Karen Jones holds a B.S. in Mathematics and a Masters in Computer Science from Northern Illinois University – both degrees were earned summa cum laude. Karen spent her professional career working for IBM, beginning as a Systems Engineer and finally as the Manager for Marketing Intelligence for IBM Sales and Distribution.

She has been an active supporter of many causes, including serving on the Advisory Boards for the University of Connecticut Health Center and College of Education. Karen has been involved with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship; Shepherds, where she was a student mentor; and with the Southport Congregational Church, where she is part of their Mission Outreach Board.

A long-time supporter of Simply Smiles, she brings her experience volunteering in Mexico and on the Reservation and as a fundraiser to our Board of Directors.

Karen lives with her husband, Bob, in Westport, CT.

Sarah Westby holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Delaware and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. While in law school, Sarah held internships at Connecticut Legal Services and the United States Department of Justice – Civil Rights Division. She previously worked as an attorney in Manhattan, concentrating her practice in the field of pharmaceutical antitrust law. Currently, she is a member of the Employer Defense and Labor Relations practice group at Shipman & Goodwin, LLP in Hartford, CT.

Sarah became involved with Simply Smiles through volunteering on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation and brings her energy, enthusiasm and experience to advance the organization's work.

David J. Rotatori is the President and CEO of Ion Bank in Naugatuck, CT. He holds a B.A. from Western Connecticut State University and M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut. David is a Certified Public Accountant and Charted Global Management Accountant with more than 25 years of experience in financial services organizations. 

David is dedicated to his community, serving on the United Way Board of Directors and other roles, including chair of the 2011 and 2018 Campaigns and past Treasurer. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Naugatuck Economic Development Corporation and the Ion Bank Foundation. He is a member of the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society. David was also a coach for Naugatuck Youth Soccer and currently coaches for multiple youth basketball leagues.

As a longtime advocate of Simply Smiles, David brings his knowledge and experience to expand the operations, goals and strategic initiatives of the organization.

David lives in Naugatuck, Connecticut with his wife, Pam, and their three daughters, Cara, Mia and Alena.

Christiana Whitcomb holds a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley with a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate, and a Bachelor’s in Government and Legal Studies and Visual Arts from Bowdoin College. She is currently a Senior Analyst at HR&A, a consulting firm specializing in policy and implementation strategies in economic development, affordable housing, and real estate.

At age 14, Christiana first volunteered with Simply Smiles in Mexico. She later interned with Simply Smiles on the Reservation for many years and was also employed as Summer Camp Director for the 2016 season. Recently, Christiana was instrumental in helping Simply Smiles to secure funding and partnership from the South Dakota Housing Authority.

Bryan Nurnberger founded Simply Smiles, Inc. in 2003.

Bryan graduated from the University of Colorado in 1999 with a B.A. in history. In the few years after college and before founding Simply Smiles, Bryan worked as a mountain climbing guide, hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, lived with monks in Greece, and worked with sugar cane cutters in the Dominican Republic.

In 2013, he was given the Lakota name Cante Waste Wicasa, meaning "Kind-Hearted Man," as part of a formal naming ceremony.

Bryan lives with his wife, Kristen, in Southport, CT.

Ed Dooling is the Vice President of Human Resources at Masonicare in Wallingford, CT. He holds a B.A. in Communications and Urban Affairs from Manhattan College and an M.S. in Human Resource Development from Villanova University. He brings a wealth of knowledge to Simply Smiles as a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources and 15 years of experience in the field.

Ed lives in Cheshire, CT with his wife, Jennifer, and their four children.

Nakia Letang has a B.A. from Post University (CT) and has worked in the field of college admissions for over 14 years. She currently serves as Associate Director for Undergraduate Admission at Fairfield University, where she oversees diversity efforts in recruitment and enrollment.

Nakia has gained experience in recruitment and territory management in the southeast region, southwest region, mid-Atlantic region, New England region and parts of Latin America. She has presented at a number of regional and national conferences, including the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Critical Components Conference, the New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC) Annual Meeting & Conference on “Leaning In” as a woman pursuing a career and family, and has served as a facilitator for the Multicultural Symposium in Dallas, TX and Costa Mesa, CA for the past seven years. She has worked in collaboration on many of the institutions successful efforts to increase diversity, having served as a member of the President's Institutional Diversity Council and Strategic Vision Task Force at Fairfield University. She has served as the Communications Chair for the New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC) for three years and as the Vice President of the Northeast Consortium of Counselors Bridging Access to College (NECBAC), focusing on access and advocacy for underrepresented populations.

In addition, Nakia has worked with the Bridgeport Board of Education, serving on the former Bridgeport Higher Education Alliance and the Complete Fairfield County Initiative, examining ways to increase college degree completion in Fairfield County.

Outside of the admissions field, Nakia works diligently in her church community, serving as the youth coordinator and on the pastoral executive council. Through these roles, she has been able to host a number of workshops for the local community and served on the Advisory Board for the Women Moving Forward Organization. She has been featured in the New York Times (July 2015) and in the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Member Spotlight (March 2016) for her work and commitment to college access. Nakia is also the recipient of the NEACAC William S. Neal Rising Star Award (2010) and NEACAC IDEAL Award (2018).

Bella Lopez-Silva (Kitse Cha'tnio / Chatino) is a non-profit professional, currently serving as the Development Manager for Bridgeport-based CT Students for a Dream, a youth-led statewide network fighting for the rights of undocumented youth and their families.

Bella previously worked for Simply Smiles as our program assistant, where she managed the donor database, researched and identified grant funding opportunities, supported staff members, and played a key role in every program initiative every step of the way. She previously served as Simply Smiles intern in Fall 2018 as an undergraduate at Fairfield University.

Bella holds a B.A. from Fairfield in Spanish and History and a double minor in educational studies and Latin American & Caribbean Studies. She is from Oaxaca, Mexico.

Dr. Mark Pierce holds a B.A., an M.D., and a Ph.D all from Northwestern University. His professional career began at Harvard University with an appointment as a Clinical and Research Fellow in Medicine, an Instructor in Medicine, and as an Assistant Professor of Medicine. Mark has applied his considerable talents as a physician and researcher at esteemed companies such as New England Nuclear Corporation, Enzymatics, Abbot Laboratories, The Warner-Lambert Company, and Pfizer. At Pfizer, Mark served as a Senior Vice President for Global Research and Development as well as The Director of Worldwide Clinical Research.

Mark has served on the boards of directors for Phytomedics Inc. as well as Phylogica in Australia. His professional writings have been extensively published in journals relating to his fields of research. Dr. Pierce is extremely active in his community, including at the Essex Congregational Church.

He lives with his wife, Kristin, in Essex, CT.

As we continue to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Simply Smiles, we are also mourning the loss of the organization's first chairman of the board. I remember the first board meeting. Mr. Dooling called the meeting to order and established that we had a quorum. As a 24-year-old founder with far more ambition than experience, I was unfamiliar with "Robert's Rules of Order". But, as Mr. Dooling called for "motions" and "seconds" at that inaugural meeting, he set the tone for the creation of a professional and efficient organization.

Mr. Dooling was a friend, a mentor, and a proud supporter of Simply Smiles. I'm grateful for all he did to help create Simply Smiles, and I hope that his family feels as I do: every smile we create is part of Edward J. Dooling's legacy.

Thank you, Mr. Dooling,

Bryan