Chair of KOHC: Dr. Stephanie Poynter

Dr. Stephanie Poynter is a general dentist who graduated from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry in 1998. Dr. Poynter completed a one-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency at the University of Louisville in 1999. She has worked in public health for almost 18 years. She is the dental director at Family Health Centers, Inc, a federally qualified community health center with 3 dental offices in Louisville serving homeless, immigrant, and urban populations. Dr. Poynter is committed to improving access to dental services for all patients. She is from Louisville but enjoys water skiing in the summers in Taylor County with her husband and son.

Jennifer Harrison, BS, RDH

Jennifer Harrison is a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Dental Hygiene Program. As a student, she became passionate about access to care and public health dentistry within Kentucky. She has participated in foreign dental missions and recognizes the global similarities to Kentucky’s poorest populations. Jennifer is currently working as the Dental Director for Shawnee Christian Healthcare Center where she leads their fixed location and a school based dental program in 10 JCPS schools. She is a graduate student studying Public Health and Non-Profit Management at Western Kentucky University. She believes oral health outcomes cannot be improved without an equity and social justice framework. Born and raised in Louisville, she is a second-generation University of Louisville graduate and a Cardinal fan through and through.

Brooke Jones, BSDH, PHRDH

Brooke Jones is the Director of School Oral Health and a Public Health Registered Dental Hygienist at the Gateway District Health Department, where she leads initiatives focused on improving oral health access and education within the community. A graduate of Big Sandy Community and Technical College in Dental Hygiene and Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene, Brooke brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role.

Brooke has a diverse background, having worked in both private practice and federally qualified health centers, as well as in volunteer roles for free dental clinics at Youth Haven Bible Camp and oral health education assemblies at her local schools. Her passion for enhancing oral health led her to build the oral health program at Gateway District Health Department, where she focuses on expanding access to care for all, especially underserved populations.

Dedicated to improving oral health as an integral part of overall health, Brooke is deeply committed to advocating for better care and greater access to dental services across Kentucky.

Dr. Jill Keaton, DMD, MS

Dr. Jill Keaton serves as Professor and Dean of the Tanner College of Dental Medicine at the University of Pikeville. Following graduation from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry, she completed a General Practice Residency at the VA Medical Center in Louisville and a Master of Science degree in Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. Keaton co-authored a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Dental Association. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. Dr. Keaton has served as an ex-officio member of the Kentucky Board of Dentistry and has worked on a variety of initiatives throughout Eastern Kentucky in private practice and academic environments to improve access to oral healthcare and provide opportunities for dental education at the predoctoral and allied levels in the Commonwealth.

Dr. Julie Watts McKee, State Dental Director

Dr. Julie Watts McKee received a degree in biology from the University of Kentucky, and a dental degree from the University of Louisville in 1983. She practiced general dentistry for 10 years in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, worked in state government, focusing on health care policy and regulation, and managed a district health department north of Lexington for 12 years. She has held the position of State Dental Director since 2007.

Featured projects Dr. McKee has worked on include establishing Fluoride Varnish Programs in health departments, overseeing the General Dentists Training in Pediatric technique, working with funded local oral health coalitions.

She worked to develop a new licensure category, Public Health Dental Hygienist, and the seven programs implemented because of this practice change.

Dr. McKee facilitated the development of the Strategic Plan for Oral Health and led a multidisciplinary group to develop and distribute Kentucky’s Plan for Dentists to Return to Work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She was awarded the Presidential Award of the Kentucky Dental Association in Fall 2020.

Being a graduate of both basketball powerhouses, she cheers for both UK and UofL in sports, but when they play each other, she wears purple!

Dr. Leonda Richardson

Dr. Leonda Richardson is an Assistant Professor of Periodontics and Oral Diagnosis with the University of Louisville School of Dentistry (ULSD). She earned a Bachelor of Science in dental hygiene from ULSD, a Masters of Dental Hygiene from The Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in public health from the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences. As a clinician, Dr. Richardson has worked with multiple Federally Qualified Health Centers to serve marginalized and underserved communities. In addition to providing clinical instruction to DMD students, she is a part-time lecturer for the Health Professions Education program within the University of Louisville School of Medicine. With the goal of creating a rippling effect and leaving a legacy of equity and social change at all levels, her research aims to address deficiencies within dental public health literature, as well as to advance health equity for the most vulnerable communities. In her spare time, she enjoys naps, going to the movies, and spending time with friends and family.

Dr. Pam Stein 

Dr. Stein graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry in 1990. She has a Master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in health behavior.  Dr. Stein practiced general dentistry for 13 years in rural Kentucky in the small towns of Carlisle and Mt. Olivet. In 2003, she became a full time faculty member at the University of Kentucky Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry. She has served as Academic Dean at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry, the dean at the University of Pikeville College of Dental Medicine and is currently a Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry in Public Health Dentistry. Dr. Stein is committed to improving access to care for underserved populations and improving the oral health of Kentuckians.