Dr. Harper is a graduate of Howard University College of Dentistry and the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health.  She retired from practicing general dentistry in Washington, DC. She is President and CEO of Hazel J. Harper & Associates, LLC, management consultants and CEO and Founder of Hear to HEAL, Inc. [Help. Empower. Activate. Lead.]

Hazel Harper is an ardent proponent of health equity for vulnerable populations and has served her profession in many leadership roles including: a member of President Bill Clinton’s Health Reform Task Force; National Spokesperson for the American Dental Association; and member of Mayoral Transition Teams of District of Columbia. She was a reviewer of the first ever Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health in America (2000); and was a contributing author to the 2020 Surgeon General’s Oral Health Report.

A woman of many firsts, Dr. Harper was the first woman to serve as President of the National Dental Association (NDA), Chair of the NDA Board of Trustees, and President of the Howard University College of Dentistry Alumni Association. She was one of the founders of the Student National Dental Association; longtime editor of National Dental Association (NDA) Journal; and created many NDA programs including: The Women’s’ Health Symposium, NDA-Corporate Roundtable, the Eddie G. Smith Leadership Institute and the Nurses Oral Health Training Program. She co-founded and directed the Deamonte Driver Dental Project (DDDP), school-based, mobile dental project, in Prince George’s County, MD named in memory of the 12-year-old boy who died in 2007 from untreated tooth decay.   She is  Founding Director of the award-winning NDA-HEALTH NOW® Project and architect of the Inter-Professional Student Leaders Colloquium and Summit. Since Deamonte’s death, Dr. Harper has devoted her energies and creative talents to designing and activating programs to increase access and achieve health equity.  Currently, she serves  on the Boards of Directors of the American Dental Education Association Gies Foundation,  Remote Area Medical (RAM), Howard University College of Dentistry Board of Visitors and Access to Racial & Cultural Health Institute (ARCH).

She is the recipient of numerous awards, including  an Honorary Doctorate from Medgar Evans College in Brooklyn, NY, NDA Legacy Award and the Shils Fund Award.  She lectures and writes extensively on health equity, social justice in health and interprofessional collaboration. A published author, her writings have appeared in a supplement to the Journal of the American Public Health Association (2017); book chapters in Oral Health in America: Removing the Stain of Disparities, edited by Drs. Henri Treadwell and Caswell Evans (2019);  and Undaunted Trailblazers. Minority Women Leaders for Oral Health, edited by Drs. Sheila Price, Jeanne Sinkford and Marilyn Woolfolk (2021).

She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the Links, Incorporated; and enjoys spending time with family and friends; watching football and traveling with her husband, Robert S. Johns. She is also known as Dr. Hazel Harper Johns.

Michael C Rogers assumed the role Chairman of the Board of Directors for Hear to Heal at its formation in 2024. Rogers is Chairman and CEO of District Health Care Management, Inc –  a healthcare consulting firm dedicated to improving oral health of the DC Medicaid population as well as consultancy on general health improvement strategies for families in the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Washington Region.

Rogers has served as Executive Vice-President for MedStar Health, the largest health care provider in the Baltimore-Washington Region providing leadership to Strategic Planning, Communications and Public Relations, Government Relations and Philanthropy. Rogers also served as Executive Director for Strategic Planning and Consulting for Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic Region, guiding facility development to accommodate Kaiser’s rapid growth in the area. Rogers has served in several public executive roles including City Administrator of the District of Columbia, Executive Director of The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and interim positions as City Manager of Charlottesville VA and Chief Operating Officer/ CFO, Petersburg, Va.

Rogers has led a number of regional nonprofits, Leadership Greater Washington, National Capital Region Redcross, the Recreation Wish List Committee, the Marion Barry Legacy Foundation and the National Theatre Foundation.

Dondre Simpson, DDS is a General Dentist who lives and practices in Greenville, SC. He graduated from Westside High School (1990) in Anderson, SC, and then from Howard University in Washington, DC (1995, BS in Psychology, and 1999, Doctor of Dental Surgery).

