Since
earning her license in Dental Hygiene in 1987, Pam has worked as a
full-time clinician in private practice settings in Tennessee and
Georgia. In this time, she has provided numerous presentations to
groups of all ages, from schools to senior care residences. An
assisted living residence was built next to her dental office in the
1990s, which increased the office's older adult clientele by 35%. Based
on her observations of the obvious need for dental care this
patient population has, Pam began researching Geriatric Oral Health
and Dentistry.
While
still a full-time clinician, Pam began working at Georgia Perimeter
College, Department of Dental Hygiene, as Clinical Faculty. She also
enrolled in the University of St. Francis, Masters of Science Program
in Training and Development. After her experiences with the fragile
elderly, she was determined to make a difference in the care of this
often under-served population of Georgia. This led her to develop a
training program for caregivers of aging special needs patients. Since
then, she has devoted much of her time and energy to developing
resources and reaching an ever-growing number of caregivers across
Georgia. She also conducts Continuing Education Courses for dental
professionals, providing them with the latest information in order to
address the needs of this special population. She also has been
published in a number of professional and special interest magazines
and newsletters.
Since 2005, she has been a full-time Educator in the Dental Hygiene Program at Georgia Perimeter College. She works tirelessly to combine her training techniques and educational methods to benefit students, the professional and family caregivers, as well as functionally independent seniors. She continues to volunteer her time in nursing homes for those who have little or no access to dental care.
With
18 years of sales, sales management and general management
experience, Ric Cushenan brings a wealth of experience to The SOFT
Smiles Team. As a general manager with Trader Publishing Company,
Ric managed offices in Rochester and Syracuse, New York. This
position included developing a team that won awards for profit margin
and revenue growth.
While National Sales Manager for Newhomesdirect.com, Ric built relationships with major builders in the US, including KB Homes, Morrison Homes, Beazer Homes and John Wieland Homes. These relationships helped Newhomesdirect.com grow revenue in a very competitive market.
As account manager for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ric managed over $15 million in advertising revenue, and increased on-line revenue from $50K in 2003 to $1 million in 2007.
Ric received his BA in Communications from Cleveland State University in 1989 and an MBA from The University of St Francis in 2007.
