Executive Team
Regional Leadership
Board of Directors
Bill Becknell
Chief Executive Officer
William (Bill) Becknell joined Mortenson Dental Partners in 2014, initially serving as the chief strategic officer, president of dental teams. He became a member of the Mortenson Dental Partners Board of Directors in 2017 and chief executive officer in 2018. Bill was previously the director of store operations for North America at PPG Industries. During his tenure at PPG, the business grew from 357 locations to 867 locations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Prior to PPG, Bill was manager of store operations for Kroger’s Mid-South Division, a 156-store chain serving Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee. Bill holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and completed the Executive MBA program at University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business. He enhanced his leadership and executive education through programs at the University of Notre Dame and Kellogg School of Business.
Dr. Britt Bostick
Chief Dental Officer
Dr. Britt Bostick formed Abbeville Dentistry after graduating from Baylor College of Dentistry in 1988. He graduated from Texas Tech University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in zoology and chemistry. Dr. Bostick has studied numerous postgraduate topics, such as cosmetic dentistry, advanced restorative procedures and numerous other techniques to make dental appointments faster and more comfortable for his patients. Dr. Bostick is a member of the South Plains District Dental Society, Texas Dental Association, and American Dental Association. He is also a member of Experience Life Church. He and his wife, Patti, have four wonderful children, Brad, Maegan, Mandi, and Matt.
Dawn Brutscher
Regional President
Dawn Brutscher serves as regional president of MDP’s St. Louis region. She previously served as regional director of operations for MDP’s Mortenson Family Dental region, overseeing 20 practices. Her leadership has been instrumental in driving growth and ensuring the delivery of exceptional dental care to our patients. In addition to her role as regional president, Dawn currently serves as the Executive Director of the Mortenson Charitable Foundation and is the driving force behind the organization’s charitable efforts supporting Smile for Life. She has played an important role in developing new dental professionals, from building corporate internship partnerships with various schools to teaching leadership for MDP’s Top Docs program. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and furbabies as well as traveling, reading and exercising.
Kara Ficker
Vice President of Finance and Revenue Cycle
Kara Ficker is an experienced executive with a demonstrated history of working in various industries in both large and mid-size companies. A multi-skilled finance leader, Kara has extensive experience in budgeting, financial analysis and all phases of the monthly accounting function, leadership, and team development. She holds a proven record of providing senior management with the financial analysis necessary to decide between various strategic alternatives. Kara received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville before earning her MBA from Webster University. She was recognized as a Best in Finance honoree by Louisville Business First in 2019.
Dr. Robert Fuchs
Chairperson of the Board
Dr. Robert Fuchs received his dental degree from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry in 1979, graduating in the top 5% of his class. He has over 40 years of experience in dentistry. Dr. Fuchs is a graduate of the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, which is widely recognized as one of the country’s most prestigious postgraduate teaching institutions for neuromuscular health and cosmetics. He is an active member of the American Dental Association, Kentucky Dental Association and the Louisville Dental Society, as well as an associate member of the Chicago Dental Society. Dr. Fuchs has been married to his wife, Martha, since 1974 and they have three children.
Debbie Hardesty
Independent Director
Debbie Hardesty is an experienced lawyer with a demonstrated history of working in private legal practice. Her focus was aimed at companies that are employee-owned — many of which by an employee stock ownership plan. Because of this, she’s passionate about the business and financial benefits that come to those who work for an employee-owned company like Mortenson Dental Partners. Debbie received her bachelor’s degree from Tulane University before going on to receive her Juris Doctor from Tulane University School of Law. She’s also a member of the American Bar Association and the Kentucky Bar Association. When not working, Debbie enjoys playing golf and traveling.
Dr. Nick Kanning
Regional President
Along with being the regional president of Summit Dental Health, Dr. Kanning practices dentistry at Summit’s Dundee location. He spent his childhood in Montana and attended dental school at Creighton University. Dr. Kanning is currently pursuing his fellowship with the Academy of General Dentistry, and is involved with the American Dental Association, the Nebraska Dental Association and the Omaha District Dental Society. He also participates in MDP’s National Clinical Committee and Diversity Advisory Council. In his spare time, Dr. Kanning enjoys rehabbing commercial buildings into residences, two of which have been featured on the Home and Garden Network.
Dr. Mayada Khater
Regional President
Dr. Mayada Khater is the regional president and cofounder of Abbeville Dentistry. Born in the United States, Dr. Khater spent her childhood summers in her family’s home country of Syria, and believes experiencing the diversity of both countries has molded her into the person she is today. Dr. Khater earned her bachelor’s degree in cell and molecular biology from Texas Tech University and her dental degree (DDS) from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry. She loves traveling around the world with her family and is fluent in Arabic. She is married to her husband, Tim, and has one daughter, Dalia, and two sons, Keenan and Kareem.
Dr. Brandon James
General Dentist
Dr. Brandon James received his Doctorate of Dental Medicine at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. He currently serves as a general dentist at Mortenson Family Dental’s Iroquois Park location. Dr. James actively contributes to advancing clinical excellence across Mortenson Dental Partners through his participation in the MDP Clinical Affairs Team and the General Practitioner Advisory Council. He is deeply committed to guiding the next generation of dental professionals, mentoring students in specialized study clubs on various dental topics. Dr. James is a pillar of his local community who frequently volunteers his time and expertise for various charitable efforts, including an annual “free day of dentistry.” He and his wife, Sarah, have four children.
