Kristi Crum
Rock Dental Brands of Little Rock announced Wednesday that Kristi Crum will succeed Co-founder Merritt Dake as its CEO on July 1.
Dake is stepping back to pursue a personal calling in the behavioral health industry, according to a news release. He will remain on the board and will continue to serve as a strategic advisor.
Crum was recruited by Dake to the company in 2019, to serve as chief operating officer.
Rock Dental is a progressive practice management group that provides support to general dentists and dental specialists affiliates.
Prior to joining Rock Dental, Crum spent 17 years at Verizon Wireless in a variety of leadership roles including region president, director of retail stores, VP of corporate strategy and roles in operations as well as marketing. She is a graduate of Hendrix College.
“Kristi shares the Dake passion for the Rock Dental mission and has the energy and proven business acumen to sustain – and even accelerate – our growth rate,” Dr. Mark Dake, chief clinical officer at Rock Dental, said in a news release. “We’re excited to have Kristi lead our all-star team and know that under her leadership Rock Dental Brands will continue to expand for years to come.”
“I’m excited to step into this new role at Rock Dental,” Crum added. “Since joining the company in 2019, I’ve worked alongside Merritt to expand our clinics, while staying true to our mission of setting the highest standard of care for our patients. I’m eager to continue our expansion efforts in order to bring quality dental health access to more Americans.”
Merritt Dake founded Rock Dental with his father, Dr. Mark Dake, and Dr. Bryan Hiller. It has since expanded to employ more than 600 team members and operate 84 clinics.
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