He co-owns a Classic Dental Group with his wife and partner, Tyresia White, DMD, MS.  He also is a clinical instructor at an AEGD residency program and Spartanburg Community Dental Center in Spartanburg, SC. He is a clinical faculty member at the Spartanburg Regional Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency in Spartanburg, SC, and has served on the faculty of Howard University College of Dentistry and the Medical University of South Carolina School of Dental and Oral Health. He has also been a Corrections Dentist for over 24 years in various systems and currently in the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

Dr. Simpson also runs a small mobile dental operation named New Age Health Mobile Dentistry which primarily serves various populations of need in the state of South Carolina.  He was honored as a 2024 CNN Champion of Change https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/14/us/video/cfc-coates-simpson and has been dedicated to meeting and treating patients of all backgrounds for over 25 years.

He currently serves as President of HUCDAA (formerly known as the Howard University College of Dentistry Alumni Association).  He is a member of the National Dental Association, the Palmetto Medical Dental and Pharmaceutical Association, and various other organizations. He currently serves as the Treasurer of Hear to HEAL, Inc., a transformational non-profit organization.  As mentioned previously, Dr. Simpson is married to his loving wife, Dr. Tyresia White, and is a proud and loving father to his 3 kids (Shemar, Donicah and Drevonah).

Dr. Simpson in the news:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/14/us/video/cfc-coates-simpson

Sheryl E. Guthrie Lucas Giles, MD, is an Allergist and Immunologist in the Washington, DC area. She is a graduate of Howard University College of Liberal Arts (BA, 1971, magna cum laude) and an honor graduate of Howard University College of Medicine (MD, 1976). Dr. Lucas Giles’ completed a Residency in Pediatrics and Child Health and a Fellowship in Allergy and Immunology and Howard University Hospital. Her professional career includes academia, research, clinical practice and advisory board appointments. She is a published author, a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and a Fellow of the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology.

As Acting Chair of the Allergy and Immunology Department at Howard University College of Medicine, Dr. Lucas Giles was Supervisor of Fellowship Training. She also chaired the Allergy Department at Mitchell-Trotman Medical Group, PC. She practiced Allergy and Immunology at Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States for several years. It was her honor to have served on the Advisory Board of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health by Presidential Appointment and the Advisory Board of the National Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Inc. She currently serves on the Board of the Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP) and the Board of HEAR to Heal, Incorporated.

Dr. Lucas Giles treats and advocates for the health of persons with asthma, allergies and immunity disorders, especially in minority populations. She is also committed to wellness education, to organ transplantation education, and to oral and dental health education.

As a member of several professional, civic and service organizations, Dr. Lucas Giles has a busy life style. She is a Golden Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a member of The Links, Inc., the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, inc., Shiloh Baptist Church of Washington, DC, and Shiloh Baptist Church of Orlando, FL. She is married to John Giles and enjoys her roles as wife, mother and grandmother.

Freddie Lewis Archer has thirty years’ experience in commercial real estate brokerage and development. In 2001, Freddie left Madison Retail Group, a boutique brokerage company in the District, to become an Independent Broker and establish her own firm, Lewis Real Estate Services.

Lewis Real Estate Services’ former and recent clients include Lowe Enterprises (leasing of 60,000 square feet of restaurant and shop space at the mixed-use development, City Vista); the William Smith Company (leasing of 40,000 square feet of shops and restaurants at the Giant anchored shopping center, Shops at Park Village); the former National Capital Revitalization Corporation (23 acre land assemblage of Skyland Shopping Center); Roadside Development in the leasing of 9,000 square feet of restaurant space at Market at O Street in the Shaw neighborhood; and Forest City Enterprises Science and Technology Division (leasing of 80,000 square feet of retail at the Johns Hopkins Science and Technology Park in Baltimore, MD, Eager Park).

