Meet The Board

Brenda Armstrong, Department Chair and Associate Professor, has been invested in
student success at Utah Tech University Department of Dental Hygiene since 2013. She
loves to establish partnerships with community oral health champions which has helped
dental hygiene students develop as professionals and interprofessional team members.
Prior to her career in education. Brenda practiced clinical dental hygiene in 8 states for 24
years. Brenda received a Master’s in Dental Hygiene from the University of Minnesota, and
BSDH from Weber State University. Past awards include: Utah Campus Compact
Presidential Award for Community Engaged Scholar 2017, ADHA Educator of the Year
2020, UDHA Educator of the Year 2022, and Dixie State University Board of Trustees
Education in Excellence 2022.

Ashlee Shemenski has been an active member of UDHA her entire career. As a recent graduate receiving her Master of Health Administration, Ashlee made a career move and now works as a Practice Director in a large multi-specialty medical clinic supporting 12 departments consisting of approximately 60 specialists and 150 support staff.
Ashlee was presented ADHA Fellow in the Inaugural year, 2023, which encompasses her ultimate goal of bridging the gap between oral health and overall health. Collaboration between dentists and dental hygienists with physicians and nurses is the first step.
“I will be the difference.”
In her free time, you will find Ashlee along side her high school sweetheart supporting their three kids in all of their extracurricular activities from music to football. She is always learning something new; she just started learning how to play the piano!

Kim is currently serving as the President-Elect and has been an active member of the Association since
2014. She has served the dental hygienist community of Utah as the Vice President and Vice President-
Elect for four years and has also been an Alternate Delegate for two terms. Kim graduated from Weber
State University's Dental Hygiene Program in 2005 and completed her Master of Education in 2012. She started teaching dental hygiene at Weber State 2014 and is now an Assistant Professor. Kim still practices one day a week in private practice, which helps her maintain a balance between educating students and patients. She is passionate about improving the oral health of the community in Utah and educating the public about the importance of dental hygienists as healthcare professionals.
When Kim is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family. Kim and her husband have three
children and they love camping, fishing, boating, and riding UTVs together.

Angel Harvey has dreamed of a career as a dental hygienist for most of her life. She graduated from Salt Lake Community College earning her Associate of Science degree and an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene graduating with honors. At graduation she received the Community Service Award and exceeded the record of service hours working in public health settings during school. She has furthered her education at Utah Valley University earning a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene. Upon graduation from SLCC Angel accepted a position as one of the first independently contracted dental hygienists in Utah. She worked full time pioneering the way to provide access to care utilizing teledentistry for underserved children. She provided preventive dental care and education in school-based oral health programs in 20 schools to over 1,000 children. Angel currently works full time at Utah College of Dental Hygiene as a clinical instructor.

Angel has been married to her best friend and the love of her life for 23 years and has 4 incredible children.

Kelly is a Long Island, New York native. She moved to Utah in 2006 to pursue a degree in dental hygiene. In May of 2010 she graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene and has worked in many offices over the years as a hygienist and as a temp. She is passionate about continuously learning and making connections with her patients. Currently, Kelly works as a clinical instructor at UCDH. She loves teaching and watching students transform into hygienists.

Brianne grew up all over world as an Army Brat but eventually settled in Utah to attend Utah State University; she earned a degree in Liberal Arts from USU in 2010. Brianne always wanted to go back to school to become a dental hygienist and was able to complete her hygiene degree at Fortis College in 2018, where she graduated with Honors. While in school, she was elected as class president and as a student delegate which gave her exposure to inner workings of the Utah Dental Hygienists’ Association. After completing her dental hygiene licensing, she continued her schooling at the University of Utah in the field of Kinesiology and Nutrition; she graduated again with Honors and was on the Dean’s List. Brianne married her husband, Jon, in 2006, and they are currently raising three boys together. Brianne and all her boys love being outdoors, but especially skiing, hiking and biking. Brianne especially loves reading, eating bread and napping.

Amanda Gonzalez is a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) from northern Utah.  Amanda is an Alumni of Weber State University's Dental Hygiene Program, class of 2017,  where she now works as the Clinic Manager.  Amanda is now working towards her Master's of Education degree.  She currently serves as the President of the northern component for the Utah Dental Hygiene Association (UDHA) and as a delegate for the northern component.  Amanda recently received the Outstanding Leadership Award from UDHA.  Amanda enjoys being part of an association where she has a voice and can learn from other amazing hygienists.  Amanda loves spending time with her husband and kids and enjoys cooking for family and friends!

Cori is an Utah native who started her dental career directly out of high school as an assistant. After discovering a love for the dental field, she went on to graduate with her bachelor's degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2011 and a Masters in Health Administration from Western Governor's University. She adores her patients and impacting their lives by improving their health. She has developed a passion for serving the refugee population and diversifying treatment options such as laser periodontal therapy. She lived in Southeast Asia with her family for two years and fell in love with the people and their food.

