MILLS RIVER FAMILY DENTAL - Key Persons


Abigail Aguirre Lopez

Job Titles:
  • Dental Assistant
Abigail (Abi) joined Mills River Family Dental in August 2018. She has been in the Dental Field for 7+ years. She is a Hendersonville native. She enjoys helping any and everyone with a smile on her face. Abi speaks Spanish and English. Abi enjoys spending time with her children Alexa and Axel, hiking, reading a good book, and learning new recipes on Pinterest. To get away from it all, Abi enjoys going to the beach or anywhere with water.

Alicia Rachels

Job Titles:
  • Dental Hygienist
Alicia has worked in the dental field for 11 years, and joined the Mills River Family Dental team in September of 2020. Alicia enjoys playing softball on the weekends with her friends, and spending time with family, boyfriend, and dog outside of work. Alicia looks forward to meeting new patients, and patients that have been with our practice for many years.

Christy Wright

Job Titles:
  • Dental Hygienist
Christy is part of our hygiene team. She is a native of Hendersonville and has been practicing dental hygiene for almost 10 years. She earned her associate degree for dental hygiene at Greenville Technical College in S.C. and is currently enrolled at East Tennessee State University working on her bachelor's in dental hygiene. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Josh, and 2 girls, Rylee and Catelynn, and 2 Boston terriers. Favorite activities: Going to concerts, running, being outside. Favorite vacation spot: Florida Keys or the lake. Favorite food: Anything dessert!

Cortney Aardema

Job Titles:
  • New Patient Coordinator / PR
Cortney will be the first person to greet you with a warm welcoming smile as you come in the door. Cortney has been with the practice since 2015 and is our New Patient Coordinator and will most likely be the voice you hear when calling the office. She prides herself on making sure our patients are scheduled in a timely manner and get the care and attention they need. When Cortney isn't working, she can be found spending time with her husband Ben and their three children Kyndall, Hayden, and McKenna.

Doreen Ferguson

Job Titles:
  • Dental Hygienist
Doreen is originally from New Jersey and moved to North Carolina in 1990. She received her Dental Assisting diploma and Associate Degree in Dental Hygiene from AB-Tech. Her undergraduate degree is Health Promotion from Appalachian State University. She is working on a Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration from Western Carolina University. In her spare time, she enjoys mountain biking, family time, and traveling to watch her daughter's volleyball.

Dr. Brian Pearce

Hello my name is Dr. Brian Pearce. I recognize receiving dental care for some can be a daunting and even fearful experience. I am honored that you are trusting me to help heal and maintain your mouth and look forward to meeting you and hearing your story.

Dr. Matthew Mayer

Job Titles:
  • Dentist
Dr. Matthew Mayer was inspired to become a dentist by his own family dentist near Greensboro, who always had a smile and treated everyone with respect. Each day in his career, Dr. Mayer feels fulfilled serving the community and helping people achieve their ideal health and smile goals. Over the years, he has served with Habitat for Humanity, the Bainbridge Island Land Trust, Medical Teams International, and the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children. He is also an active member in the American Dental Association. Contributing to the local community and reaching out to international communities in need are part of his core values. Dr. Matthew Mayer earned a degree in biology at North Carolina State University, and then, he hopped over to complete his dental degree at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. After graduating in 2012, Dr. Mayer moved from the east coast to Washington state and enjoyed exploring the Pacific Northwest for 8 years. As of 2020, he is glad to be back in his home state of North Carolina where he enjoys spending time with his family, hiking the Appalachian Mountains, rock climbing, and raising honeybees and chickens! He loves working at a dental office where all of the team members are super friendly, the equipment is state-of-the-art, and he can create long-term relationships with patients. He feels very at home here in Mills River among the North Carolina mountains!

Dr. Michael Stohl

Dr. Michael Stohl is affiliated with the following associations: American Dental Association North Carolina Dental Society Academy of General Dentistry SPEAR Education

Dr. Nicole Dolezar

Job Titles:
  • Staff
Hello, my name is Dr. Nicole Dolezar. I earned an undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. With an interest in medical research, I earned a Master of Science degree in Biology at UNC-Charlotte. While researching with the liver team and GI surgeons at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, I quickly realized I loved direct patient care. I decided to fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a dentist.

Dr. Samuel Miller

Dr. Samuel Miller is affiliated with the following associations: American Dental Association North Carolina Dental Society

Haley Cummings

Job Titles:
  • Dental Assistant
Haley joined the Mills River Family Dental team in the summer of 2020 and has been in the dental field for 6 years. Haley enjoys spending time with her fiance, and her two dogs and staying up to date on all of the latest movies! Haley is excited to continue her journey in the dental field here at Mills River Family Dental.

Hannah Marshall

Job Titles:
  • Office Manager
Hannah joined our staff in October 2020 as our Office Manager. Hannah holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Appalachian State University. She enjoys mountain biking and spending time outdoors with her husband and two dogs. One of her favorite trips was a hiking trip to Banff National Park in Canada. Hannah looks forward to meeting all of the current and the new Mills River Family dental patients.