In 2011, the firm commenced leasing of the retail component at the Old Convention Center redevelopment site, City Center DC) in partnership with Williams Jackson Ewing and A1 Realty Advisors. This billion-dollar mixed-use project consists of over 300,000 square feet of retail, 275 condos, 400 apartments, one half million feet of office and a boutique hotel. Lewis Real Estate Services is also on the Hoffman Madison Marquette team for redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront, (The Wharf), a mixed-use project comprised of hotels, retail (300,000 square feet), residential, office and cultural components.

Freddie is active in ICSC, (the International Council of Shopping Centers where she previously served as Government Relations Committee Chairman for the District of Columbia); AAREP (African American Real Estate Professionals); DCBIA, (District of Columbia Building Industry Association) Executive Council, Past Co-Chairman of the Retail Business Development Committee and East of the River Committee; City First Bank’s New Market Tax Credit Advisory Board; and is a past Board member of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) Suburban Maryland Chapter and past member of DC-CREW. She serves on the Board of Directors of Mary Elizabeth Ministry, a District of Columbia non-profit, assisting young single mothers with parenting and life skills and educational and career development.

A graduate of Howard University with a BA in Political Science, Freddie studied Urban Planning at New York University’s Graduate School of Public Administration. Freddie is a licensed broker in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and Georgia.

James Gregory Hood, affectionately known as Greg, was born on April 15, 1971, in Anderson, South Carolina, to James and Sarah Hood. From an early age, Greg demonstrated a rare combination of athleticism, discipline, and leadership that would go on to define his life’s work.

Early Life and Education
Growing up in Anderson, Greg attended Westside High School, where he quickly became a standout athlete in both football and track. His dedication to sports, coupled with his strong academic performance, earned him a place at Clemson University. There, he enrolled in the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences and graduated in 1994.

While at Clemson, Greg continued to excel athletically, lettering in both football and track and field. A four-time ACC Champion, he contributed to three team titles in track and one in football. He was recognized as Player of the Game for his performance against both the University of Virginia and Duke University.

Military Service

Parallel to his college career, Greg served his country as a Communications Specialist with the U.S. Army National Guard’s 151st Signal Battalion. He received his initial training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina, followed by specialized communications training at Fort Eisenhower (formerly Fort Gordon), Georgia. Greg served during Operation Desert Shield and the Gulf War in various leadership roles, including Squad Leader, Personnel Recruiter, and Physical Training Cadre. His six years of honorable service earned him multiple commendations and a legacy of discipline and dedication.

A Career in Education and Leadership

Following his military service, Greg began a 17-year tenure at Christ Church Episcopal School (CCES) in Greenville, South Carolina. There, he wore many hats—Admissions Officer, Webmaster, Head Track Coach, Assistant Head Football Coach, and Defensive Coordinator. His final and most impactful role at CCES was Director of Diversity, where he also served on the school’s administrative council.

As Chair of the Diversity Initiatives Committee for the Palmetto Association of Independent Schools (PAIS), Greg led statewide efforts to recruit and retain minority students and faculty across South Carolina’s independent schools. Under his guidance, the committee organized leadership conferences and diversity training that influenced educational policy and practice, even inspiring similar initiatives in North Carolina.

National College Preps and Beyond

Greg’s passion for equity in education led him to found National College Preps, a program dedicated to supporting student-athletes aiming to become first-generation college graduates. The program has helped produce 39 college graduates, with many advancing into careers in law, medicine, military, education, and the arts. Notably, five athletes have progressed to compete at the professional (NBA and NFL) and Olympic levels.

Personal Life

Greg has been married for 25 years to Tressa Lewis-Hood, a Senior Business Analyst at DXC Corporation. Together they have one son, Quinton Hood, a student at the Clemson University Honors College, pursuing a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Business.

Outside of his professional and civic commitments, Greg enjoys traveling with his family, woodworking, gardening, and watching college football.

Current Work and Community Engagement

Today, Greg works as a private business consultant, specializing in Human Resources and Operations Management. He continues his commitment to community health and education through a board appointment with Hear To H.E.A.L., a nonprofit focused on mobile healthcare services, medical student support and education.

