directors

Mr. Lee is a serial entrepreneur and has 33 years of business management and entrepreneurial experience, including 27 years in the dental technology arena. Mr. Lee is currently the President and CEO of Planet DDS, Inc. He founded Planet DDS, Inc. in 2004 and has successfully guided the company to become the leading Cloud-based Practice Management and Revenue Cycle Management company for the global dental industry.

Prior to Planet DDS, Mr. Lee served as CEO of Dental Connect, Inc., a dental connectivity company that launched the industry’s first internet-based, HIPAA compliant, real-time claims processing and eligibility verification system used by many major insurance carriers. In 2001, Mr. Lee successfully managed the sale of Dental Connect, Inc. to a consortium of insurance companies which included, United Healthcare, MetLife, Aetna, Guardian, Ameritas and several Delta Dentals.

Mr. Lee also served as the CEO and co-founder of dentalxchange.com, the leading portal, e-commerce, and premier application service provider in the dental industry. Dentalxchange built the industry’s most-trafficked website, the largest on-line continuing education library, and help launched the most sophisticated e-commerce shop for the industry’s largest distributor, Henry Schein, Inc.

Mr. Lee is well regarded in the Dental Industry and serves as an advisor to several dental companies. Throughout his career, Mr. Lee has become known for his unique ability to successfully adapt new technologies into volatile markets.

JoAnn is a PMP certified Manager in PwC’s Program and Portfolio Management practice, with expertise in Business and IT Strategy, Global Business and IT Transformation, Program and Portfolio Management, IT Governance, software driven solution implementations and how to effectively work with a C1A client.

JoAnn is a former Fortune 500 Executive and CIO who has worked in Asia, Europe and the US. She has 20 plus years of management, industry and consulting experience leading, motivating and mentoring distributed, cross-functional teams by translating vision and business goals into meaningful, achievable deliverables.

She has led the led the setup of PMO and Governance Programs and the development and re-engineering of numerous process improvement initiatives for Financial Services, Health Care, Technology, Apparel, and Media & Entertainment businesses. JoAnn has directed enterprise-wide technology projects, led change management, business acquisition and integration initiatives and built and right sized large global organizations.

JoAnn has a reputation for leading process initiatives to achieve “impossible” goals by forming trusted strategic internal and external relationships, using innovative, proven approaches and solving business problems to grow revenues, and/or significantly reduce operational costs.

JoAnn has spearheaded the Implementations of strategic Financial, ERP, HR, Business Intelligence, Retail and eCommerce solutions, outsourced and in sourced both business operations and IT services, integrated core operational systems for mergers and acquisitions and rapidly brought up complete solutions for a start-up. JoAnn’s work has consistently resulted in cost savings, new business capabilities, improved processes and organizational efficiency.

Ern Blackwelder is President & CEO of Onsite Dental, which he joined in January 2008.
Prior to joining Onsite Dental, Ern served as Senior Vice President at Business Executives for National Security (BENS), where he was responsible for designing and leading the BENS Partnership Program, the nation’s leading model for mobilizing businesses to prepare with government to prevent and respond to catastrophic events. The Partnership began after 9/11 and encompassed seven regions including more than 200 corporations, the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, and multiple federal and state agencies.
Prior to joining BENS, Ern was Division President of Vivra Specialty Partners, a healthcare services firm that managed physician practices and regional physician networks in selected medical and surgical specialties. Ern also served as Chief Operating Officer and board member of Ars Digita, a venture-backed, open source enterprise software firm. He started his career at Bain & Company, an international business strategy consulting firm.
Ern holds a BS from UC Berkeley and an MBA from the Harvard Business School; he has served on several non-profit boards and is co-founder of Compass, a volunteer organization that matches MBA alumni consulting teams with non-profits in the Washington, DC and Philadelphia areas. He and his wife, Sheila, live in Orange County.

Dr. Cecilia Chang is a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente, practicing in Irvine, CA. Dr. Chang is a graduate of the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. She completed her pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. She has been a general pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente since 2007. Dr. Chang is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She enjoys spending time with her family and paddle boarding.

