Ketsela "Kay" A.
Quiet. Calm. A beautiful smile – these are words frequently used to describe Ketsela “Kay” Admassu.
Kay joined our team in 2015 as a dental assistant and has had a huge impact on our practice in a very short time. A native of Ethiopia, Kay learned English in high school and moved to the United States 12 years ago, first to Atlanta then finally settling in Peabody five years ago. She is a Board Certified Dental Assistant, receiving her certificate in Dental Assisting in 2009.
Kay primarily assists Dr. Emily, and loves the friendly, casual environment found in our practice. She also really enjoys speaking with and educating our patients. Patients may come in anxious about their treatment, but with Kay’s calm demeanor and reassuring smile, concerns quickly disappear.
Kay is our “go to” person for organizing dental supplies, and oversees our HIPAA compliance which keeps our patient information safe. Married to her husband Abework for five years, Kay loves to garden (flowers only), cook and listen to jazz. And eat chocolate!
Carol D.
Carol has an incredibly high energy level. She has to.
Carol has been Jay's dental assistant for almost 18 years and loves her work. A graduate of Lynn Vocational Technical High School's Dental Assisting program, this "people person" seems to be friends with most of the population of Lynn and Nahant. She enjoys "running into" our patients out of the office and finding out what is happening in their lives between appointments. She also likes educating patients about treatment aftercare.
Married to Paul for almost 25 years, Carol loves to go camping and considers herself highly creative. Her hobbies include singing, gardening (flowers-only) and crafts. She changes the decor of her home frequently, and describes herself as "killer" with a glue gun.
Samantha G.
In 2017, our office was actively seeking another dental assistant superstar. Not an easy task but we eventually found the newest member of our office family: Samantha Garcia! Samantha had been working at the Harvard University/Mass General Hospital dental program, and was trying to find a job closer to home. In addition to her assistant duties at MGH, she was also involved in OSHA and HIPAA policies, sterilization procedures, state-of-the-art technology and front desk functions. Simply put, Samantha was the perfect fit for our team!
At our office, Samantha splits her time between assisting, working at the front desk, and overseeing OSHA and sterilization compliance. Sam handles all of these duties efficiently, warmly, knowledgeably – and frequently with laughter.
A native of Chelsea, Samantha lives in Lynn with Victor, their two boys and her French bulldog Peaches. In her spare time, she loves to exercise and cook (make sure to ask her about her amazing guacamole and Spanish dishes!).
Katie L.
When we first met Katie in August 2020, she shared that she was a runner and had competed in many, many road races. Unfortunately, she was finding it difficult to compete at the same level since having her daughter. However, she was eager to get back into the sport.
Katie is definitely running now!
In 2021, Katie gave birth to twins and now finds herself chasing 3 children under the age of 4. She also works full-time at our front desk, checking-in patients, collecting payments, reviewing insurance benefits, answering phones and scheduling appointments. She also found the time to complete the necessary coursework to become a licensed dental assistant! Katie is definitely one of those people who seems to have more than 24 hours in a day.
A Lynn native, Katie graduated from Merrimack College with a degree in Psychology. She lives with her husband and 3 children in Lynn.
Julia L.
If the practice held a vote, she would probably be selected "Most Popular.” Or maybe "Best Personality.” Perhaps both! Because everyone at the office loves Julia. Always calm, with a smile on her face (and in her voice), Julia works on Saturdays updating dental records, entering pre-treatment estimates into patient records, answering phones, and addressing appointment issues.
While Julia works with us on Saturdays, she spends her work week serving as a United Way AmeriCorps Fellow at an after-school program in Lynn. In her free time, Julia loves spending time outdoors and trying new foods. Julia graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont, where she was captain of the Varsity Track and Field team. She loves adventure and travel and lived in New Zealand after college. While in New Zealand, she enjoyed hiking, making new friends, working in orchards, and bungee jumping at the highest water-touch location in the country.
A fun fact about Julia - Dr. Jay was her longtime softball coach. Julia once pitched a no-hitter in their town championship game. Unfortunately, she gave up 20 runs (ouch!), but her team still came out victorious!
Lisa M.
