MEET THE TEAM
Dr. David Rice
Dr. David Rice
Industry Leader | Executive Coach | Dental Growth Strategist
Best-selling author and founder of IgniteDDS — the nation’s largest community for new dentists and students. Dr. David Rice is a dynamic thought leader in dentistry. With a passion for mentorship, leadership, and business success, he travels the globe educating and connecting today’s top dentists to their self-determined future.
As Virtual Dental Director for multiple single & multi-location practices, Dr. Rice is actively shaping the future of private practice by integrating clinical leadership, business strategy, and scalable systems in real time. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of DentistryIQ and Adjunct Faculty at The Pankey Institute, where he remains at the forefront of innovation in clinical excellence, business mastery, and team leadership.
Email david.rice@ignitedds.com | Connect on LinkedIn
Check out David's best-selling book - Is Everyone Smiling But You?
Dawn Patrick
Dawn Patrick
Dawn Patrick is a results-driven dental coach and operations expert with over 35 years of experience in all areas of dentistry, including pediatric, cosmetic, complete health, and sleep dentistry. For more than 30 years, she has specialized in practice management, team development, marketing, and system optimization—helping practices boost performance and profitability.
As a Dental Coach at IgniteDDS, she partners with dental teams to streamline systems, improve patient care, and drive sustainable growth. Known for her hands-on, accountable coaching style, Dawn empowers practices to lead with clarity, work smarter, and thrive long term.
Beyond work, Dawn enjoys baking, family time, traveling with her husband Jon, and spoiling her two Goldendoodles.
Dr. Abdullah Abdelaziz
Dr. Abdullah Abdelaziz
Chief Media Strategist
Introducing Dr. Abdullah Abdelaziz, the radiant smile architect who weaves dental artistry, social media prowess, and captivating storytelling into his vibrant career. With a passion for cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Abdelaziz breathes life into each patient's smile, crafting masterpieces that radiate confidence and joy. But his creativity doesn't stop at the clinic's doors. As he manages a dynamic social media platform, called @FutureDentists, he amplifies his dental expertise through visually stunning content, humor and engaging narratives, educating, and inspiring followers worldwide. Beyond the
screen, Dr. Abdelaziz takes the stage as a speaker, captivating audiences with his contagious enthusiasm and empowering them to embrace their oral health journey with a zest for life. Dr. Abdelaziz graduated from the prestigious Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and finished his residency at New York Medical College. Prepare to be captivated by the magic of Dr. Abdelaziz's transformative smiles, both online and in person.
Dr. Tara Aboumahboub
Dr. Tara Aboumahboub
Creative Director and Content Specialist
The "Reel" Deal
Dr. Tara Aboumahboub, a Florida native and graduate of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, brings her unwavering passion for dentistry to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she practices. As a core team member of igniteDDS, she embraces the privilege to share her insights through consulting and speaking engagements in hopes to inspire diverse audiences across the nation. She also serves on the Advisory Board for MedPro Group and proudly represents wearFigs as an ambassador. Fueling her dedication, Dr. Tara curates her social media domain @dentara__ , as a sanctuary for empowering patients to radiate through their smiles and overall well-being.
Dr. Savanah Craig
Dr Savanah Craig
Co- StoryTeller for Beyond Graduation and Residency Guide
Dr. Savanah Craig is a General Dentist in Columbus, OH. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Baldwin Wallace University. Dr. Craig completed her dental training at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry in 2022. Following graduation, she dedicated a year to continuing her education at a General Practice Residency in Columbia, SC. She is passionate about patient education and utilizing her advanced training to provide excellent care for her patients.
Savanah joined the IgniteDDS team in March 2022. Since joining, she is an active member helping to create the 2023 Residency Guide among other projects she hopes will empower other dentists to take control of their careers.
In her free time, Savanah enjoys reading, exploring new restaurants, and traveling with her husband, Adam.