Tom Clark is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Banyan, the leading healthcare marketing firm for dentists and healthcare professionals. Tom founded his first company, Whitecap Dental Solutions in 2010. Ultimately he oversaw Whitecap Institute, which has trained over 4,500 Dental Professionals and continues to be a powerful advocate for patient centered care, WhiteCap Dental Solutions, a dental implant surgical equipment provider, and WhiteCap Implant Dentistry, whose mission is to “inspire, motivate, and train like-minded dental professionals.”

 By 2015, Tom founded Social Dental, or Banyan, a patient engagement company specializing in social media marketing, HIPAA-compliant photo sharing, website design, and review management. Tom’s family is deeply immersed in the dental space, with many dentists and dental assistants to provide him with firsthand experience and inspiration for his various projects.

With a background in law and management, Neal Crowley has over 30 years of experience as an executive health care leader with deep expertise in the multi-site dental health management services field. Mr. Crowley leverages a strong legal foundation, serving for six years as the Chief Legal Officer for Smile Brands Inc., where he was responsible for identifying and implementing legally compliant business solutions for general and multi-specialty dental practices. Crowley has also served as the company representative for the Association of Dental Support Organizations. Mr. Crowley currently serves as General Counsel for InterDent in Inglewood, providing a full range of business support services to independent general and specialty dental practices in multiple states.

Bob Dea holds almost 20 years of advertising sales and sales management experience in the areas of: public television, print, digital and direct-response revenue development across the United States. With 18 years in print, Mr. Dea has recently redirected his talents towards a new industry and has taken on the responsibilities of sponsorship and corporate revenue development at PBS SoCaL, the primary PBS TV station in Southern California.

At PBS SoCaL, Mr. Dea’s primary responsibilities include, but not limited to: team evaluation and performance development, lead sourcing, sales coaching and training, client relations development and identification of new revenue streams, such as: digital asset development, special event funding and incremental client revenue development. Additionally, Mr. Dea sits on the Strategic Planning committee for PBS SoCaL and carries his own list of clients that include: City National Bank, Orange County Transit Authority, UC Irvine, Snell & Wilmer L.L.P., Farmers & Merchants Bank and Automobile Club of Southern California.

As a true resident of Southern California; born and raised in Riverside, graduating from California State University, Fullerton and currently living and working in the Los Angeles area, Mr. Dea has been able to leverage his Southern California experience in every position. Additional positions covering: Associate Publisher, Advertising Director and New Business Development Manager for the LA Weekly, where as Associate Publisher Mr. Dea successfully launched several digital initiatives, including: SEO options, Deal of the Day platforms, SMS programs and targeted banner and newsletter services, in addition to watching over the 150,000 weekly circulation of the LA Weekly. Additionally, Mr. Dea reorganized the entire publication to better address the changing environment of print revenue, covering: circulation, degrading legacy categories, real estate space, staff positioning and marketing/branding initiatives.

Patti Dodge teaches fourth grade at Esqueda Elementary School in Santa Ana, where she is committed to making a difference in the lives of her students. Ms. Dodge was formerly a finance executive and held management positions in a range of financial services organizations, most recently as Chief Financial Officer at New Century Financial Corporation. Ms. Dodge holds a M.A. in Education from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. Ms. Dodge has served as Board President of the Be Aware Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through the early detection of breast cancer. Ms. Dodge has received numerous awards, including being named a “Top CFO” by Institutional Investor magazine, “CFO of the Year” by the National Investor Relations Institute and an outstanding “Woman in Business” by the Orange County Business Journal.

Belinda de la Libertad has been programming and managing computer systems for more than 2 decades. In that time, her roles have included software developer, network consultant, technology coordinator, database manager, and systems analyst with private firms, public agencies, and non-profit organizations. She has provided professional computing and analytical services to IBM, MIT, UT Austin, the Rancho Santiago Community College District, the City of Anaheim, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Office of Management & Budget in the Executive Office of the President.

In 2007, Belinda founded A-Z Techs in Santa Ana, California. The firm provides clients with computer-based solutions for day-to-day business needs, and its team has nearly 30 years’ experience in providing support for computer and information networks. Since its founding, A-Z Techs, has helped numerous private and non-profit clients in California and Texas to resolve computer software, hardware, and network issues and enhance their productivity.