When asked what she wanted to study when she was older, Mandy easily answered dental hygiene in middle school. Mandy’s innate desire to help others and her early interest in healthcare set her on a path that she has become obsessed with. After high school, Mandy moved back to Utah to start her college education at Brigham Young University. During that time, she found herself in another leadership position but this time for the BYU Student Association. Mandy was accepted to the Utah College of Dental Hygiene and graduated magna cum laude in 2011. During her time at UCDH, she served as a SADHA co-chair which ignited her passion for the work and advocacy. She currently practices clinically at Aspen Heights Dental in Lehi, UT and is a part-time clinical instructor at UCDH.

Natalie graduated with honors from Weber State University in 2017 and has been volunteering at different levels of UDHA ever since. She believes in the importance of access to healthcare very strongly and that as hygienists we can make a difference in our communities. Natalie has received several awards and accolades for her research in dental hygiene, including first place at the National Dental Hygiene Association’s Annual Conference. In her free time Natalie is an avid traveler, marathon runner, and is one of our resident foodies. She loves hanging out with her dogs and exploring the outdoors with her husband. 

Sarah Crum is a Registered Dental Hygienist with 7 years caring for patients.  Specializing
in education, Sarah uses that experience to help her patients to learn better care.  This leads to
overall better health for them outside of their dental care. 
By focusing on her own education, it has allowed her to pass that valuable information on to
her patients and coworkers. Taking more education than required for her license it is not
uncommon for her to know the about all the new exciting dental technology. Her peers come
to her because they know she has heard about it. Over the past year she has taken specialized
classes on myofunctional therapy which will only enhance her ability to help patients.
When she isn’t working, she enjoys traveling with her husband (Jeremie) and they prefer to
take cruises. Also, at home she is the proud mom of two fur babies (Milo and Otis).

Alison is a devoted and energetic dental hygienist with four years of dental hygiene experience who provides skilled treatment while developing meaningful patient relationships. She specializes in providing patient comfort, exceptional treatment, orofacial myofunctional therapy, and staying current with the standard of care.

When Alison isn't cleaning teeth or focusing on her breathing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, reading, playing all sorts of games, and being outside. She loves being with her friends and family, and is an active member in her religion. 

Alison is a proud member of the American Dental Hygienists' Association. Since graduating in 2019, she has served with the Utah Dental Hygienists' Association as a student delegate, Southern component member, Salt Lake component member, Northern component member, Vice President of UDHA, and is now serving as Northern Component Chair.

Elizabeth grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho and in the 6th grade decided she wanted to be a Dental Hygienist. Unlike most kids, she enjoyed going to the dentist and watching them work. Her childhood dentist was kind and gentle and helped cultivate her love of dentistry. She graduated from Idaho State University in 2015 earning a Bachelor's of Science degree in Dental Hygiene. She continues to work in private practice and loves improving the smiles and quality of life for her patients. 

She believes in performing hygiene treatment at the highest level of care with new technology that benefits the hygienist and patient. In 2020 she implemented Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT) into her patient care that allows her to provide comfortable, effective, and thorough hygiene treatment using the latest scientific research and technology. In 2021 she became a certified Swiss Dental Academy GBT Trainer. She teaches dental hygienists around the United States about GBT and loves helping them elevate their clinical care.

In 2021 she started teaching as an adjunct clinical instructor and currently teaches at Salt Lake Community College in the Dental Hygiene program. She enjoys educating students and empowering them to become preventive specialists.

She loves being part of the UDHA because it allows her to form connections with other hygienists, collaborate with colleagues, network, and move the profession forward. She believes no hygienist should feel alone in their work. 

Catalina started her professional career as a Phlebotomist. She learned that she loved working with people in the health field. She soon went to Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester Massachusetts and received her Associates of Science Degree/Allied Health as the President of her class while working as a Certified Dental Assistant. She returned to Quinsigamond Community College and received her Degree in Dental Hygiene and was the Treasurer of her graduating class. After her graduation she became the Liaison at the American Dental Hygiene Association (ADHA) of Massachusetts, where she would travel to colleges to speak to graduating dental hygiene students about ADHA. She coached students as they entered the work environment and answered questions about Dental Hygiene and about ADHA. She moved to Utah in 2021 and has been working as a Dental Hygienist in Eagle Mountain.

Melissa Woolley attended dental hygiene school at the University of Hawaii and then finished her Bachelor of Science in Education at University of Central Oklahoma focusing on specifically the education of adults in a healthcare career. She has been licensed and practiced dental hygiene in Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Utah and is has been a part time clinical educator in the Dixie State Dental Hygiene program for 12 years. Currently, she is working towards a Master of Public Health degree from Utah State University. She and her husband have four children
ranging in ages from 13-23 and she enjoys traveling, running, and gardening.

Melia grew up in a dental office. She loves all things dentistry, technology, and growing our profession of dental hygiene not only in Utah but around the world. She has been a dental hygienist for over 14 years, worked clinically and in education, and is a cocreator of Hygiene Edge, an online education platform for dental professions. 

In her spare time, she loves being a girl mom to two girls, being in the mountains with her family and goldendoodle, and traveling with her husband.

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Find on on Instagram: @meliardh or @hygieneedge