Meet the Team

Sarah Wovcha, JD, MPH

Board Treasurer

Sarah Wovcha is the Executive Director of Children’s Dental Services in Minneapolis, Minnesota’s largest provider of school- and Head Start-based dental care, serving over 37,000 children and families annually. She holds a law degree from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. Ms. Wovcha is passionate about serving Hope Dental because it is truly and uniquely a dental safety net provider for everyone!

Terri Henneman

Board Secretary

Terri is a retired nurse who previously worked in hospital settings and in employee health testing. The impact of dental health on overall physical health and overcoming disparities in health care fuel her interest in helping Hope Dental Clinic succeed. Terri is a community volunteer who especially enjoys development and fund raising. She has worked on the Capital Campaign for the International Institute of Minnesota, fundraising galas for the Ordway Center for Performing Arts, and chairs the Development Committee for Hope Dental Clinic. Terri has a BA in Nursing from Gustavus Adolphus College.

Terri and her husband Mark have three children, a son in law, and two grandsons. Terri and Mark live in St Paul and enjoy spending time with family at their cabin in Wisconsin and condo in Florida. Terri enjoys reading, biking, long walks, and working on her golf game.

Peggy Fink

Peggy brings a wealth of passion and experience to Hope. As a mission-driven development and fundraising professional, she has raised millions of dollars serving in leadership positions with Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation, Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities, Northwestern College, and others.

With a heart for the marginalized, Peggy is passionate about making a real impact in the lives or people who need it the most, and that’s why she loves serving on the Board of Directors for Hope Dental Clinic.

David S. Gesko, DDS, FACD

As the Senior Vice President and Dental Director for HealthPartners, an integrated, not-for-profit, consumer-governed health system based in Minnesota David is passionate about integrating medical and dental care and applying growing evidence-based research to care delivery.

He is and has been a leader for many years in support of licensing and integrating dental therapy into dental practice.

He has been on the advisory panel for the Institute for Oral Health and is a past Chair of the Institute for Oral and Systemic Health sponsored by Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wisconsin. He is currently a Board member of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality. All these groups are working to build national consensus on guidelines for measurement and prevention of disease management in oral health care and to facilitate implementation of those guidelines into the care, policy, and financing systems.

Dr. Gesko has served for seven years on the Minnesota Board of Dentistry appointment by former Governor Mark Dayton. During his tenure on the Board, Dr. Gesko has held all the officer roles including President. Currently, Dr. Gesko is an active consultant with the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.

Dr. Gesko and his wife Leslie have two grown (married) children. Their daughter Tracey has two children and lives in southwest Washington State. Their son Sam was recently married and is a third-year dental student in Phoenix, Arizona. Sam and his wife Kieran recently had their first child, and one more “Sam Gesko” is with us!

Kelly Losness, PHR

Kelly is the Director of Talent for Robins Kaplan LLP, an AM Law 200 litigation firm based in Minneapolis. In this role, Kelly oversees the Human Resources, compliance, talent acquisition, and diversity initiatives at the firm. Kelly brings 12 years of Human Resources experience to the Hope Board of Directors and has worked in a variety of industries including non-profit, manufacturing, and professional services. Kelly has served on Hope's Board since 2020 and is currently the Chair of the Governance Committee. Kelly has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Human Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and maintains her professional in human resources (PHR) certification.

Jennifer Resner

Jennifer Resner is Vice President, Business Banking with First Bank & Trust in Roseville, MN. The majority of Jennifer’s 29 year banking career has been spent focusing on medical and dental practice financing.

Jennifer was born and raised in St. Paul’s east side, and continues to live there today and loves being able to help her neighbors by volunteering at Hope. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews, gardening, and doing jigsaw puzzles.

Jan Hallstrom

Executive Director

Jan joined Hope Dental because she resonated with the mission to serve those most in need. Disparities in healthcare access and advocacy for children have been important focuses in her professional and personal life. Being part of the team at Hope allows her to engage in impacting both imperatives every day. She embraces a patient centered focus and incorporation of equity as a core value and objective across all aspects of the organization.

Jan’s goal was to join a mission driven organization where she could invest her experience and passion in building a strong foundation to thrive and fully realize their vision.

As a seasoned executive in healthcare and non-profit leadership, she brings a wealth of expertise and business acumen to support the effective operations and long-term sustainability of the clinic. She has an MBA from the Carlson School and an MHA from Public Health, both at the University of Minnesota.

She is currently a board member at the Twin Cities American Red Cross where she also volunteers as a national disaster relief responder and a leadership development coach and presenter. Her advocacy for children and youth has been woven throughout her career and personal efforts. As a guardian ad litem and foster parent, she has experienced firsthand the disparities in dental care access and limited resources for the underserved. This perspective and appreciation of Hope’s impact on the community drives her as the Executive Director of Hope to meet the ever-increasing demand for Hope’s dental services, and fill the gap for expanded outreach, education, and advocacy.