Belinda holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She has served on the Board of Directors of Central Orange Coast YMCA and the National Hispanic Business Women Association. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Belinda currently lives and works in Santa Ana, California with her husband and her daughter.

Mr. Jeff Flocken has a 30+ year successful career in health care services in a variety of organization settings. He recently retired after serving five years with Tenet Healthcare. He was SVP of the California/Nebraska Region with responsibility for a $2.6B operating budget and 12 acute care hospitals, six ASCs and nine diagnostic imaging centers. While in the region EBITDA growth occurred through restructuring, asset divestiture and cost management initiatives. He also successfully negotiated labor agreements with three different unions on a statewide basis. Physician integration strategies were implemented through clinics, PC structures and development of an Accountable Care Organization Pilot with a major insurer.

From 1997 to 2005 Mr. Flocken was with the St. Joseph Health System. He served in several capacities in the areas of health system development, physician practice management, and hospital management. From 2000 to 2005 he served as SVP/COO for the 14 hospital and ambulatory care clinics with an operating budget of $2.2B.The system had facilities in California, West Texas and New Mexico. During the five years, the SJHS achieved record operating results, improved cash flows, Moody’s rating, and had over $100M in philanthropy raised. Integrated inpatient and ambulatory electronic health records were implemented across the enterprise.

Prior to 1997, he spent 18 years with Unihealth, a not for profit health system as the CEO of Northridge Hospital Medical Center (1987-1989) and Vice President Medical Centers Division (1995-1997). While there he oversaw major facilities expansion and renovation projects, physician integration efforts, and service expansion.

Mr. Flocken is well regarded throughout the industry and has served on multiple industry trade group boards.

Dr. Ligia Hallstrom serves as Principal for Wilson Elementary in the Santa Ana Unified School District. Her areas of expertise include staff development, project-based learning, data analysis and applications, and curriculum and instruction. As Principal, her duties include teacher evaluation and program development.

 Ligia has served as Principal at Los Alisos Middle School and John Glenn High School, with special assignments in the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District.

 Ligia received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Master of Science in Counseling from California State University, Fullerton. She received her Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy from the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education.

After graduating from dental school in Australia where she grew up, Andrea Hight practiced dentistry for the Tasmanian Health Department before marrying an American on a trip to the US.  At that point she had to switch countries.

Andrea spent 14 years with the Utah State Health Department where she developed and implemented a clinical access program to provide effective dental care to underserved populations. She assisted numerous programs to build and run dental clinics; participated in studies related to fluoride varnish effectiveness and impacts of oral health care on pregnant women and medically compromised patients;  and worked on national issues.  She also served as the chief occupational health officer for the Utah State Health Dept; and helped develop state oral health policy.

Since joining Henry Schein, Andrea has worked as both an equipment and an account manager. In those roles she has done everything from design offices and dental schools, to helping customers solve basic problems that impact their business. She is now the director for Managed Group Practice and Community Health for the Central Area of the country.

Andrea has presented regularly at national and regional oral health conferences on various clinical and management subjects.

Jeff Miller serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Western Dental, where he oversees all legal matters, including corporate governance, acquisitions, regulatory compliance, litigation, and government affairs.

Jeff’s professional career has focused on supporting health care organizations to deliver the highest quality patient care, including hospitals, dialysis facilities and radiology practices. Prior to joining Western Dental, Jeff spent several years as Vice President-Deputy General Counsel and was named Acting General Counsel at DaVita, a leading provider of kidney care with over 2,000 dialysis centers across the United States. At DaVita, he oversaw legal affairs and managed the company’s 75+ member legal team. More recently, Jeff served as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Imaging Advantage, a radiology practice management company.
Before going “in-house,” Jeff was an Associate with Latham & Watkins, where he represented large health insurance companies, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. He also worked at RAND Health where he advised state governments in connection with health care financing initiatives aimed at increasing access to care.

Jeff earned a J.D. from Georgetown University, a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins and a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University.

