Meet Our Team

Amber’s love of the dental field has brought her to Smalltown Dental after being away for 10 years. Her previous 15 years of dental experience includes Orthodontic Assisting, Orthodontic Lab Technician, General Dental Assisting, and  Business Office/Front desk. Outside of work Amber enjoys Kayaking and Aquarium Fish keeping.

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Shakia graduated from Midwest Technical Institute in 2016 as a Dental Assistant. She began in general dentistry and then transitioned to pediatrics. She loved assisting but wanted to grow her career on the business side of dentistry. Shakia returned to MTI briefly to study billing and coding, graduating in 2024. She loves to read mystery books and spend time with her kids and family!

Karli graduated from Midwest Technical Institute as a Dental Assistant in 2018. She then started working as a dental assistant for 6 years before joining the Business Team at Smalltown Dental. Karli cares about helping others and making patients feel comfortable in the dental office. Outside of the office, Karli loves to read, cook, and spend time with her family, fiance Chris and her dog Winston.

Journie grew up in rural Manito, IL and graduated from the Medical Assisting Program at MTI in 2020. She briefly worked as a Medical Assistant, and then took a hiatus from the medical field. She missed working with patients, so she decided that Smalltown Dental would be a great opportunity to dive back into the healthcare field! During her off time, Journie enjoys being in the sun, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her corgi, Kai.

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Kelsie has been in and out of health care and customer service for years. She enjoys making sure patients have a positive and well informed experience at the office. In her free time, Kelsie enjoys travel, outdoor adventures, and spending lots of time with family and friends.

Amy has worked in patient care for 20 years! She enjoys meeting new faces every day. She is a self proclaimed, "Lake loving, fun having bumpkin from East Peoria!" Amy is a proud mom of two kids and three fur babies. While not at work, you  will find her rinkside, watching her son play Hockey. Her daughter makes her proud daily! Amy is a fast learner and loves to have fun.

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Krystin graduated from Illinois State University in 2006 and has put her business skills to good use working on the Business Team at Morton Dental for 10 years and then moving to Alabama and working in the Real Estate world! She is now back in Central IL and working with her favorite team at Smalltown Dental on Fourth. Krystin and her husband Casey have three kids, Ramsey, Knox and Hutch. She loves spending her free time going to their various sports and activities and they keep her very busy! She also enjoys reading, cooking and traveling with her family.

Allison started at Smalltown Dental in October of 2023. She joins the company with several years of customer service experience. Outside of work, Allison enjoys spending time with her family, cheering for the New York Yankees, and listening to music.

Theresa, who is known by her workmates and friends as "T," has many decades of experience helping patients with their dental needs. She uses her own experiences to ease patients with dental treatments such as root canals, crowns, or night guards to aid with grinding. She enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 rescue dogs whom she refers to as "The Boyz."

Marissa graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in government and psychology. She worked in radiology for 13 years before joining the Smalltown Dental team. Marissa loves working in the medical field and focuses on providing great customer service! When she has downtime, Marissa enjoys spending time with pets, reading, and listening to podcasts.

Keri attended Truman State University where she studied Speech Pathology. After graduating, she taught First Grade and Pre-K for 11 years.  During this time, she completed her Masters in The Arts of Teaching.  She always had a fascination with the dental industry, so in 2012 she made a career change to Orthodontics where she has served as a Treatment Coordinator, Administrative Manager, and Office Manager.  Born and raised in the Peoria area, Keri has recently moved back to Central Illinois and is excited to be part of the Smalltown Dental Team!  In her free time, you can find her spending time with family, her 2 children, and supporting her favorite college team, University of Tennessee!

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Rhonda is a central Illinois native, who comes to Smalltown Dental with over 18 years of dental experience.  In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with her friends and family.  Rhonda is a proud Granny who loves livin’ the grandma life!

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Alexis graduated with her Associate Degree and Dental Assisting Certificate from Heartland Community College. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in Business Administration. In her free time, she likes to be around friends and family. Alexis also enjoys spending time outdoors, painting, and playing with her dog Bubbles.

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Tina has been providing superior patient care for over 25 years, as both a Registered Dental Hygienist, and after furthering her education by graduating Magna Cum Laude from Lincoln College with a Bachelor Degree in Health Service Administration, as our Patient Coordinator.

Tina has served as an Ambassador for Lincoln College and is the recipient of the YWCA Wings Award in recognition of her pursuit of continuing education and community service. Her volunteerism includes the Community Health Care Clinic, and the Illinois Dental Society Mission of Mercy, helping the underserved residents of McLean County with access to dental care.

The proud mother of two adult children, Tina’s daughter, Christen, lives in Houston, TX, and her son Jesse, a graduate of ISU, having completed active military duty, resides in Normal. Tina’s bonus daughter, Annika, attends Normal West High School. In her spare time, Tina enjoys golfing with her husband, Greg, cheering on the Cubs, Blackhawks and Bears as well as playing with her rescue dog, Lola.

