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Faculty Doctors |
 Alan Dalessandro, DDS -
is a full-time practicing dentist in Hoffman Estates , Illinois . He started as an associate in three dental practices, then became a solo practitioner in 1981. He is the Past President of the Illinois Society of Periodontists, the Northwest Suburban Branch of the Chicago Dental Society, and the Schaumburg Dental Study Group.
Dr. Dalessandro started with the Pride Institute in 1983, first taking courses, then joining the Management Group in 1987, then co-teaching leadership seminars with Dr. Pride. He has always believed that a dentist needs to be a businessperson with strong leadership and management skills. He has dedicated a part of his life to spreading these concepts to better the profession of dentistry and to allow dentists to enjoy their practices while taking the journey. He believes that every dentist has the opportunity to be an outstanding mentor to his team and to the community.
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 Ben Jamison, DDS -is a 1981 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry. Upon graduation, he returned to his hometown of Murfreesboro, Tennessee to practice general dentistry.
Ben enjoys going to the office four days a week to perform restorative and cosmetic dental procedures. He is continually learning new clinical techniques, but also has a passion for learning and teaching leadership and practice management skills. Ben believes that it is these principles that separate the good practices from the great ones. Ben has been associated with the Pride Institute since 1995.
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 Brien V. Harvey, DDS, MS - has been in full-time private practice, limited to periodontics and dental implants, since relocating to Tucson, Arizona in 1986. Prior to moving to Tucson, Dr. Harvey spent three years as an assistant professor at the University of Iowa, and over ten years as adjunct faculty in the dental hygiene program at Pima Community College in Tucson. Dr. Harvey is a Past President of the Arizona Dental Association (AzDA) and has been named Dentist of the Year twice by AzDA.
Dr. Harvey has been affiliated with the Pride Institute for more than ten years and has taught with Pride’s CEO Amy Morgan for the last two. His practice management motto is: “If better is possible, good is not enough.” |
 Jeffrey M. Grimley, DDS - is a full-time practicing general dentist in Naperville, Illinois. Dr. Grimley has been in private solo practice since 1983. Since 1997 he has been a member of both the ESPE and 3M ESPE Council for Innovative Dentistry, a prestigious group of dental consultants.
Additionally, since 2003, he has assisted in teaching Pride Institute management principles at Marquette University School of Dentistry, lecturing to third- and fourth-year dental students on the art of practice management, using the Pride academic curriculum. He is a member of multiple professional organizations and societies. Dr. Grimley has been affiliated with the Pride Institute since 1998.
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 John Willhide, DDS - received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and his DDS degree from the Medical College of Virginia. After four years in the US Army, he began his restorative practice in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
He has been a client of the Pride Institute since 1988. He served on the board of directors of the Alliance for Dental Reimbursement Plans with Dr. Pride, promoting fee-for-service dentistry. Dr. Willhide has been president of the Northern Virginia Dental Society and serves on the Direct Reimbursement Committee of the Virginia Dental Association. He was instrumental in establishing the Northern Virginia Dental Clinic for indigent patients and has been to Honduras on dental missionary trips.
Dr. Willhide is a Fellow of the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, the Pierre Fauchard Academy , and the Virginia Dental Association. John will be an instructor at V.C.U., lecturing dental students on Pride’s Practice Management curriculum. |
 Judith Culver, DDS -
has eleven years of experience in practice management. Since 1996, she has acquired two practices and integrated them into one. She has succeeded in doubling the production of the two individual practices while maintaining a personable and friendly atmosphere for patients and staff, and without increasing the production hours.
Dr. Culver has been affiliated with the Pride Institute for seven years and is in her fourth year of co-instructing Pride’s practice management curriculum at the Indiana University School of Dentistry. She graduated from the University of Iowa in 1994 and completed a GP residency in Dayton, Ohio. She practices full-time in Kokomo, Indiana. |
 Bryan Shanahan, DDS -
is a full-time practicing general dentist in Flagstaff, Arizona. Dr. Shanahan has practiced as an associate, a partner in a solo-group arrangement, and currently as a solo practitioner. He is Past President of the North Arizona Dental Association and was on the Board of Directors of Delta Dental.
Dr. Shanahan has an 11-year affiliation with the Pride Institute, and with his unique background and business experience, assists dentists in ensuring successful practice transitions. Dr. Shanahan has "wanted to be a dentist since I was 14, and to this day I still love my choice." |
 Reza Moezi, DDS - maintains a full-time practice concentrating on comprehensive and implant dentistry. He practices with his wife, Victoria Farr, DDS, in Vacaville, California. He received an international baccalaureate from Geneva, Switzerland and a dental degree from the University of Minnesota.
During his twelve years of involvement with the Pride Institute Dr. Moezi has established a unique practice that allows the team and doctors to have their personal and professional aspirations met. He views his teaching assignments as assisting dentists in achieving their dreams. |
 Thomas Kwiatt, DDS - has been practicing general dentistry for 27 years in Vernon Hills, Illinois. In addition to his partnership in Duffy & Kwiatt Dental Associates, Dr. Kwiatt has worked as an associate and been a partner in two other dental practices.
