OUR TEAM
Board of Directors
Nan Portmann, RDH, COSE
President & Board Chair
Nan has been working in clinical hygiene since graduating with high honors in 2009. Periodontics and teaching are her passions which lead her to found her own dental education company offering innovative and advanced professional development continuing education programs. Nan leads two dynamic hygiene study clubs, actively trains dental endoscopy implementation, and advocates for integrated medical/dental collaboration within her community. Nan believes hygienists possess a specialized and valuable skill set to profoundly transform healthcare advancement with opportunities to become intrinsically involved in prevention protocols and implementation within independent and non-traditional settings.
Charo Earle, RDH, BS, MSA, COSE
Vice President
Charo has been in the dental industry since 1999 and is a Senior Clinical Service Manager in Michigan. Charo enjoys her role by partnering with Operations and Clinical Strategy Leaders to train, develop, and lead hygiene teams to achieve personal and professional goals, while delivering comprehensive patient care. She has always been passionate about educating, volunteering, and giving back to others. Her passion was ignited in hygiene school while doing rounds in senior nursing centers where dental care was almost non-existent, and working in highly state funded practices, where dental IQ and prevention were low. Charo truly enjoys helping people and being of service to those in need. She knows what she was called to do as she states– “Helping other People is my Passion & my Purpose!”
Colette Murray, RDH
Membership Director
Colette has been in preventive dentistry as a Registered Dental Hygienist since 2001. She has worked in private general practice for over a decade and currently operates an Independent Mobile Dental Hygiene practice in the city of Calgary, Canada called Access Dental Hygiene Services. She participates in the mentor-ship of entrepreneurial dental hygienists starting their own independent practices and operates a centralized reprocessing center for other mobile providers. In the past several years she has taken a special interest in the oral systemic connection to further assist her clients that range from 3 to over 100 years of age. She is currently a member of the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health. She served as the project manager, author and co-editor of the book Get Your Spit Together.
Karen Thomas, MSc, CNS, LN, LDN, BS, RDH, FDN-P, CHHC, COSE
Education Director
Karen is the CEO and Founder of Holistic Digestive Solutions and sits on the board of the North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition. She’s a Licensed Nutritionist, Supervisor for the North Carolina Board of Nutrition Specialists, a Certified Biological Dental Hygienist, a Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner, Certified Integrative Nutrition® Health Coach, a motivational speaker, educator, and award-winning author of Overwhelmed & Undernourished: Use Food as Medicine and Turn Your Life Around, and the 2020 Recipient of the Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction. She also holds a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine.
She currently works with private clients in addition to working with physicians who seek her counsel on finding the root causes of mysterious autoimmune diseases for their own patients. Karen uses functional medicine laboratory testing to accomplish this. She then designs bio-individual protocols to aid in reversing chronic health diseases.
LaNeidra Williams, MBA, BS, RDH
Communications Director
LaNeidra is a Mississippi native who has worked in the dental hygiene industry for 13 years. She sits on our Board of Directors and is also our Social Media Manager. She received her Bachelors of Dental Hygiene from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and her Masters of Business Administration with a Healthcare Administration Concentration from Belhaven University. LaNeidra has worked in the public health sector for over 5 years. She has worked on the medical-dental integration workforce with the Mississippi State Department of Health - Office of Oral Health as a Regional Oral Health Consultant and created diabetes oral health education on the Mississippi State Department of Health Diabetes Board.
LaNeidra is currently employed with TMF Health Quality Institute as a Healthcare Quality Improvement Specialist focusing on oral care quality improvement in the long term care setting. She is also the creator of The Social ExperiMINT, a social media and event management company solely for the dental professional. She is a current member of the National Association of Healthcare Quality, Mississippi Oral Health Community Alliance, Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition and Diabetes Coalition of Mississippi.
Jennifer Howard, RDH, BS, MCM
Secretary
Jennifer Howard is the National Hygiene Mentor and Educator for Pure Dental Brands. She has been a hygienist for over 30 years and is also a full time women’s pastor. Jennifer is very passionate about the systemic oral health connection and spends most of her time traveling and educating Pure Dental Hygienists around the country. She has an associate in Applied Science, her bachelors in Science and Religion, her masters degree in Christian Ministry and Discipleship and recently got accepted into the Doctorate of Strategic Leadership Program at Liberty University.
Carla L Watts RDH, BS, COSE
Treasurer
Carla started out in Dentistry as a CDA and pivoted to dental hygiene in 1990. During her 30 years as an RDH she has observed dentistry “speculate” that there is an oral systemic link to the research proving this link. She has been and continues to be an advocate both within and outside the dental arena to educate on the importance of connecting the medical and dental field. Carla is passionate about incorporating a real-world solution/process for primary care medical facilities to incorporate a proactive vs reactive medical/dental partnership.
Advisory Board
Jamie Dooley, BIS, CLC
Chair
Jamie Dooley is a program developer, thought leader, and change agent. She worked 15 years full time as a clinical hygienist before securing her Bachelor of Integrative Studies in 2012, with a focus on healthcare & nonprofit management, at Ferris State University. She found she excelled at developing innovative programs and managing complex projects. After spending 6 years in public health launching a dental Medicaid clinic, developing a school-based sealant program that served 12 low-income schools, and piloting oral health integration in a large healthcare system, she retired from dental hygiene and started National Network of Healthcare Hygienists in 2018. Her goal is to introduce new programs and systems to the medical model which include registered dental hygienists as important members of interdisciplinary care.