Dr. Richard P. Mungo, a founding board member of Healthy Smiles For Kids of Orange County, is a pediatric dentist practicing in Huntington Beach. Dr. Mungo currently serves as the Medical Director for the clinical practice at Healthy Smiles. He also serves as part time faculty in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at USC School of Dentistry and as a guest lecturer in the Department of Hospital Dentistry at UCLA School of Dentistry. Dr. Mungo is a graduate of Case Western Reserve School of Dentistry. He completed his pediatric residency at Boston University (Goldman) School of Graduate Dentistry and completed a fellowship at USC/Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in Craniofacial Anomalies. Additionally, Dr. Mungo received his Master’s degree in Medical Education from USC School of Medicine. From 1978 to 1993, Dr. Mungo served as the Department Chair of Pediatric Dentistry at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles associated with USC School of Dentistry. Dr. Mungo has published in areas of cleft palate therapy, conducted original research and published protocols for use of lasers in dentistry, and published in various areas of hospital dentistry and oral complications of AIDS in the pediatric population.

Dr. Meschgan Popal is a Western Regional Board certified general dentist.  Dr. Popal is a 2006 graduate of Loma Linda University School of Dentistry. She received Outstanding Achievement in the study of Prosthodontics during her dental education and is published in the Pacific Coast Society for Prosthodontics and the Journal of Prosthodontic Dentistry.   Prior to her U.S. dental degree, she studied the art of dentistry at the University of Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany.  She is experienced with pediatric and geriatric patients and is fluent in English, German, Farsi, Dari, and conversant in basic Urdu.  Dr. Popal is a member of the American Dental Association and has extensive clinical experience as well as practice. Dr. Popal enjoys traveling and learning about public oral health establishments in a variety of different countries and has provided dental care in several non-profit organizations in South America and the Middle East.  Dr. Popal adores her three children and husband, enjoys family time as well as painting, photography, design, crafts and traveling.

Karen Tan is the Senior Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at Edwards Lifesciences, an organization recognized as the global leader in patient-focused medical innovations for structural heart diseases.  Her responsibilities include long term financial and strategic planning, reducing risks and driving sustainable growth for the organization.

Karen started her career with the Boston Consulting Group in 1992 where she provided strategic advisory to clients on market entry, market expansion and process re-engineering strategies.  Karen then transitioned to working with the World Bank (part of United Nations) where she focused on private sector investments in developing and less developed countries.   After the World Bank, Karen joined STEC where she led their financial and strategic planning efforts.   In 2007, Karen joined Cisco Systems where she served in both its Strategic Planning and Financial Planning groups.

Karen received an M.B.A. from the Wharton Graduate School of Business at University of Pennsylvania.   She and her family live in Orange County.   Karen is passionate about contributing to the community and working with children.

Gary L. Van Arnam is a Senior Vice President with Northern Trust. In this role he oversees comprehensive financial and fiduciary services for high net worth individuals, families, foundations, and non-profit relationships for the Newport Beach and Rancho Mirage offices. Gary has over 20 years of experience in financial services as a private practice financial planner and senior trust officer.

Mr. Van Arnam received his B.S. in Business Administration & Finance from California State University, Long Beach. Gary completed the Financial Planning Program at USC, and the National Graduate Trust School of the American Bankers Association with Honors.

Active in the community, Gary was Past President of the Board of Healthy Smiles For Kids of Orange County, Member of the CHOC Professional Advisory Council, former President of the Board of Human Options, former President of the Board of the Estate Planning & Trust Council of Long Beach, former President of the Board of the Planned Giving Round Table of Orange County, former Adjunct Faculty Member for the College for Financial Planning, and a Certified Financial Planner.

Susan Wongso is an accomplished accounting and internal audit professional with extensive global and hands-on experience technical accounting, risk and controls management, system conversions, business process re-engineering, financial and operational audits (including Sarbanes-Oxley compliance), regulatory audits and SAS 99 reviews.

Susan attended the University of New South Wales where she received her Master of Commerce, Accounting and Taxation as well as her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics for Management. She is a certified CPA and CFIRS (Certified Fiduciary and Investment Risk Specialist).

Susan has applied her extensive accounting and audit skills at positions with Banc of California, Hyundai Capital America, Citigroup Inc, and JP Morgan in London.