11 minute read
MEET THE PDS FAMILY
from PDS Life Summer 2022
by PDS Health
The work we do both in and outside of PDS-supported practices and support centers is what helps provide purpose, meaning and ultimately, harmony in work and life. The common thread that connects us all are the human elements and stories shared that create the unique culture at PDS. Below are a few stories to help you get to know your fellow team members and clinicians on a personal level. Who we hire says a lot about who PDS is as an organization. And we are so happy you chose PDS—you make us smile.
If you would like to be featured in the next issue of PDS Life, please submit your story idea to PDSConnect@pacden.com.
ALEX RANU // Regional Manager North Los Angeles Region // Employed with PDS: 6 years
Chasing a vision
It all started when 10-year-old Alex Ranu was gifted a 1977 Nikon F2AS camera from his parents. With advanced smart phone and camera technology, much has changed since his early days of picture-taking and processing film, but his passion for and philosophy around photography remain the same: Do what brings you joy and what brings joy to others.
Alex earned a bachelor’s degree in art and primarily enjoys taking photos of landscapes and people (he photographed the wedding of Dan Rodriguez, Regional Partner, and wife, Vanessa). On a family vacation in 2020, he successfully captured the Neowise comet as it traveled over Kernville, Calif (pictured above). He spent six hours with his assistant and eight-year-old son, Christopher, waiting for the ideal shot where the clouds framed the town and comet like a painting.
“It’s all about composition, lighting, patience and finding the right moment,” Alex said. The “decisive moment”, a phrase coined by Alex’s idol, French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, is the precise instance where time is captured perfectly in the single click of a button. Sifting often through hundreds of photos, Alex knows it when he sees it.
The Nikon that started it all still sits proudly on display in Alex’s house, but now less as a working camera and more as a reminder to always do what you love.
To see more of Alex’s photography, visit @Alex.Ranu on Instagram.
LIZET PEREZ // Healthcare Coordinator // Empire Dental Group and Orthodontics, Office 37 // North Los Angeles Region // Employed with PDS: 12 years
Push it to 11
Lizet Perez, healthcare coordinator, has logged more than 30 half-marathons (or 393+ miles) in the last eight years. Her latest accomplishment occurred in February 2022 when she ran the Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon in Las Vegas, a course that starts at sunset and runs along the Las Vegas Strip. Lizet’s goal during most races is simply to finish, but this one was extra special as she surpassed her personal best time ever and completed the course in under two hours or less than nine-minutes per mile.
After the halfway mark of the race, Lizet started having mental conversations with herself that only long-distance runners understand. She bargained with herself and, similar to a phrase made famous in the movie “Spinal Tap,” wouldn’t allow herself to get water until she pushed it to mile 11.
As a two-time XP award winner, it’s no surprise Lizet is comfortable pushing herself further. Now that she accomplished her goal, what’s next? Lizet is preparing for the full marathon in Los Angeles next year.
“Running is the only thing that allows me to shut the world off. I don’t think about anything—I just run.”
LISA GEIS // Lead Dental Assistant Village Dentistry, Office 830 // Midwest Region Employed with PDS: 2 years
The power of winning together
Lisa Geis began showing horses with her sister, Lauren, when she was just seven years old. As a teenager, she would attend rodeos with her family. Working with horses is something Lisa has done for as long as she can remember. It was at the rodeo where she first discovered barrel racing, a unique event where women compete for the fastest time to create a cloverleaf pattern around three preset barrels. Her fastest time is 17 seconds. Lisa has been working with her nine-year-old horse, Boone, for almost four years to train him for the heated competitions. “There is a lot of athletic preparation required from both horse and rider. I spend three to four days a week building his stamina and understanding of the event.”
When not hard at work as a lead dental assistant, Lisa still competes with her sister and spends many weekends in the spring, fall and summer perfecting the art and science of barrel racing. While the awards are nice (usually there is a cash reward or collector belt buckle), her favorite part of the event is the speed and connection created with the horse.
KEE-JU HONG-ELDER, DDS (left) // Owner Dentist // NE Heights Modern Dentistry, Office 562 // New Mexico Region // Partnered with PDS: 3 years, 10 months
‘Don’t be afraid of failure. Growth comes from mistakes.’
Kee-Ju Hong-Elder, DDS, is the owner dentist of NE Heights Modern Dentistry, a thriving PDS-supported practice in New Mexico. But in his spare time, Dr. Hong-Elder is a gardener and amateur florist, a hobby he shares with his husband, Steven, a trained horticulturist and floral designer whose work was recently featured on the Netflix show, “Chambers,” featuring Uma Thurman.
In many ways, dentistry and flowers are similar. “Much like I have to grow and nurture my practice and team, flowers require care and cultivation,” Dr. Hong-Elder said. “It’s more about practicing and improving the process than it is about the end result.” Although, Dr. Hong-Elder admits he draws deep satisfaction from giving someone a finished flower bouquet he grew and arranged himself.
Some of his favorite flowers include dahlias, poppies, sunflowers and zinnias and he especially enjoys ikebana, the Japanese art of arranging flowers that emphasizes each individual flower rather than the collective group. He is currently enjoying the tulips, daffodils and violas in his garden in Albuquerque.
Dr. Hong-Elder enjoys feeling connected to nature and finds metaphors for life through the process. “I’ve probably killed more plants than I’ve grown. But it’s about learning from each mistake and trying again to improve, grow and eventually bloom.”