Dr. Garry Meeks
Regional President
Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Garry Meeks resides in Bluffton, South Carolina, where he is regional president of Howard Family Dental, Gentle Dentist and Mortenson Family Dental in both the greater Louisville and greater Cincinnati regions. Dr. Meeks completed his Bachelor of Science in biology at Belmont University before earning his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry in 2000. Following graduation, he completed the Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program at the University of Florida. During his residency, Dr. Meeks gained valuable experience in all aspects of dentistry, from hospital-based care to advanced cosmetic procedures.
Dr. Maneesh Mohan
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon
Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Maneesh Mohan is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon with the Oral & Facial Surgery Group. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Transylvania University and his dental degree from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry. He went on to complete his residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Florida.
Dr. Mohan is certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the Kentucky Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He is also a member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and the American Dental Association.
Dr. Brent Mortenson
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon
Dr. Brent Mortenson received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University before earning his Master of Science and dental degrees at the University of Louisville. After graduating from dental school, Dr. Mortenson completed his oral and maxillofacial surgery residency at the University of Washington. Dr. Mortenson served as an oral surgeon with Mortenson Family Dental before founding the Oral & Facial Surgery Group in 2007, which now has four locations in Kentucky and Indiana. Dr. Mortenson is a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the American Dental Society of Anesthesia, and is a fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He and his wife, Erin, have four children.
Ema Paystrup
Regional President
With more than 26 years of experience in the dental industry, Ema Paystrup serves as regional president and regional director of operations for the Stonehaven Dental region of Mortenson Dental Partners in Utah. Having spent her entire career with the organization, Ema brings a unique perspective shaped by hands-on experience in nearly every area of the dental office, including marketing, dental assisting, business operations, and practice management. She played an instrumental role in the growth of Stonehaven Dental from a single two-operatory practice to a thriving network of 10 practices with more than 80 operatories. Passionate about operational excellence and people development, Ema has helped create systems that support scalable growth while mentoring and developing team members throughout the organization. She earned both her bachelor’s degree and MBA while balancing her career and raising her family. Outside of work, Ema enjoys spending time with her husband, Nate, and their three children—Isis, Tor, and Ender—as well as quilting, knitting, and retirement planning.
Dion Perkins
Vice President of Information Technology
Dion Perkins is the vice president of information technology at Mortenson Dental Partners. He was previously director of technology and principal engineering manager of The Kroger Company, where he served for twenty-three years. During his time at Kroger, Dion developed several key enterprise initiatives, including coordinating order schedules and deliveries to all stores, learning content management training systems, legal matter management systems, security access provisioning systems, and video management systems. Dion was also responsible for developing and deploying one of the world’s largest secure IoT networks that won industry awards. Dion holds a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from Northern Kentucky University and a Master of Engineering Management from Ohio University. Dion enhanced his skillset by becoming both a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and Lean Six Sigma Professional.
Jeff Reibel
Chief Financial Officer
Jeffrey Reibel has been chief financial officer for Mortenson Dental Partners since August 2019. Jeff was previously senior vice president and chief accounting officer for LHC Group, Inc., which he joined as a part of the public company merger of equals with Almost Family, Inc. He spent eight years with Almost Family as vice president and chief accounting officer, during which he helped the company grow from $300 million in annual revenue to $2 billion after the merger with LHC. In 2007, he founded Conexxus, LLC, a compliance software company, and served as its chief executive officer and chief financial officer until its sale in 2010. He also spent 12 years at Ernst and Young, one of the most prominent accounting and auditing firms. Jeff graduated from Bellarmine University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Morgan Sisk
Chief Administrative Officer
Morgan graduated from West Virginia University with both a bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s in labor relations. He then progressed through a variety of leadership roles at companies such as Sony Ericsson, PPG, TE Connectivity, and Axalta. Morgan was initially hired at MDP to serve as Chief People Officer and now, as Chief Administrative Officer, he leads the Marketing, Communications, Patient Services, Human Resources, Compliance, Risk, and Legal functions.
Amber Stickler
Regional President
Amber Stickler is the regional president of MDP’s Specialty region, which covers pediatrics, orthodontics, oral surgery, prosthodontics and other specialized services in dentistry. Amber first joined MDP in 2009 as part of an acquisition. Since then, she has worked in multiple roles, most recently as the regional director of operations for 17 practices. Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Amber attended the University of Louisville College of Business, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on management. She and her husband, Jim, have two children, Ava and James.
Dr. Heather Walker
General Dentist
Dr. Walker was born in Florida and attended the University of Florida for her undergraduate studies. She decided to leave the Sunshine State to attend University of Louisville School of Dentistry where she graduated in 2003. After graduation, Dr. Walker served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy where she was stationed in San Diego and Atsugi, Japan. After her four year commitment was complete, Dr. Walker was excited to move back to Louisville with her family. When Dr. Walker is not working, she spends her spare time with her family husband Michael, son Henry and daughter Elsie and enjoying the adventures that they bring!