Meet the Team
ALL staff pictures are courtesy of Michael Czerepak.
Pine Dental Care Doctors
Meet Dr. Hijjawi | Meet Dr. Thangamani | Meet Dr. Czerepak | Meet Dr. Richardson
Lincoln Park Team
Mollie, Pine Dental Office Manager
Mollie is originally from Kingston, Ontario, and has been with the practice since 1987. She loves that everyone involved with Pine Dental has such a great sense of humor. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, music, movies, and hockey.
Jannette, Assistant Office Manager
Jannette, also known as ‘J’, was born and raised in the city of Chicago and has been with the office since 1987. Her favorite part of Pine Dental is the diversity of the clientele that we see as patients. Jannette enjoys listening to music of all genres and is a noted “professional shopper.” In addition, she loves watching professional boxing and has her first degree black belt in Tae-Kwon Do.
Jennifer, Front Desk Staff
Jennifer currently lives in Brookfield, Illinois. She occasionally works as a dental assistant as well, so you may see her in both roles. Her favorite part about the practice is seeing all of our patients’ smiles! In her spare time, she enjoys rock climbing and hiking.
Gina, Hygienist
Gina is one of our hygienists and is originally from the Chicago area as well. Some of her favorite things about Pine Dental are all the new technologies and, of course, working with the children! In her spare time, you can find Gina regularly volunteering at an animal shelter. She is also very passionate about wellness and prevention in her personal and professional life.
Daniel, Hygienist
Daniel, one of our hygienists, is originally from the north side of Chicago. Daniel is proud of the fact that he is part of a practice that constantly delivers the highest level of dental care. In his spare time, he enjoys running, biking, sports, and camping.
Dali, Head Dental Assistant
Dali is originally from the Chicago area and has been with the practice since 1990. Her favorite things about the practice are getting to know the patients and their families. In her spare time, she enjoys drawing, painting, cooking, and reading.
Lidia, Dental Assistant
Lidia, who has been with the practice since 2003, is originally from Bulgaria, but her immediate and extended family currently live in the Chicago area. Her favorite part of the practice is the interaction she has with the children each day. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and books and is always found with a “smile” on her face.
Evelyn, Orthodontic Assistant
Evelyn currently lives in the Berwyn, Illinois, area and has been working as an orthodontic assistant for several years. Evelyn’s favorite things about the practice are the doctors and staff. She feels that doctors are fantastic and very energetic in delivering the best care to their patients! She also thinks that the staff is very polite and always is there to help. In her spare time, she enjoys sports, especially basketball.
Miki, Dental Assistant
Miki, who is from the Chicago area, is one of our pediatric dental assistants. Her favorite parts about her job are the people that she works with at the office and the children that she sees each and every day. When she is not working, you can find Miki rock climbing, boating, or doing some other type of extreme sporting adventure. She also enjoys movies and cooking and claims to be a “cake connoisseur” of sorts.
Jocelyn, Lab and Sterilization Technician
Jocelyn is Chicago ‘born and raised’ and has been with the practice for several years. Her favorite thing about the practice is everyone’s sense of humor! She also feels that Pine has a very family-oriented atmosphere. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, writing, and is looking to return to school to obtain her bachelors in secondary education.
Glenview Team
Lena, Dental Assistant
Lena was raised in Odessa, in the Ukraine. She has quickly become a vital part of the team and especially likes helping kids get over their fears of visiting the dentist. She has two boys, and in her spare time, she does drafting, sewing, knitting, and enjoys reading the classics.
Elena, Dental Assistant
Elena has been the head pediatric dental assistant on the Glenview team since Dr. Nancy began working at Pine Dental, over 20 years ago! She is from Odessa, in the Ukraine, and is famous in our office for her hospitality and her balloon creating talents. When Elena is working, she can usually be overheard discussing the merits of various ice cream flavors, but in her free time she loves to go to the movies and travel.
Shirley, Office Manager
Shirley is the positive presence behind the desk as well as the friendly voice on the phones, but most of our families don’t realize she is the backbone—organization and support—for the entire Glenview office. She grew up in Chicago and married her college sweetheart. Shirley loves to watch our patients grow up and really appreciates the knowledge that all the doctors in the practice share with the staff, parents and patients. She enjoys biking, knitting, writing short stories, and working out.
Lisa, Hygienist
Lisa travels between both offices but spends most of her time in Glenview. She was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and is married with three adult sons, a daughter-in-law who bakes for her and a grand-dog named Winston. She notes, “Every day the kids will say or do something to make me laugh—it makes the job so much fun. It has been a privilege to work in this beautiful office with our outstanding doctors and staff!”
Megan, Hygienist
Megan has been with Pine Dental since we moved to Glenview, and we can’t imagine our team without her. Her family is originally from the Kansas City area and she has a lovely little daughter. She loves seeing the sparkling smiles after she has cleaned teeth, but her greatest joy is hearing her patients tell her how much they love to come to the dentist. In her spare time she likes to cook, read, and ride her bike.