LEE “AUGIE” FREEMAN // Senior Graphic Designer // National Support Center // Employed with PDS: 2 years, 9 months
The creative journey starts with a single swing
Benny Goodman. Woody Herman. Artie Shaw, Chick Webb. Tommy Dorsey. Duke Ellington. For some, these are names and musicians of a bygone era. But for Augie Freeman, senior graphic designer for PDS, they are the sounds that keep him swinging and Lindy-Hopping in his free time. His personal favorite is Count Basie’s version of the “One O’Clock Jump.”
Augie began swing dancing in 2003 after returning from his first tour in Iraq as a U.S. Marine and Purple Heart recipient. He loved it so much he began teaching and competing two years later after returning from his second tour. He has since won several national and international championships including the 2019 National Jitterbug Championship for the Balboa (a dance that originated on the Balboa Peninsula in Calif.), at the pro level, one of his proudest moments.
Augie describes the art of jazz as a journey of creativity. “Each song is a three-and-a-half-minute conversation between me and my partner. Even though we aren’t using words, there is still a call and response,” Augie said. “There comes a moment when it feels like you are floating inside of the music. It’s like the ultimate feeling of freedom.” Augie has swung with doctors, lawyers, astronauts, artists, celebrities, even Bill Nye, the Science Guy. But his favorite partner is his girlfriend, who he met while swing dancing at the Atomic Ballroom just minutes away from PDS in Irvine.
HALEY HOLROYD // Executive Assistant National Support Center // Employed with PDS: 9 months
Creating supercalifragilisticexpialidocious moments daily
It’s a role few people can add to their resume: Disney character look-alike. But Haley Holroyd has proudly brought characters to life and created magical moments for thousands of guests at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. for the last 11 years.
On most weekends, you can find Haley creating unique, individualized experiences through her work as characters such as Mary Poppins, Ariel of The Little Mermaid and Aurora from Sleeping Beauty to name a few. In addition to working full-time as the executive assistant for PDS Chief Financial Officer, Taylor Hawes, and portraying characters at Disneyland, Haley is also earning her MBA from Chapman University and busy planning her upcoming wedding with her fiancé, Max. She plans to graduate in December.
Despite her busy schedule, Haley can rarely be seen without a smile on her face and spring in her step, likely a result of years of training as a character performer. While the work has its challenges (there is no glam squad to help characters with hair and make-up), there is also no shortage of happy moments including meeting celebrities, bringing dreams to reality through the Make-a-Wish Foundation and creating countless smiles on children’s faces every day.
MEKINZIE BERNAL // Healthcare Coordinator // Falcon Park Dental Group, Office 517 Central Colorado Region // Employed with PDS: 10 months
Prescilla, Mekinzie’s role model, grandmother and makeup inspiration.
High fashion makeup created by Mekinzie.
“The ‘wiggle’ at the end is my goal”
Lancôme. Chanel. Christian Dior. These are the designer makeup brands Mekinzie Bernal remembers watching her grandmother and role model, Prescilla, meticulously apply while styling her bright, red hair every morning at her glass vanity. After all, it would be a crime to leave the house without lipstick. “My grandmother taught me if you look good, you feel good. And that is empowering,” Mekinzie said. “Self-care is so important.”
That early foundation is what ignited Mekinzie’s passion as a freelance makeup artist beginning at just 15-years-old. She has worked with brides, photographers and runway models. Beyond the creativity and style, what Mekinzie enjoys most is watching someone get the extra “wiggle” when they are transformed through makeup. “Their face beams, they sit straighter, there is a light in their eyes,” Mekinzie said. “It’s beautiful to watch.”
Today, as a PDS healthcare coordinator, Mekinzie gets the same joy from helping her patients achieve that “wiggle” through dentistry, allowing them to put their best face and smile forward.
To see more of Mekinzie’s makeup art, visit @Glamourby.MC on Instagram
Some of Mekinzie’s tips:
• Foundation shouldn’t be lighter (or darker) than your neck.
• Don’t follow the trends. Do what makes you feel good.
• Get out of your box. Start small and add a pop of color like a new lipstick shade or fun eyeshadow.
• Wash your face. Put on sunscreen. Spray your favorite scent. Simple skincare changes how you feel.
MELISSA WHITLEY // Specialty Regional Manager // Northern California Region Employed with PDS: 11 years, 8 months
Lighting the way
When Melissa Whitley isn’t hard at work managing 76 PDSsupported practices in her region, she decompresses by spreading a message of love and compassion through her candle-making business. Higher Love, a name inspired by the song written by Steve Winwood and later performed by Whitney Houston, was established in 2015 because she wanted to create a product that spreads love and light–literally–into her community.
“I started being mindful of what I was breathing in and putting into my body, so I wanted to create a product that was healthy for humans, animals and the planet,” Melissa said.
Made of soy, Higher Love candles are nontoxic, cruelty-free and clean-burning. Each candle is creatively named based on feelings, memories or thoughts evoked by their scents such as Eskimo Kisses, Holiday Hugs, Netflix and Chill and Papa’s Apple Pie Moonshine. Some of her candle proceeds also go toward donations to the community and charities such as Start the Wave, Camp Brave Trails and Bad Believer. These groups support members of the LGBTQ+ community, animal rights and the environment, all causes close to Melissa’s heart.
Candles can also be metaphors for life.
To learn more about Melissa’s candles, visit the Higher Love website.