Dr. Cheek graduated from the prestigious Howard University College of Dentistry (HUCD) in 2014. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biology from Howard University, as well. As an undergraduate, she was awarded a Gubernatorial Commendation from the Governor of the state of Maryland for her role as a student member of the award-winning Deamonte Driver Dental Project, a regional school-based mobile health project in Prince George’s County Maryland.  Dr. Cheek practices General Dentistry full-time in the Washington, DC area.

While matriculating to HUCD, Dr. Cheek served on the Student National Dental Association (SNDA) Executive Committee serving in leadership roles such as the SNDA Event Coordinator, Oral Cancer Walk Chair, and Community Service Chair. She received several departmental awards during her time at HUCD including the Pathology Department Award, the Orthodontic Department Award, and the Community Dentistry Department Award. Dr. Cheek was selected by the dean as one of two students to represent the College of Dentistry on the 2012 Haiti-Alternative Spring Break mission trip, where she provided much needed dental services for children. In addition,  she created the “Two Rivers Dental Day”, a half-day program at Two Rivers Middle School geared toward engaging middle school students in instruction and discussion about oral hygiene and oral health, focusing on targeted teen issues, such as, smoking, oral piercings, and STDs. 

Dr. Cheek has always had strong passion for serving the community. Upon graduating, her passion for community service naturally led her to join the National Dental Association (NDA), where she helped coordinate programs for NDA-HEALTH NOW®, the signature program of the NDA (HEALTH NOW is an acronym which stands for Health, Access, Literacy, Technology, and Hope. National Outreach on Wheels). She became the Special Projects Assistant for NDA-HEALTH NOW® and worked to conduct community outreach events and support events all over the U.S., and in several countries. She played a key role in maintaining accountability in data collection and reporting for the NDA’s many grant funded projects. She has also served on numerous Planning Committees for Interprofessional Education programs and  has conducted training courses in many cities.  Dr. Cheek has also produced web-based children’s educational programs and traveled to Alaska as a RAM (Remote Area Medical) volunteer. A staunch advocate for Oral Health for the underserved, she has made several Congressional visits to members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the Maryland State Legislature.   

In 2024, she became one of the youngest leaders to serve as President of the National Dental Association. Dr. Cheek has participated in many scientific oral health studies and is a published author in the American Journal of Public Health and the Morehouse publication, Oral Health in America: Removing the Stain of Disparity. She is the recipient of several awards, including the NDA Presidential Special Recognition Award (2019), the Colgate New Dentist Leadership Award (2020), the NDA 40 Under 40 Award (2022) and the NDA Women’s Health Symposium Trailblazer Award (2023). She is a graduate of the ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership program (2022). She has served on the Executive Committee for the Robert T. Freeman Dental Society and the Howard University College of Dentistry Alumni Association. Currently, Dr. Cheek is a Board member of Hear to HEAL, Inc. , Chair of the NDA Past President’s Council, a member of the Jamaica Dental Society and the Links, Incorporated.

Chuck Bryant maintains the architectural production and coordination of engineering efforts at the architectural firm, Bryant Mitchell, PLLC. This includes fully coordinated working drawings that can render three-dimensional as-builts.

Chuck has additionally managed several video presentations of events as well as graphic studies relevant to communicating services to be provided. He will be assisting HEAR to HEAL manage communications and public relations.

Prior to beginning his long-term career as Chief Executive for the National Dental Association (NDA), Robert Johns had launched his career in Business Administration as a corporate executive.  For 10 years, he held various management positions with the RJ Reynolds Company, and left the company as a Regional Sales Manager for the Midwest. Following his departure, he pursued studies towards a MBA in Health Services Administration.

During his tenure as the Chief Executive and Executive Director the National Dental Association, he led the organization of minority health professionals through major challenges into national prominence. Initially, he established management policies and procedures, designed and implemented financial systems for accounting and reporting, and focused on staff development.  He was responsible for dramatic increases revenues; developed and delivered a myriad of member services; and served as Chief of Staff for 25 Association Presidents, helping to identify goals, establish and implement agendas, grow and develop the organization.