Bringing over a decade of dental administrative and customer service skills to our patients, Doreen enjoys helping patients to receive the care that they need and want. Doreen works with our patients to conveniently schedule dental procedures, maximize patient’s dental insurance benefits and navigate the complex web of the dental insurance industry. Maximizing patient’s dental insurance benefits requires a great deal of patience and perseverance, two qualities that Doreen exemplifies! Doreen loves working with our experienced group of professionals and relishes seeing patients enjoy dental visits on a daily basis. Outside of the office, her two great stepchildren, husband Mark, and two grandchildren fill Doreen’s time. She also enjoys free time reading, hiking, traveling, and creating delicious creations in the kitchen.

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Becky graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Dakota and has been in the dental field for over 20 years. She is proud to work at Smalltown Dental! It’s rewarding to contribute to the positive culture, environment & energy that defines our teams and doctors to provide the highest quality of care to our patients. Becky is passionate about reading, gardening, dancing, traveling, and values time with family & friends.

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Susan earned her bachelor's degree from Bradley University in Peoria, IL, and puts her business skills to good use as Treatment Plan and Appointment Coordinator. She brings years of medical office experience to her position.  Susan enjoys the people she works with at Morton Dental Center, as well as our patients. Her friendly and helpful demeanor is evident in her communication with patients, in the office or on the phone. Susan and her husband have three daughters: Delanie, Natalie, and Gabby. She enjoys reading, shopping, and spending time with her family.

Stephanie graduated from Illinois Central College with a certificate in Dental Assisting. She has been a part of the dental field for over 30 years.  She has several years of experience as a Dental Assistant but loves her role on the Business Team. Stephanie and her husband Chad, have three kids: Mason, Alec, and Lydia. Stephanie’s time away from the office is spent with her family. Stephanie loves helping the wonderful patients at Morton Dental Center and looks forward to working with her great co-workers.

Erin is the Practice Manager at our Smalltown Dental Hopedale location. She is new to the dental field, but she was previously the office manager at an Orthodontic practice in the area. Erin is a central Illinois native and resides with her husband, Nate and cat, Winston, in Morton. She loves spending time with friends and family, visiting new restaurants, serving on her church’s worship team, and working out. Erin is grateful to be joining the Smalltown team and hopes to create a positive and enjoyable experiences for all our patients!

Lynn has spent her life in customer service and enjoys working with new people. She has spent the past several years in the dental world and is excited about her career with Smalltown Dental Kids! In her spare time you can find Lynn at some sort of sporting event or hanging out with her kids. She enjoys gardening and DIY projects around her home.

Elizabeth has been in the health care field for over a year now. She enjoys meeting the patients and help the Smalltown Dental team succeed. In her free time, she enjoys photography, traveling, and being outside.

Prior to joining the Smalltown Dental Team, Brandi worked in recruiting for manufacturing, clerical, and professional positions for 5+ years and truly has a passion for matching candidates with their dream jobs. She enjoys being the first face new employees see when they start their journey with Smalltown and watching each individual grow within their role. In her free time, Brandi likes to go hiking and kayaking with her husband, Derek, cuddling with her black lab, Hudson, and spending time with family.

Troy absolutely loves his job! He claims he has the best job at Smalltown Dental, because when he shows up he's there to fix things, and when he leaves everyone is happy! He is full of energy and always positive. Troy has one daughter and two amazing grandchildren that he can't get enough of. When he's not maintaining our offices, he loves to weightlift, golf and go to church.

Tera is a huge fan of hiking and spending time outdoors, always searching for her next adventure. She enjoys spending time with her family. Working in the dental field for almost 15 years, Tera enjoys building relationships with the parents and kids. Earning their trust and making them excited to return to our office.

Jenna has a degree in education from Eastern Illinois University. Seven years ago she found a passion in the dental field. She started building her dental career while working with patients and insurance companies as a billing specialist in an oral surgeons office. She joined Smalltown Dental in 2022 to further her career as the Insurance and Audit Manager. Jenna is married to her husband, Ryan, and is a stepmom to his three boys. In her spare time she enjoys being with her family and friends, doing home projects, spending time outdoors and binge watching her favorite shows.

Kristen received her undergraduate degree from Bradley University. Prior to working for Smalltown Dental, she was a Graphic Designer for 10 years. Outside of work, she spends her free time with her husband and son. Kristen enjoys baking, anything involving coffee, and spending any extra time outdoors.

Born in India where she received her Bachelor of Engineering in Biotechnology, Raji has been working in the dental field for over three years. Her background and education have provided a unique set of skills beneficial to the dental field. When not at the office, she spends her time dancing and working out, but primarily enjoys entertaining and cooking large meals for all her family and friends.