At our practice, Lisa Markee does it all. With intelligence, a calm demeanor and a smile, Lisa is an integral member of our front desk team. Lisa answers phones, schedules appointments, takes payments, submits insurance claims, and answers billing and insurance questions. A few years ago, she even took the necessary coursework – on her own time – to become a licensed dental assistant! During the interview process, Lisa explained that she was looking for a new position because although she liked her current office, she wanted to work in a faster paced environment. We think that she sometimes regrets this comment!
It’s no surprise that Lisa thrives in fast-paced environments. For many years, she has also worked part time at Home Depot on weekends. Born and educated in Lynn, Lisa lives with her husband, three children and granddaughter. In her spare time, she enjoys family time and cooking.
A fun fact? Lisa’s father was a contractor who built Jay’s childhood home!
Maddie M.
Our patients LOVE Maddie. After spending time with Maddie, a recent patient even said, "I've never had so much fun at a dental appointment!"
Born in the Bronx, Maddie has spent much of her life in Lynn. She started working in the dental field in 2006, thinking she had accepted a front desk position. Maddie was shocked to learn that her new job was as a dental assistant. Her first procedure? An extraction. Maddie fainted. Now, it is her favorite procedure to assist!
At the office, Maddie is outgoing, high-energy and funny, but after work, she tends to be quiet and loves to read and watch movies. She is the founder of our office book club - which has turned into a major success. Maddie is caring and sentimental, and loves to spend time with her daughter, Amarylis. While she loves being at home, Maddie does not like the kitchen. When asked if she likes to cook, Maddie responded, "What's that?"
When Dr. Nancy joined our practice several years ago, we looked for an assistant who could complement Nancy's style: singing, laughter, state-of-the-art technology, great dentistry. When we met Maddie, we knew we had found the perfect match. What a team!
Nathalie P.
Nathalie has played a critical role on the front desk staff for 17 years. A native of Lynn and graduate of Lynn English High School, Nat truly enjoys our patients, and many have become friends in and out of the office. She thrives on the fast-paced, crazy environment here but also loves "escaping" to her new home in New Hampshire. Yes, Nathalie commutes daily from New Hampshire to Lynn! She is having a great time exploring the sites in New Hampshire and can frequently be found kayaking and hiking.
Nat is a devoted Patriots fan and can't wait for pre-season to start every August. GO PATS!
Stephanie S.
In 2015, Stephanie Simon decided to return to work. Having spent decades taking care of her family and volunteering with several social service agencies, she was excited to take on a new challenge.
An MBA from the Wharton School of Business, Steph joined our practice as the office’s first Marketing Manager. Sharing a desk with Jay for over a year (!), Steph was tasked with automating appointment reminders and confirmations, organizing the birthday videos and texts and furthering our internet and social media presence. She also had the fun job of organizing the office’s ice cream sundae day, picture day and remodeling the office.
Originally from Williamsport, PA – home of the Little League Baseball! – Steph has lived on the North Shore for more than 35 years. A total news junkie, Steph is also trying to learn a foreign language, though she admits she has little aptitude. She also adopted her first dog during the height of the pandemic – a white furball named Rigsby – who she completely adores.
A fun fact? Steph has been married to Dr. Jay for more than 35 years and is the mother of three daughters, including Dr. Nancy.
Phylicia R.
Phylicia represents the third generation of her family to play a vital role at our front desk, and we are certainly thrilled she's here!!
What does Phylicia do? A better question is, what does Phylicia not do? Phylicia is one of our insurance geniuses, responsible for checking insurance coverage, processing claims, sending out bills and advising patients on the best insurance plans to meet their needs. She is also our in-house IT guru and keeps our computers and software running. In December 2022, our office switched to a new dental software program; Phylicia customized it for us, coordinated the transfer of records from the old system to the new, and then taught our largely technology-challenged team how to use the new software. Talk about talented!
A native of Lynn, Phylicia now lives in Peabody with her family, including her daughter Kyleigh and son Mason. Phylicia's life tends to be hectic and she doesn't have a lot of free time, but she has completed several "tough mudder" competitions and loves being outside in New Hampshire, camping, hiking, riding her ATV, horseback riding and canoeing. She also enjoys "hanging out" with her friends. No description of Phylicia is complete without mentioning her passion for animals and hockey!