Mohammad Hammoud
Mohammad Hammoud
Mohammad Hammoud graduates with his DMD Degree from LECOM School of Dental Medicine in 2024. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. He has a passion for general dentistry and plans to practice in his hometown of Dearborn, Michigan.
In his free time, Mohammad loves to travel the world and explore new restaurants. Sharing his passion for dentistry and his community, Mohammad appreciates how IgniteDDS has helped prepare him for future success.
Ronda Holman
Ronda Holman
Ronda specializes in helping to create the ideal DDS-DA relationship. Empowering dental assistants to continue their education so their chair side skills continue to elevate as they learn why they are doing what they are doing and not just what to do. Once the DA has a firm grasp on the exact needs of their dentist they can bring ease to the complexity of dentistry. Practicing dentistry can be stressful and hard but finding the joy in it becomes much easier when you have a true operative partner. You can find Ronda outside of the treatment room on IgniteDA Instagram and Tiktok. Her influence goes much further than dental assisting with her passion to help recovering oral breathers with over 135k followers on The Airway Champion TikTok account.
Dr. Tanya Sue Maestas
Dr. Tanya Sue Maestas
Dr. Tanya Sue Maestas graduated from The University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston in 2018. During her dental school career, she served as the national American Student Dental Association President and became involved in organized dentistry. After graduating, she completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency in 2019. Upon completion of her residency, she returned to the El Paso Borderland community where she serves as a Dental Director at La Clinica de Familia in Chaparral, New Mexico. She also serves as a faculty member at the Woody L Hunt School of Dental Medicine in El Paso, Texas. She remains involved in organized dentistry and holds various leadership roles in organizations including the American Dental Association, Texas Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, Texas Academy of General Dentistry, Hispanic Dental Association, and others. She currently serves on the ADA Council on Communications and previously completed the ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership Program. She was recognized as an ADA 10 under 10 winner, Incisal Edge 40 under 40, and previously nominated as one of Texas New Dentists of the Year. She currently hosts New Dentists on the Block where she helps showcase the New Dentist story and build connections with new dentists around her and Dental Fuel a podcast dedicated to sharing and learning from industry leaders' mistakes.. She has a commitment to providing dental care to the Borderland community and hopes to encourage the next generation of dentists to give back to the community.
Dr. Cyril Manchery
Dr. Cyril Manchery
Social Media Coordinator / The "Reelator"
Dr. Manchery is currently graduating from his Pediatric Dental Residency at Stony Brook University. He finished his undergraduate at Nova Southeastern University and went to dental school at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Manchery has been involved with social media content since he started dental school and was able to cultivate some popular dental pages on Instagram. He has contributed to creating/editing content while helping manage the IgniteDDS Instagram page. His goal is to help spread positive and informative knowledge about the profession of dentistry to as many people as possible.
Dr. Sable Muntean
Dr. Sable Muntean
Dr. Ronnetta Sartor
Dr. Ronnetta Sartor
Co- StoryTeller for Beyond Graduation and Residency Guide
Job includes creating content for eBooks and/or blogs, editing, communicating with everyone involved in creating of execution of the eBook, working with editors and ghostwriters as needed to improve content, as well as assisting in promoting content.
My job includes creating dental-related content with my partner, Savanah Craig that discusses the practice of dentistry and components of dentistry that are not frequently discussed but are equally important to being a successful dentist. The job also includes getting the content to our partners to have it edited properly before it is released to the masses.
Dr. Lucas Shapiro
Dr. Lucas Shapiro
Chief Creative Officer
Dr. Lucas Shapiro is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine, where he received his Doctor of Dental Surgery. He completed his post-doctoral orthodontic training at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.
During college, Dr. Shapiro majored in Spanish. He studied abroad in Madrid, Spain and worked as a Spanish teacher/tour guide in Seville. Dr. Shapiro is fluent in Spanish, as well as French. He also can speak very basic Chinese and is learning Portuguese. His passion for languages has allowed him to communicate and treat patients all around the world.