Megan Reutter, DHSc, RDH
Dr. Megan Reutter, RDH, DHSc is a dental hygienist and has worked in a variety of settings, including clinical practice, education, and public health. She received her undergraduate degree at Eastern Illinois University in Community Health, her master’s degree from University of Bridgeport in Dental Hygiene Education, and her doctorate degree at A.T. Still University. Her doctorate degree is in Health Sciences with a concentration in Leadership and Organizational Behavior. Dr. Reutter’s research interests include interprofessional collaboration, the oral-systemic link, and leadership. She has presented her research and leadership courses for healthcare professionals. Dr. Reutter served as the curriculum director for the Oncology certificate through the National Network of Healthcare Hygienists. She is passionate about medical-dental integration and serving as an oral health advocate.
Dr. Reutter holds a joint appointment at Campbell University in the Doctor of Health Sciences program and at University of Illinois in the Community Health program.
Kris R Potts, BS, FAADH, RDH
Kris has been in dentistry for over 40 years and has completed additional certifications in Caries Management, Sleep Care and Oncology Care. She has been a member of the American Dental Hygienists Association, American Academy of Oral Systemic Health, a founding member of the National Network of Healthcare Hygienists and a Fellow with The American Academy Of Dental Hygiene.
Kris served as the Education Director of NNHH, coordinating and developing the initial curriculum of the Oral Systemic Educator. She has served on other boards and was able to replicate many of their protocols in this development.
Kriston Reisnour RDH, BSDH, CCSH, CSOM, COSE, FAAOSH, HIAOMT
An accomplished sought-after speaker, author, and integrated healthcare implementation specialist, Kriston fully believes in the power of building a relationship to motivate and inspire individuals. Her experience as the Dental Program Director for the BaleDoneen Method and working with many directors at the Seattle Study Club solidified her passion for coaching and educating healthcare providers on their role in today’s integrated healthcare system.
Kriston has been active in the field of dentistry for over three decades as a dental hygienist. On her quest to uncover the root cause of the patients’ inflammation and disease she became credentialed as a clinical sleep health educator, certified specialist in myofunctional therapy, and embarked on many preceptorship programs for cardiovascular, airway, and gut health. She is considered one of the leading dental experts in the BaleDoneen Method and integrated model of patient care.
Brianne Carter, RDH, COSE
Brianne is a passionate oral health advocate who worked in private practice for 16 years before starting a clinical position at Oklahoma City Indian Clinic (OKCIC) in 2020. She enjoys building relationships with patients and providing them exceptional quality care. She holds a certificate in Oral Systemic Education from National Network of Healthcare Hygienists (NNHH), as empowering her patient’s to understand how their mouth affects their overall health is important to her.
In 2022 Brianne helped establish the Integrated Hygiene program at Oklahoma City Indian Clinic. To date the program has implemented 3 hygienists into their medical teams: Pediatrics, Women’s Health, and Metabolic, to increase access for their most vulnerable patients. Their goal is to eventually house an integrated hygienist within every medical team, and outsource their oral-systemic education to NNHH.
Jennifer Brown, RDH, BSDH, TTS, COSE
Jennifer has been a practicing dental hygienist for over 20 years. In 2018 she received her bachelor’s in dental hygiene, and has since achieved her certification as a tobacco treatment specialist and holds a certificate in Oral Systemic Education through National Network of Healthcare Hygienists. In January of 2019, she and her family moved to Arkansas as she was recruited to develop a dental hygiene role at CARTI Cancer Center and has since taken on the role of manager of the dental department.
Jennifer has dedicated her career and education to helping address the oral health needs of cancer patients. She spent eight years in two hospital setting cancer centers in Colorado, and is now in her fourth year navigating dental care for head and neck cancer patients at CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. CARTI’s values and vision have allowed the development of a state-of-the-art dental clinic and full-service dental team. Jennifer focuses her time on patients' dental needs prior to the start of radiation and/or chemotherapy therapy, including clinical hygiene, educating patients on the importance of oral care during treatment, and collaborating with their dental home ensuring they receive recommended post treatment care. Cancer patients face an incredible journey and Jennifer is honored and proud to play a key role in their support and success.
Aligning with CARTI’s value of innovative approach, the dental clinic is addressing the recognized need for oral health support for all cancer patients and has developed a streamlined protocol for patients at risk for Medication Related Osteonecrosis Necrosis of the Jaw (MRONJ). Most recently, her team has started the development of a multidisciplinary support service clinic, and Jennifer will utilize her TTS certification in the new lung screening program.
Jennifer strives to continue developing and integrating oral health education and services within the cancer clinic to address access to care. In addition, her hope is to increase interprofessional collaboration between medical and dental teams to improve the patient’s quality of life and overall well-being.
Cynthia Scott CDA, RDH, PHDH, COSE
After a long and varied career in dentistry, Cynthia joined National Network of Healthcare Hygienists (NNHH) and her hygiene career took off in a new, exciting direction. After enrolling in the Oral Systemic Educator Program and becoming involved with NNHH, she was connected to a dedicated group of hygienists and healthcare providers who all longed for collaboration. Her confidence got the boost it needed and she landed her dream job.
Cynthia now works with a fully integrated dental practice that is attached to a Ryan White funded HIV program. They see existing HIV and infectious disease patients, and will be branching out to include oncology patients, and hopefully other hospital departments as well. Her department offers full HIV services, primary care, infectious disease treatment, addiction medicine, counseling and dental services. They practice trauma informed care, have medical and non-medical case managers and work with a primarily underserved patient population. They are in their practice infancy, but the knowledge, confidence, and networking from being a part of NNHH have been invaluable to Cynthia. She continues to develop policies and procedures, clinical workflows, infection control documentation and regulatory compliance, medical dental integration, EPIC training and coding input, as well as the office inventory, set-up and organization of the practice.