Mike Dworak

Development Director

Mike is a mission driven professional that comes to us with more than three decades of experience in fundraising and marketing communications. He has worked mainly in faith-based organizations having run highly successful campaigns in several countries around the world and in the US.

He feels his calling is to ensure donors to place their trust in Hope Dental Clinic by creating a compelling story of need and impact. Mike finds it somewhat serendipitous that he is working in the world or dentistry as his dad, brother, and two nephews have or had their own practice. Mike’s wife was also a dental assistant and his sister-in-law was a dental hygienist.

Outside of work, Mike loves to spend his time playing his guitar, working out, and hanging out with his best friend and wife, Ellen. Together they have three children and two grandsons.

Louie Lopez, LDA

Dental Assistant & Manager

Louie graduated from Dakota County Technical College as a Licensed Dental Assistant in 2015 and has worked for community clinics and private practices since then. Louie is fluent in Spanish and English languages. He also spent 11 years in retail management for companies such as Circuit City, Target, and Goodwill.

In his spare time, Louie enjoys being an avid sports fan, movie buff, gamer, traveling the world, and playing the bass guitar.

Kindsey Lyons

Dental Assistant

Kindsey graduated from the dental assistant program at Century College in 2021. She is passionate about encouraging patients to have good oral hygiene.

Kindsey loves to spend her free time outside either going on a walk or just enjoying nature. She also loves spending time with her family, friends, boyfriend, and her two adorable cats.

Erica Mazhary RDH, MDH

Administration & Support Manager

Erica graduated from University of Michigan in 2001 and completed her Master of Dental Hygiene/Business Management degree from University of Minnesota in 2011. She has managed clinics for nine years. She also was a professional educator and faculty member for both Argosy University and Herzing University.

Erica likes hiking, archery, reading, gardening, and working out. She enjoys spending time with her husband and five daughters in her spare time.

Skylor Gosso

Clinic Manager

Skylor was born and raised in Stillwater, and pursued dental right after graduating from Stillwater area high school. She got a limited license in dental radiography during covid. In her last 2 years out of high school, she has clinically assisted, and worked in a dental lab.

Skylor enjoys spreading joy through the community with random acts of kindness, she also enjoys painting, music, archery, writing, and spending time with her 4 sisters. “ I am here to help in any way I can!”.

Juan Rodriguez Jr. LDA

Dental Assistant/Spanish Interpreter

Juan was born in Minnesota, Graduated from Normandale Community College with Associate of Arts in Liberal Education (graduated in 2019). Juan also attended Dakota County Technical College for dental assistant (graduated in 2019) and is currently a student at the University of St. Thomas Majoring in Biology. Juan is the 2022-2023 St. Thomas Pre-Dental Club President, and awarded the St. Paul District Dental Society "Outstanding Dental Assistant, 2023."

Juan is passionate about assisting his community and educating people on the importance of oral health care. He enjoys volunteering with Teamsmile, Common Hope, Mission Outpost, Hope Dental, Give Kids a Smile, and Mission of Mercy.

Juan enjoys spending his free time doing outdoor activities such as kayaking, fishing, biking, running, swimming, snowboarding, and more.

Sebastian Rojas Perez

Dental Receptionist/Spanish & Japanese interpreter

Sebastian was born and raised in Venezuela. He moved to the United States at the age of 17 for college. He studied and graduated from the University of South Florida in August 2020 with a degree in World Languages and Culture. He enjoys helping as many people as he can by translating at Hope Dental Clinic, as well as being a receptionist.

Sebastian recently moved to the Twin Cities and is looking forward to meeting new people. He enjoys Japanese anime and reading in his free time.

Marycruz Sanchez Cortes

Receptionist and Spanish interpreter

Marycruz Sanchez Cortes was born in Mexico City and came to the United States at the age of 7. She graduated as an Esthetician from Saint Paul College in 2019, but later in her career, she realized that she could help others differently. Her career path has completely taken a turn from where she started, but she wouldn't change a single thing because she is now helping people by translating. Especially after seeing firsthand what her parents went through while she was growing up when it came to booking/attending appointments in a country where they didn't speak/ understand the language. She now enjoys helping people who don't understand English by translating at Hope Dental Clinic and watching them leave with a smile!

Salida Sak, LDH

Dental Hygienist

I was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. I graduated from Century College in 2017 as a Dental Assistant and later graduated from Herzing University in 2021 as a Dental Hygienist. I enjoy getting to know my patients. When people are happy, they smile. I want to be a reason they love their smile. I enjoy reading, being outdoors or on the lake, trying new foods, karaoking, and spending time with my family.