At Stony Brook, Dr. Shapiro was a very active member of the community, serving as vice-president of the SBU American Student Dental Association (ASDA). He was involved in research, receiving a grant from the New York Academy of Dentistry to study the accuracy of precision of 3D surface scanning systems. Upon graduation he won the Quintessence award for research, Dr. Kilimitzoglou Pioneer in Dentistry award and Stony Brook Alumni Award.
At Tufts, he continued his research and received a grant from the New England Society of Orthodontics (NESO) to study 3D Mechanical Stimulation of Bioengineered Periodontal Tissue on GelMA Hydrogel. Fun Fact: He sat next to Dr. Andrew Lemchen during clinic, who served as his mentor during residency and beyond.
Dr. Shapiro is also very involved with social media and dental content creation. He started the Instagram page @futuredentists, works with the educational organization @ignitedds and has an orthodontic tiktok page @drshap.
In his free time, Dr. Shapiro enjoys playing sports and board games, his favorites being Settlers of Catan and pickleball.
Dr. Nehal Shah
Dr. Nehal Shah
Dr. Nehal Shah is a graduate of Tufts University, working in private practice in Northern California. Nehal joined the Ignite team during his early years in dental school. He brings over 10 years of experience in photography and videography, using his passion and skills to help Ignite with many ongoing projects. Currently, his primary focus involves the planning and execution of all video production needs for IgniteUniversity, the online continuing education platform. Nehal enjoys traveling, cooking, and binge-watching his favorite TV shows in his free time.
Candy Velez CRDH, BSDH
Candy Velez – CRDH, BSDH
Dental Hygiene Coach + Dental Fuel Podcast Coordinator
Candy Velez is a passionate dental hygiene professional with over a decade of hands-on experience, dedicated to enhancing patient care and operational efficiency in dental practices. With 11 years as the lead hygienist in a thriving office, Candy discovered her true calling in coaching and consulting, helping practices elevate their standards and create harmonious environments where patients and teams thrive.
Driven by her mission to inspire and empower people to take positive actions that create lasting impact, Candy specializes in refreshing hygiene protocols, implementing effective periodontal maintenance programs, and designing custom training sessions. Her methods have consistently driven impressive growth in hygiene departments, particularly in challenging areas like patient retention in maintenance programs.
While still active in clinical practice, Candy's influence extends to the Florida Board of Dentistry's Council on Dental Hygiene. Her initial appointment in 2020 and reappointment in 2024 until 2028 highlight her commitment as an influential advocate for quality care in the dental community. Her 'why' is at the heart of her work: to inspire and empower dental teams to create positive, lasting impacts in their practices.
Candy is excited to bring her expertise and enthusiasm to your practice, helping you achieve a higher standard of care and a more rewarding workplace for everyone.
Dr. James Wanamaker
Dr. James Wanamaker
Dr. James Wanamaker earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from SUNY Buffalo School of Dental Medicine in 2016 with a concentration in pediatric dentistry. While at Buffalo, he served in multiple roles in organized dentistry, including National Chair of the Council on Advocacy for the American Student Dental Association (ASDA).
Following dental school, he then completed a General Practice Residency at SUNY Upstate Hospital and the Syracuse VA Hospital. Dr. Wanamaker graduated from the Dawson Academy in 2023. Additionally, he has completed training with Invisalign, imP.R.E.S, and surgical implant placement at the Brighterway Institute.
He is heavily involved in organized dentistry on a local, state, and national level. Dr. Wanamaker currently serves on the ADA New Dentist Committee and is the Past Chair of the New Dentist Committee for the New York State Dental Association. In 2020 Dr. Wanamaker was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Dentists.
Dr. Wanamaker began working with IgniteDDS as a 3rd year dental student. Since then, he has spoken at dental schools and conferences across the country. Dr. Wanamaker currently is the Director for Study Club Education at IgniteDDS.
Dr. Wanamaker is a partner in his dream private practice, Smiles of Skaneateles, located outside of Syracuse, NY. He resides in Upstate New York with his wife, Francesca, his two kids and Goldendoodle, Chewbacca.