A skilled diplomat and trusted ally, he fostered enduring relationships with many other health and dental health organizations, student groups, and academic institutions as well as with multi-cultural groups and the Congressional Black Caucus, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, civic and civil rights organizations. He facilitated the establishment of the NDA Corporate Roundtable (NDA/CRT), which has gained the distinction of fostering some of the most innovative corporate partnerships both within and outside of the dental industry.  Under his directorship, the number of Corporate Partners rose from three (3) to thirty-four (34).  He is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), The National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners (NCBMP) and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). He served on Advisory Boards for the Nevada Tourism, and the Hawaii Convention Center.

Throughout the course of his career he has received many awards, but his most treasured are those he has received from the Student National Dental Association (SNDA).  He is an avid supporter and mentor to dozens of dental students and recent graduates.  In fact, he implemented a pre-dental internship program at the NDA headquarters office in Washington, DC. In October 2005, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in the prestigious Academy of Dentistry International, one of the very few non-dentists to receive this honor. He served as National Advisor to the American Dental Association  Institute for Diversity and Leadership until 2024. Currently, he serves as a Board member of Hear to HEAL, Inc., a non-profit devoted to health equity.

Robert is married to a Past President of the NDA, Hazel J. Harper, D.D.S., M.P.H. and a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Their family consists of one daughter and three (3) grandsons. They enjoy traveling and spending time with family.

Ja-Na Bordes is a Kansas City, MO native. A graduate of Howard University, she was in the first class of the school’s  Afro American Studies Department. 

During forty years of government service, she fulfilled her lifelong commitment of helping others. During her tenure, she worked in the Departments of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor.  In these positions, she became an advocate for millions of those less fortunate.  In the Department of HHS, her work was with Indian Tribes and at the Department of Labor her focus was on youth. In both positions, she was able  to inform, write and change policy and regulations for employment and social programs.  

One of her most significant achievements was successfully obtaining a waiver to program policy excluding the income public assistance students received from summer jobs. After learning  that many states counted the students’ income, which made some families exceed the income limits for welfare, she led the efforts  to correct this injustice.  Another fulfilling accomplishment was writing the regulations for the Native Employment Works Program, which assisted 77 Indian Tribes and Native American Organizations. As a result, she became the Inaugural Manager of that Program.  She designed and activated the first employees 

During her tenure, she received many awards and accolades such as the Outstanding Performance Award from the Secretary of Labor and the Assistant Secretary Citation, and Project Officer Award of the Contract providing technical assistance to the Tribal JOB Program. But the best reward, she said,  “was a complete feeling of fulfillment and the satisfaction of knowing I had a national impact on making a difference. I made some lives a little easier and better.”

Donicah is a sophomore at the College of Charleston, graduating in 2028 with a major in Marketing. Outside of her coursework, she is passionate about content creation, voluntarily producing lifestyle-focused social media content to develop her creativity and personal brand.

She is an active member of the CofC Multimedia Career Circle and will be joining the Women in Business club this upcoming fall, demonstrating her commitment to expanding her professional network and knowledge.

From January to August 2025, Donicah worked as a Guest Service Associate at European Wax Center, gaining valuable client-facing and teamwork experience.

Currently, she serves as a Student Ambassador for Hear to Heal, contributing to key initiatives that support the organization’s mission, including community outreach, fundraising efforts, and strategic planning.
Through these experiences, Donicah combines her marketing expertise with a genuine passion for making a positive impact..

Kenneth Nance is a Sophomore at Hampton University majoring in the 5-year MBA program, where he’ll get his bachelor’s and master’s in business administration with a concentration in finance.

He is passionate about real estate and is a real estate agent in the state of Virginia. He is involved in several professional organizations, including Alt-finance, SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity), Project Destined, and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

Kenneth’s professional background includes internships with Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures and Project Destined, as well as investment experience through his own rental property business.

Outside of academics and work, Kenneth serves in leadership roles on campus, including real estate, participates in real estate investment competitions, and actively pursues professional certifications, such as the Google Project Management Certificate and the Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Expert credential.