Joining the REACH Healthcare Foundation in February of 2007, Dawn is the Project Director for the Children’s Oral Health Initiative. In this position, she is responsible for overseeing the foundation’s first initiative that aims to improve the overall oral health status of thousands of preschool aged children in REACH’s six county service area. Dawn is excited to launch this program in August of 2007 and can’t wait to witness bright, beautiful and healthy mouths in the making. Prior to her employment at REACH, Dawn was employed by Sunflower House, a child abuse prevention agency, where she oversaw all community education programs. During her tenure there, she was instrumental in expanding school based prevention programs in over 170 local schools, as well as creating new partnerships with law enforcement, faith-based entities and other community agencies to promote child abuse awareness and prevention. She also assisted with securing funding, as well as overseeing the implementation of federal, state, and local grants.

Although newer to the oral health arena, Dawn in no stranger to working with populations who are underserved and in need of quality care. She is proud of her past experiences working with at-risk first time parents with the Healthy Families program in San Antonio, Clay County, Missouri and Olathe, Kansas, as well as Head Start children and families in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dawn is a native of Iowa, where she graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. For the past 10 years Dawn, husband, Stu, and children, Carson age 5 and Reagan age 3 have made the Kansas City area their home, residing in Overland Park.

Janelle Keller received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree from Marymount College in Salina, KS in 1980. Her nursing practice includes psychiatric and obstetrical experience and surveillance and utilization review of medical records.

In October 2000, Janelle began working for Kansas Medicaid on the managed care team. Currently, she is program manager for severalmedical programs with the Kansas Health Policy Authority. Janelle serves on the board of the Medicaid SCHIP(State Children’s Health Insurance Plans) Dental Association which includes planning the Medicaid/SCHIP portion of the annual National Oral Health Conference.

Craig Kaberline has been the Executive Director/Lobbyist for the Kansas Area Agencies on Aging Association (K4A) since August 2002. K4A is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of Kansas seniors and their caregivers. Prior to his employment with K4A, Craig had been the Grants Manager/Legislative Advocate for the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities.

Born and raised in Topeka, KS, Craig earned his undergraduate degree from Washburn University and his graduate degree from the University of Kansas.

Craig and his wife Michelle reside in Topeka with their daughter Andrea and son John. In his spare time Craig enjoys spending time with his family, sports, landscaping, target shooting and politics.

Kyle Kessler is a lifelong Kansan, graduating from Holton High School. In 1994, he graduated from Emporia State University with Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and History. In 2000, he received his MPA from Kansas State University.

In December of 1996, he began as a Special Investigator with Kansas Human Rights Commission investigating complaints of discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations and eventually served as the Agency’s Education/Information Representative. In June of 2000, he accepted a position with the Kansas Division of the Budget as an Analyst. In that role, he analyzed budget submissions of agencies including the Department of Revenue, Office of the Attorney General, and the Judicial Branch among others, and made funding and policy recommendations for the Governor.

In 2003, Kyle was appointed to serve as the Director of Governmental and Media Affairs with the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services as and was subsequently promoted to a position as the Deputy Secretary for Public and Governmental Services. This position was responsible for management of the Agency’s Governmental Affairs, Communications, and Central Office Customer Services Units.

Kyle recently accepted a position as Vice-President of Administration and Communications with KVC Behavioral HealthCare. In this position, Kyle will have management responsibility of the organization’s Admissions, Information Technology, and Medical Records Departments and will be responsible for the governmental affairs, communications, and customer service resolution processes.

Kyle lives in Topeka with his wife, Mindi, and their daughters, Grace and Molly.

Susanne has served as the assistant administrator for the Riley County-Manhattan Health Department for the last 10 years. She shares administrative responsibilities for all aspects of health department operations, but she has a special passion for family and child services and is a true believer in community collaboration. She has helped to plan and develop community partnerships and programs and is responsible for securing and overseeing funding for a variety of them. Most recently, she helped initiate a local dental hygiene clinic for Early Head Start, Head Start, and pregnant women in the Maternal and Infant Program of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Susanne serves in leadership positions with the Manhattan Community Foundation, the Infant Toddler Services Network, Community Health Council, and Raising Riley - the Children, Youth & Families Planning Team for Riley County.

Susanne has a Masters of Public Administration Degree and also Masters Degrees in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Prior to coming to the health department, Susanne worked for 14 years in hospital clinical settings and administration.

Susanne’s free time is spent with her husband and visiting their three daughters and one son-in-law. She enjoys the mountains, traveling, bicycling, flower gardening, and blues and bluegrass music.

Gerald R. “Jerry” Loney was born and grew up in Topeka, Kansas. He graduated from Highland Park High School in 1976 with high honors, followed by attendance at Washburn University of Topeka. He received B.A. degrees in Corrections and in Sociology in May 1981. He also earned two technical certificates: One in Computer Operations and another in Computer Repair in May 1997 from Kaw Area Technical School. He was voted into the National Vocational Honor Society at the end of that school year.

