Board of Directors

COHI Board of Directors
Howard. I. Mark, DMD
COHI Board President
Clinical Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
University of Connecticut

Howard Mark, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, retired from teaching at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine and as Director of the School’s Mentor Program at the end of 2008. A member of the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Connecticut State Dental Association (CSDA), he is Editor Emeritus and served as CSDA Editor for 18 years.

Dr. Mark’s leadership in organizing COHI resulted in Connecticut’s first Early Childhood Caries Symposium in 1999. He has been active in the Tobacco Cessation Program and a pioneer in promoting the use of mouth guards as well as establishing the Connecticut PANDA program to curb child abuse. Dr. Mark has received the Distinguished Editor Service Award from the AADE. He has served in several different leadership capacities with the Pierre Fauchard Academy (PFA) and, in 2005, became its International President. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation of the PFA.

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons gave Dr. Mark its Community Service Award. In 2008, the dental associations of the New England States honored him at the 33rd Yankee Dental Congress with the prestigious James W. Etherington Award for his outstanding service and numerous contributions to the dental profession.

Robin Knowles, RDH, MPH
COHI Board Vice President
Assistant Professor of Dental Hygiene
Tunxis Community College

Robin Knowles is a full-time assistant professor in the Department of Allied Health’s Dental Hygiene Program at Tunxis Community College in Farmington. She received bachelor and associate degrees from the University of Bridgeport and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Connecticut. Ms. Knowles is a member of the New Britain Oral Health Collaborative, the Hartford/East Hartford Oral Health Collaborative, the Healthy Child Care Connecticut Core Committee, the New Britain Head Start Health Advisory Board, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, the Connecticut Dental Hygienists’ Association, the Hartford Dental Hygienists’ Association, and Sigma Phi Alpha.

Jamey Bell, Esq.
Executive Director, Connecticut Voices for Children

Jamey Bell became the staff leader of Connecticut Voices for Children, a research-based public education and advocacy organization that works statewide to promote the well-being of Connecticut's children, youth and families, on September 29 of 2008. Previously, she was a staff attorney at Greater Hartford Legal Aid, Inc. (GHLA) for 26 years, concentrating on legal issues affecting the well-being of low-income families, including health care access, education, child protection, juvenile justice, and equal access for persons with limited English proficiency. She used law, legislative advocacy, community education and multidisciplinary collaboration to advance policies which promote foundations for healthy families and inclusive communities.

For eight years, she was lead counsel in class action litigation to require the Connecticut Department of Social Services to provide adequate dental care to low-income families on Medicaid. The litigation was settled in 2008, with the State agreeing to provide at least $80 million in increased funding over the next four years for program improvements and supportive services for families.

While at GHLA, Bell also launched an outreach project to increase immigrants’ knowledge of community systems and legal rights. She has been involved in building broad-based coalitions to promote policy reforms in health care and for greater inclusion of language and other minorities. In 2007, Attorney Bell was honored by COHI with one of the first two Howard I. Mark Awards for her dedication to ‘Oral Health for All’.

Michael S. Goodman, DDS
Pediatric Dentist

Dr. Goodman is a pediatric dentist serving children from low-income families through the Generations Family Health Center Dental Clinic in Eastern Connecticut. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of the Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, Division of Pediatric Dentistry, and a member of the medical staff of the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. Prior to joining Generations, Dr. Goodman served children in private practice for more than 30 years. He has testified numerous times before State legislative committees in support of more and better oral health coverage for the state’s underserved populations. Dr. Goodman is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the Connecticut Society of Pediatric Dentistry, and the Connecticut State Dental Association.

Adele B. Gordon
Director, Community Health Centers, Inc., Fairfield County Sites

Ms. Gordon has led the Dental Center of Stamford since 1999 and, in 2005 assumed her current position with Community Health Center, Inc. directing both the Stamford and Norwalk dental centers. Prior to 1999, she was Vice President of Administration for The Training Connection, Inc., Drop-Out Prevention Coordinator for the Stamford Public Schools, and Director for Training and Employment at CTE. Ms. Gordon serves on the Stamford Police Commission and on the board of the Stamford Public Education Foundation.

Sally L. Ortega
HIV Data Coordinator, Community Health Services Inc.

Sally Ortega is the HIV Data Coordinator at Community Health Services Inc., (CHS) a federally qualified community health center in Hartford. Previously, she managed the CHS dental clinic and oral health outreach programs. In that position, Ms. Ortega was active in building relationships with many community partners to help increase health awareness and access to care. She has been involved in the following committees for CHS: accreditation, infection control, quality improvement, and emergency preparedness. She is certified in conflict mediation. Ms. Ortega received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from University of Hartford and plans to become a dentist with a specialization in public health.

Margaret Ann Smith, DMD
Dental Director, Generations Family Health Care Center

Dr. Smith has served as Dental Director of Generations, a Community Heath Center (CHC) in Willimantic, since 2001 and as a solo private dental practitioner for more than twenty years. She has maintained a continuing relationship with private practitioners through the volunteer program at her CHC and through her involvement with the Connecticut State Dental Association. Dr. Smith is a member of the advisory board of Tunxis Community College Allied Health Program and the Board of Directors of the New England Rural Health Round Table. She received her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Connecticut in 1978 and has been honored with the Pierre Fauchard Award, the American Student Dental Association Award, and the American Society of Dentistry for Children Award.

Lorri Vilorio
Director of Social Services, Willimantic Housing Authority

Lorri Vilorio has served as Director of Social Services for the Willimantic Housing Authority for 15 years. The people she serves range in age from birth to 105 years old. A common need among all ages is for oral healthcare. Ms. Vilorio is dedicated to ensuring that all of the residents have dental insurance coverage as well as access to quality care and a dental home.

COHI Advisory Board Members
Grace Damio, BS, MS
Director, Center for Women & Children’s Health, and, Director, Center for Community Nutrition, Hispanic Health Council

Grace Damio has worked at the Hispanic Health Council since 1986. During the past 22 years, she has developed and administered service, advocacy and research initiatives in the areas of: maternal and child health, nutrition, breastfeeding, hunger and food security, breast cancer and reproductive health and oral health. She has also written culturally tailored curricula and training manuals, and provided training on diversity skill development at a wide variety of universities, conferences and worksites. Prior to her work at the Hispanic Health Council, she consulted for a nutrition development program in Nicaragua, and did clinical and community nutrition work in Hartford and Harlem. Ms. Damio serves on several local and statewide boards and committees related to maternal/child health, and nutrition issues.

John J. Shaw, DMD

Dr. John J. Shaw practiced dentistry for 27 years in the Hartford area, focusing on the treatment of medically compromised patients in a hospital setting. Following his 1997 retirement, Dr. Shaw began a career in public health with the Hartford Health Department pursuing special projects, including the development of a smallpox response plan. Following the tragedy of September 11, 2001, Dr. Shaw was asked to direct the development of the Capitol Region Metropolitan Medical Response System that is responsible for bioterrorism response planning for north central Connecticut. He is a graduate of Fairfield University and of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.