A former Verizon Wireless executive turned dental CEO and nine other dental group leaders to know:
Hamid Abedi, DDS. Founder and CEO of Cornerstone Group (Irvine, Calif.). Dr. Abedi has been practicing dentistry for 17 years and is an assistant professor at Loma Linda University. He opened his first practice in 1997 before launching Cornerstone in 2008.
Alan Acierno, DDS. CEO of DecisionOne Dental Partners (Schaumburg, Ill.). Dr. Acierno has served as CEO DecisionOne since 2012. He previously worked as a dentist for Effingham, Ill.-based DSO Heartland Dental from 2001-2003 before opening Acierno Dental in Schaumburg in 2003.
Tarek Aly, BDS. Co-founder and COO of OrthoDent (Austin, Texas). In addition to dentistry and periodontal surgery, Dr. Aly is experienced in management, marketing and other business operations. He is a public speaker and author of three publications, with a fourth book on the way focused on dental practice management and DSOs.
Ern Blackwelder. CEO of Onsite Dental (Aliso Viejo, Calif.). Mr. Blackwelder has been the CEO of Onsite Dental since 2008. He also served as the CEO of the DSO's parent company, Onsite Health, from 2008-2016.
Kristi Crum. CEO of Rock Dental Brands (Little Rock, Ark.). Ms. Crum joined Rock Dental Brands in 2019 as COO before being appointed CEO in June 2021. Before joining the DSO, she spent 17 years serving in various leadership roles at Verizon Wireless.
Kelly Jastremski, DDS. CEO of P1 Dental Partners (Indianapolis). Dr. Jastremski oversees the DSO's 40 practices across Indiana and Illinois. He has also practiced at Liberty Family Dentistry in Bloomington, Ind., since 1994 and is a past owner of the practice.
A.J. Peak. CEO of Peak Dental Services (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Mr. Peak founded Peak Dental Services in 2008 and has led the company through significant growth. Prior, he worked as a senior business analysis Merrill Lynch, an investment management company, and engagement manager at McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm.
Bharat Rana. CEO of ProSmile (Toms River, N.J.). Mr. Rana has served as CEO of ProSmile since 2016. Prior, he served as CEO of Dental Health Associates, a 10-location practice in New Jersey
Frank Schiano, DMD. Co-founder and chief clinical officer at Beacon Dental Health (Boston). In addition to overseeing clinical operations at the 14-location DSO, Dr. Schiano is also an orthodontist and dentofacial orthopedist at Trinity Dental in Boston. He has received several awards for his work, including the Massachusetts Dental Society’s "10 Under Ten" award in 2011 and an international service award from the American Dental Association in 2011.
Norton Travis. CEO of ProHealth Dental (New Hyde Park, N.Y.). Mr. Travis has served as ProHealth's CEO since 2015. He started his career as a practicing lawyer, co-founding the Garfunkel Wild legal firm in 1980. Prior to joining ProHealth, he spent six years as the executive vice president and general council at 21st Century Oncology, an international cancer care company. He was also a project coordinator and consultant for the New York Proton Center, a $350 million specialty cancer care partnership composed of four health systems in New York.