Jerry has held several jobs, the most recent being as a Customer Service Agent, working for the Kansas Department of Revenue. He has also created and developed his alter ego of “JR Juggles” the Clown. He began clowning May 6, 1983 and continues to perform for selected audiences.

Jerry joined the Sunflower Lions Club of Topeka, March 10, 1998, and has held several offices within his local Club. Jerry truly enjoyed serving as Club President during 2004/2005. Those who know Jerry understand that he seems to enjoy providing excellent service in everything that he does.

Jerry has been very active in providing excellent service for his home Lions District. He served as Zone Chairman, coordinating the efforts of Region 3, Zone 1 Lions clubs during 2003/2004. The following year, his year as Club President, he also accepted the position of Regional Membership Advisor for Region 3 Lions clubs, which he continued for Lions year 2005/2006. Jerry was his District’s Youth Outreach/Lions Quest Chairman in 2006/2007.

He has also served in an outstanding manner at the state level, comprised of 303 Lions clubs. Jerry served as Co-Chair for the state Lions Eye Health Program for 2006/2007. He was also the state Lions Quest Chairman for 2006/2007, in addition to serving as Lions Quest Chairman for his home District, promoting development of healthy and productive young people. He has accepted the Lions Quest Chairman positions again for his home District and for the state for 2007/2008.

Jerry was selected to attend the Emerging Lions Leadership Institute at Oakbrook, Illinois in March 2004, and was selected to attend the Great Plains Lions Leadership Institute the following summer at Blair, Nebraska.

In addition to his exceptional service, Jerry has attended a Lions international convention and several state and district conventions to improve his knowledge and effectiveness as part of the Lions international association. He has demonstrated his penchant for excellence in all positions as well as his willingness to assist in any role where needed.

In addition to his Lions activities, Jerry has been active in numerous professional and community organizations, including service as a Divorced Dads Advocate, as a member of the board of directors of the U.S. Post Office Consumer Advisory Council, and as a member of the board of directors of Mid-America Christian Performing Arts Conference

Marcia Manter is a community development specialist who coordinates projects designed to build systems so that all Kansans may have optimum oral health. Currently, she provides services to Oral Health Kansas, Kansas Head Start Association and Missouri Coalition for Oral Health. The initiatives include: Extended Care Permits for Kansas Dental Hygienists, Kansas School Coordinated Oral Health Rubric, and Optimum Oral Health for Children with Special Health Care Needs.

She first began designing projects to improve the system of oral health in 1987, when Head Start asked her to find ways to halt dental decay in young children. That launched several demonstration projects to teach parents and early childhood teachers to care for young children’s teeth to keep them cavity free.

Her project management roles involve recruiting experts to guide the development of the project, facilitating planning and problem solving meetings, writing materials, designing workshops, speaking and exhibiting at conferences, and preparing proposals to fund aspects of the project.

A native of Chicago, she graduated from Wittenberg University in Ohio and received her Master of Arts from the University of Illinois in communication. She also has extensive post-graduate work in organizational and community development.

Denise received her Associate degree in Dental Hygiene and a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences in Administration at Wichita State University in 1982. She currently works part-time in the general dentistry practice of Dr. Lynn Cramer in Wichita, Kansas. She also works as a part-time adjunct clinical faculty instructor at WSU in the dental hygiene program.

Her passion for dental hygiene has kept her motivated and active in the Kansas Dental Hygienists’ Association as well as her local component in Wichita for over 25 years. She has held various and numerous offices over the years including that of president of each association. She has also enjoyed over the years providing oral health presentations to various groups within her community. She has participated in each of the six KMOM’s from nearly set-up to clean-up on most and considers herself an official junky!

She is currently a member of the Kansas Dental Board, a member of the WSU Dental Hygiene Department Advisory Board, a member of the CRDTS Steering Committee as well as a CRDTS examiner, and a member of the Healthy Options for Planeview Advisory board.

She is married to Bill. They have three children, Preston and twins, Derek and Gavin. She enjoys being a sport’s Mom, helping out at the kids school and being the Box Top Lady.

Bill McDaniel is the newly appointed Commissioner of the Program and Policy Commission at the Kansas Department on Aging. He began working for the State of Kansas in 1978 at the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. He transferred to the Department on Aging in 1997 as a director with the Medicaid nursing home program. Bill received a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Baylor University.

Bill came to Kansas in 1973 by way of Ohio and Texas and as a member of Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA). He was a VISTA volunteer in Hill City and later went to work at the Graham County Hospital and Medical Clinic where he met his wife, Ethel, a registered nurse. Bill moved to Eastern Kansas in 1976 when he took a job with Mid America Council on Aging in Olathe. Bill and Ethel have three children and three grandchildren.