Tori has been assisting for 4 1/2 years. She is CPR Certified and completed her Dental Assistant Certification at Midwest Technical Institute. She really enjoys building relationships and getting to know each patient on a professional and personal level. Tori’s expanded functions include: -Nitrous Oxide Sedation-E4D Technologies-ZOOM!TM WhiteningShe is married to her high school sweetheart Seth, and together they have a daughter, Skylar. Tori loves spending her free time with family, friends, being outside, and shopping.

Angie was a 20-year business owner in the service industry where customer satisfaction was her top priority. She is dedicated to making our young patients have the best experience coming to the dentist and wanting to come back! Angie began her career with Smalltown Dental at Morton Dental Center business team and is so excited to now be leading the Kids team as practice manager. She is always eager to learn new things, and loves taking on new challenges in the dental world. In her free time, Angie loves traveling to new places. A few of her favorite attractions are: Mexico, Jamaica, Niagara Falls, and Lake Tahoe. Her daughters are her greatest joy and she spends most of her free time at their sporting events or with friends.

Available at the Following Locations:   Smalltown Dental Kids

Alysa graduated from Midwest Technical Institute as a Dental Assistant. She then worked as a dental assistant and a receptionist for 5 years before starting with Smalltown Dental. Driven by her dental experiences, Alysa strives to make patients feel more comfortable and at ease in the dental office. Alysa loves hunting, fishing, and spending time with her husband, 2 wonderful kids, and 3 dogs.

Jessica is a graduate of Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Hygiene Education and management. She worked as a clinical hygienist for 9 years before transitioning into her current role as the Regional Manager of Hygiene and teaching dental hygiene at Illinois Central College. Jessica is married and has a daughter. She loves spending time with her family, camping, her daughter’s sporting events, and being outdoors.

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Tess graduated as a Global Scholar from Bradley University with a degree in Advertising and Marketing. She enjoyed playing soccer at Bradley and studying abroad in England and Italy. Smalltown Dental - Her experience lies in branding, content creation and graphic design. Her professional life has taken her all over the country from working in CGI Illustration for Caterpillar in Peoria to on-mountain marketing for Vail Resorts in Colorado. She also remote-built a design campaign for a series of restaurants in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. In her free time, she loves coffee tasting and traveling with her husband, Stephen and son, Cash.

Luke graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Bradley University and has been in the medical field, serving as a manager for 13 years. In his free time, Luke is the Morton Potters Boys Varsity Assistant Basketball Coach and has been in that role since 2006. Luke is a member of Morton Rotary and a chairman on the Gameball Run committee. Luke is married to his wife Erin and they have 2 children, Briggs and Kenzie. He enjoys hunting and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Vanessa started with Smalltown Dental as Business Team in Tremont, IL then transitioned to practice manager at Smalltown Morton. She then grew to be the practice manager at Smalltown Kids as well and is now the Regional Manager. Vanessa has enjoyed the opportunity to meet all the teams, build relationships with so many team members and grow within the company. Prior to that she has experience as an office manager in a chiropractic office and an orthodontic office. She was also the co-founder and CFO at Aerial Athletics for 6 years. Vanessa is married to her husband Mark and his 2 kids keep them busy with basketball, baseball, and softball. Vanessa and Mark volunteer frequently with community events and St. Jude. In her small amount of free time Vanessa also loves to travel and spend time with family & friends.

Drew was born and raised in central Illinois. He has been in the dental field for over 12 years. Drew is certified in Oral Conscious Sedation. When he is not in the dental office, Drew enjoys spending time with his daughter camping, fishing and canoeing. He loves music and enjoys collecting vinyl records, cooking, and playing the harmonica in his spare time. Drew looks forward to coming into work at Smalltown Dental every day. He says he has been lucky enough to make lifelong friends with his coworkers!

Dr. Peter Smidt graduated from Olivet Nazarene University with a degree in biology and chemistry before earning his doctorate of dental surgery from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry. He completed rotations at the Peoria County Health Department, the Lawndale Christian Center in Chicago, as well as a dental mission trip to Jamaica.

Dr. Smidt is a member of the:

• American Dental Association
• Illinois State Dental Society
• Chicago Dental Society
• Peoria District Dental Society
• Illinois Academy of General Dentistry
• Tazewell County Dental Clinic
• International Affiliation of Tongue-Tie Professionals

Dr. Smidt is committed to furthering his education in dental surgery, dental implants, and root canal therapy through regular continuing education courses, including:

• E4D Technologies
• Engle Institute
• The Pankey Institute
• Spear Education

Dr. Smidt has a daughter, Cambria, and a son, Lofton. In his free time, Dr. Smidt enjoys dental mission trips, playing and coaching athletics, hunting, playing the piano, and passionately following the St. Louis Cardina

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