Dr. Kwiatt has been affiliated with the Pride Institute for over 18 years, and since 2003 has assisted in teaching Pride Institute management principles to third- and fourth-year students at Marquette University School of Dentistry. Dr. Kwiatt views his teaching as a way of giving back to his profession and ensuring the success of future professionals. Recently, Dr. Kwiatt helped found the Elite Dental Group, an affiliate of the Seattle Study Club. |
 Barbara Kwiatt, MBA -
is Director of Human Resources at Duffy & Kwiatt Dental Associates in Vernon Hills, Illinois. In addition to her duties in staff management and training, Mrs. Kwiatt focuses on management resources, employment law, financial operations, and marketing.
Associated with the Pride Institute for over 15 years, she assists in teaching Pride’s practice management curriculum to third- and fourth-year students at the Marquette University School of Dentistry. Mrs. Kwiatt has also been involved in several community-based fundraising and financial committees, recently raising $5 million for a local school’s science wing. In addition to her training in both the medical and business fields, she believes that her personal experiences in directing a private practice offer a unique perspective on the topic of practice management. |
 Greg Pyle, DDS - is a full-time practicing dentist in Muncie, Indiana. Dr. Pyle has been a solo practitioner his entire career, since 1990. He has held several positions within the East Central district of the Indiana Dental Association, most recently on the Membership Committee. He is also the team dentist for Ball State University , overseeing the dental needs in athletics. Dr Pyle is our newest instructor teaching Pride’s Practice Management curriculum at Indiana University .
Dr. Pyle has been associated with Pride Institute since 1999, and he is very passionate about helping other doctors and students with various aspects of practice management. |
 James R. Seligman, DMD - graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. He has attended Pride Institute for 12 years and also achieved a C-V Continuum Level at the Pankey Institute. Dr. Seligman maintains a general practice, Seligman Dental Designs, in Brookline, Massachusetts. He values building strong relationships with patients by allowing time with them so they never feel rushed, asking questions to involve them with their treatment, listening to their needs, putting them at ease and making them feel comfortable, being gentle, and in general showing great care and concern.
He is a member of the Massachusetts Dental Society, Metropolitan District Dental Society, Academy of General Dentistry, and American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, as well as various community groups. For 10 years Dr. Seligman appeared on Boston Access Television’s “The Answer Channel” as the host of “Oral Health Update.” |
 Steve Wooten, DDS -graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in 1977. He has been in a variety of private practice settings and is currently practicing in and is the managing partner of a group practice in Mississippi.
He first became involved with the Pride Institute in 1983 as a management client and through the years has served the Institute in a variety of roles, from teaching a succession of team-oriented courses to assisting in the programs at past gatherings of Pride Alumni. He derives a great deal of satisfaction in nurturing and facilitating dental teams in their journey toward practice excellence. Dr Wooten is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and the American Dental Association.
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 Michael Gradeless, DDS–a 1980 graduate of Indiana University, practices preventive dentistry in Indianapolis with an emphasis on cosmetics and implants. He is an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University, where he teaches the Pride Institute university curriculum of dental management. In addition, he is a Member of the AADE, and fellow of the American College of Dentists, adjunct clinical assistant professor of restorative dentistry.
Dr Gradeless has also been a Pride Alumni member since 1995. He began his association with the Pride Institute as an active member of the Practice Management program and as a result has successfully grown his own practice focusing on helping his patients have the beautiful smiles and overall appearance they desire.
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 Gary DeWood, DDS– Gary
is an easy going and engaging speaker, with a fierce passion for dentistry.
As clinical director of the Pankey institute, he has helped thousands
of dentists accomplish their goals by upgrading their clinical skills
and better understanding patients’ psychology and case acceptance.
Gary and his wife Dr. Cheryl DeWood, ran a highly successful private practice
in Ohio for over twenty years.
Since 1992, he has been working directly
with other dentists to hone their technical skills, perfect their practice
systems management, and help them with financial management. “I
can’t stand to see a good practice not live up to its potential,”
says Gary, “It’s almost always a fairly simple matter to bring
the systems up to speed, work on the requisite skills, and make things
turn around.” |
 Steve Carstensen, DDS– Graduated
in 1983 from Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, TX and practiced in
that state until relocating to his home state of Washington in 1990, where
he is in full time private practice with his dental hygienist wife Midge.
After meeting Jim Pride while still in dental school, they incorporated
Pride concepts right from the beginning, refining them as a management
client in the early 90s. A Pankey Institute student since 1988, he was
invited to join the Visiting Faculty there in 1995. He's earned a Fellowship
in the Academy of General Dentistry and is a Diplomate of the American
Board of Dental Sleep Medicine. Along with active involvement with the
local and state dental associations, he has chaired the Pacific Northwest
Dental Conference and currently serves on the Council for ADA Sessions.
Teaching with Amy Morgan is a highlight of his busy schedule. |
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