Raymond Muñoz has been the project coordinator for Access to Baby and Child Dentistry at the Douglas County Dental Clinic for almost 2 years. Prior to his role with ABCD, Ray was a business and technology consultant in his home state of Texas. Ray has a bachelor's degree in business management and computer information systems from Texas A&M University - Kingsville and has 18 hours on an MBA in marketing and nonprofit management through Capella University.

Ray is currently working on his dental assistant certification through Penn Foster's distance learning program and also has certifications in music recording engineering, photography, and computer hardware repairs and services. Ray enjoys spending his free time with his 3 year old son, writing songs, and taking photos.

Jan graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in horticulture(Landscape Design), in 1979. She went to the University of Missouri-Kansas City Dental School and graduated in 1983. She married Lyle Pishny in 1982 and recently celebrated 25 years of marriage! She practiced for 7 years 1 day a week while having three wonderful daughters. In 1990, she opened her own office in Overland Park, KS and has been in the same location for 17 years.

She enjoys helping people with their dental needs and wants, and especially helping families with their dental concerns. With 2 daughters out of college, it is time to give more back to the communities of Kansas, and she looks forward to helping coordinate and initiate new programs to get dental health to more Kansas residents.

Jodi Schmidt earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications/Journalism and completed graduate level coursework in Communications/Business at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. In 2002, Jodi received her MBA in Health Administration at the University of Colorado, Denver. With more than twenty years of experience in the health care field, Jodi has been involved in rural network development, organizational communication, media relations and marketing, community health improvement, strategic planning and physician practice administration. She currently holds the role of Vice President/Chief Development Officer at Hays Medical Center.

She and her husband, Dave, have three children and reside in Hays. In her spare time she cheers on her children’s sports teams and volunteers on the inaugural board of a new Community Foundation.

Caron grew up in beautiful Minnesota, attended the University OfMinnesota-Duluth from 1975 to 1979 and graduated with an Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene. After working in private practice in Minnesota for 10 years, she and her husband, Brad, and their four children moved to Kansas in 1989. In 1992, Caron attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Hygiene Education. In July 2006, Caron received the Butler/Sunstar RDH Award of Distinction, awarded to her at the RDH Under One Roof Convention in Las Vegas.

This fall Caron will begin pursuing her Master’s in Public Health degree at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Caron works for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Bureau of Oral Health as a Fluoride Varnish Outreach Coordinator. This fall, Caron will be working with the Bureau of Oral Health in the position of School Dental Health Coordinator. In addition to working part time as a clinical dental hygienist, Caron also holds an ECP permit and is working with the Johnson County Health Department to develop a program (ElderSmiles) to provide preventive services to people living in long-term care facilities in Johnson County.

Caron’s pride and joy are her four children, (three sons and one daughter), two of whom are Eagle Scouts; one a life Scout, working on his Eagle; and a daughter who is a National Merit Scholar.

Brian Smith is the Superintendent of Schools in Galena, Kansas and an adjunct instructor for Northwest Missouri State University. He is originally from Columbus, Kansas and received his Bachelor of Science degree in English Education in 1989 from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. He taught English from 1989 to 1994 in LeRoy, Kansas.

In 1994 he received his master’s degree in school counseling from Emporia State University and was the K-12 guidance counselor in Cedarvale, Kansas before taking a position at Iola Middle School in Iola, Kansas. After receiving a master’s degree in educational leadership in 2000, Brian served as principal at Liberal High School in Liberal, Missouri and then moved to Galena where he accepted the position of high school principal.

In 2005, Brian received his Educational Doctorate from the University of Kansas. He recently presented a paper at the Academy of Educational Studies at Missouri State University on the topic of learning style differences between genders. He has also conducted extensive research in the area of student search and seizure law.

Brian and his wife, Marcia, reside in Galena, Kansas and have three children, Amber, Taylor, and J.D.

Dr. Woods earned his Bachelor of Science in biology from historic Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama and his Doctor of Dental Surgery from Howard University located in Washington, DC. Dr. Woods also successfully completed an intensive Air Force AEGD residency program at Bolling AFB, Washington, DC and remained on staff as a comprehensively trained general dentist after his residency. After completing his Air Force service obligations, Dr. Woods joined the ranks of Howard University College of Dentistry where he served as both the director of the AEGD program and the Director of Continuing Dental Education for Howard University College of Dentistry. Currently, Dr. Woods is a Major in the United States Air Force reserves and serves as Chief of Dentistry for the 459 th Aerospace Medical Squadron (AMDS) at Andrews AFB, Maryland. Dr. Woods is active in both academic and clinical dentistry with several publications as well as being a principal investigator on a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) training grant. Additionally, Dr. Woods serves as consultant/site visitor for the Commission on Dental Accreditation of AEGD programs. Dr. Woods holds memberships in a number of professional organizations to include the Academy of General Dentistry.