Heather Gray - COO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Operating Officer
Heather started out as a dental assistant but left the "back" and became our office manager and then our COO. Heather loves coming to work every day and views both her patients and coworkers as family. When not working, Heather enjoys riding motorcycles with her husband, Jesse, spending time with their three kids, and one of her most favorite hobbies is shopping!

Inna Tekhnilenko

Job Titles:
  • Insurance Coordinator
Inna is the Insurance Coordinator at Mills River Family Dental. She joined the team in September of 2021. Inna has always enjoyed Science and has taken a few Medical Laboratory Science classes at Asheville Buncombe Community College. She graduated early from Enka High with Honors and enjoys spending her days off with family and friends.

Kayla Rowland

Job Titles:
  • Lead Dental Assistant
  • Mills River Family As a Dental Assistant
Kayla joined Mills River Family as a dental assistant in April 2017. She has always aspiredd to help people in the dental field since she was young. Kayla loves spending time outdoors and on the water with her husband, son, and three dogs.

Laura Dixon

Job Titles:
  • Hygiene Coordinator
Laura joined our practice in July of 2019. Laura is the Hygiene Coordinator and brings a wealth of knowledge from the financial world. Laura is from the Hendersonville area. She is married to her husband Matt. They have 2 beautiful little girls. When not working Laura's favorite place to be is at the beach! She looks forward to meeting everyone and helping them in any way she can.

Lisa Beckham

Job Titles:
  • Dental Assistant
Lisa has been a dental assistant for over 20 years and loves it! She is married to David and has one daughter and 2 grandsons that she keeps 2 days a week. In her off time, she is down at the beach with her grandsons splashing around in the water and playing in the sand. Cafe con leches are her favorite along with Cuban food.

Margaret Roddy

Job Titles:
  • Treatment Coordinator / Accounts Manager
Margaret has been in the healthcare field for 7 years and obtained a bachelor's degree in Health Care Management at Appalachian State University in 2019. She enjoys spending time with friends and family and loves to travel with her husband, Zach. One of her favorite trips involved camping and sightseeing across Colorado! When she is home, she is usually in the kitchen baking cakes and cooking a variety of foods in her free time. She loves her work family and desires to provide exceptional service to our patients at Mills River Family Dental!

Megan Hill

Job Titles:
  • Dental Hygienist
Megan graduated from the Dental Hygiene Program at Greenville Tech in 2006. She has been in the dental field for over 15 years. She started in general dentistry and then worked in pediatric dentistry for 9 years. Megan was born and raised in Hendersonville, NC. She loves spending time outdoors with her husband, two boys, and their dogs Tiger and Macy. They are big Clemson Tiger fans.

Michaela Matthews

Job Titles:
  • Dental Assistant
Michaela is new to the dental field graduating from Accelerated Dental Assisting Academy at our Hendersonville office in April 2022. She is very excited about her new path in the medical field and is always willing to learn more. She is a mother of two, Brooklynn and Jaxon; a stepmother of one Aubree, and a fiancé of Trevor. She loves spending time with her family, camping, and watching every crime show imaginable.

Sara-Diana Baxley

Job Titles:
  • Dental Hygienist
Sara-Diana has worked with the office since 2015 and has been a Dental Hygienist since 2014. She is a native to Brevard and currently lives in Mills River. She loves working with her patients to help them keep happy and healthy smiles. She is loving the new journey of motherhood with her daughter BaxleyKate. She enjoys traveling with David and her daughter to see as many new places as they can. Summer is her favorite time of year and loves spending time at the lake with family and friends. Her favorite food is Mexican and of course anything chocolate!

Sarah Masterson

Job Titles:
  • Reactivation Coordinator
Sarah joined our practice in September of 2022, shortly after graduating with her B.S. in Health Science from Western Carolina University. Since Sarah was little, she has always wanted to reach out to better her community. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys spending her time with her husband, Jacob, camping, drinking iced coffee, and watching scary movies. Sarah is delighted to be a part of the Mills River Dental team and is excited to meet all the MRFD patients!

Shauna Whiteside

Job Titles:
  • Dental Assistant
Shauna has been working in the dental field for over 2 decades and obtained a technical certificate from Hinds Community College. She enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren. She feels lucky to be a part of such a great team of co-workers that provide excellent care to their patients. When she's not working at MRFD- you can find her playing in the fields of a local flower farm.

Tamara Edwards

Job Titles:
  • Hygiene Assistant
Tamara joined MRFD in August of 2022. Tamara also has experience in dialysis and currently is a Certified Medical Assistant. In her free time, she likes to shop and pamper herself. Tamara's favorite thing to eat is seafood and she also loves sports (her favorite team is UNC Tarheels). Tamara is really excited to be a part of the team and is eager to learn the dental field.