North American Dental Group Appoints Jonathan Walker as CEO

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jonathan Walker, currently Chief Financial Officer of North American Dental Group (NADG), has been named Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Ken Cooper, an NADG co-founder who led the company since its inception in 2008 and successfully grew NADG from a single clinic to be one of the nation's leading Dental Service Organizations (DSOs) supporting 250 locations across 15 states. Cooper will transition to an advisory role within the company focused on development and new affiliation opportunities.

"I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to lead one of the best-known and best-run DSOs in the country and to be supported by so many terrific doctor partners and team members," Walker said. "Thanks to Ken's leadership, I am stepping into the CEO role at a great time in the organization's trajectory.  With its unique culture, dentist partner led operating model, and strong reputation for high quality care, NADG is well positioned for continued success. This is an exciting time for our company, and I'm thrilled to lead NADG into a period of sustained growth."

Cooper co-founded NADG with Dr. Andrew Matta, a practicing dentist in New Castle, PA. Dr. Matta will continue serving in his current role as NADG's Chief Medical Officer. 

"It is with immense pride that I enthusiastically support Jonathan and I am grateful for his willingness to serve as only the second CEO to ever lead our company," Cooper said. "I am very proud of the company that Andrew and I have built over the past 13 years in partnership with our group founders and doctor partners. Starting with a single kind gesture of helping a dentist friend in my Ohio hometown to today being one of the most recognized DSO brands in the country. We have fostered the NADG leadership team with an eye towards fulfilling our vision of being the industry leader in providing unparalleled service levels to our dentist partners. I am pleased to have hired Jonathan as my successor.  Jonathan has a great deal of experience leading companies through transformational growth and is the right leader to further advance NADG's goals."

The succession has been thoughtfully planned and was developed in conjunction with NADG's investment partner, Jacobs Holding AG. The move coincides with NADG's launch of a multi-year strategic operations plan centered around scaling operational excellence, driving sustained growth and continuing its unmatched provider and patient centric culture. 

"We want to express our sincere appreciation for Ken and his inspirational leadership and tenacity in growing what we believe to be the best dental support organization in the United States," said Patrick De Maeseneire, CEO of Jacobs Holding AG and Chairman of NADG's Board of Directors. "Ken is a visionary leader within group dentistry. NADG's orientation towards empowering dentist partners makes this a DSO model like no other. We are excited for Jonathan as he assumes the CEO role. He brings a proven track record of driving scalable growth within healthcare services companies, and we look forward to supporting NADG's continued success." 

Prior to joining NADG, Walker served as CEO of Pittsburgh-based MedExpress, helping that company more than double in size in four years and become one of the nation's premier urgent care operators with more than 300 walk-in centers and worksite clinics across 26 states. Earlier in his career, he worked as an investment professional within the retail and healthcare service sectors at American Securities, a leading U.S. based private equity investment firm. 

In addition to serving as an advisor to Walker, Cooper said that he will be a cultural ambassador for the company and will focus on outside causes, such as, supporting mental health awareness.  Walker will assume the CEO role immediately.

About North American Dental Group
North American Dental Group (NADG), based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was co-founded in 2008 by Ken Cooper and Dr. Andrew Matta. NADG was created to transform the dental experience for patients, clinicians, and support teams and today consists of a network of 250-plus supported dental practices across 15 states. The values of maintaining an emotionally intelligent approach, being thoughtful educators, and displaying a healthy bravado fuel its day-to-day patient care and operations. These founding values are alive and well as NADG celebrates its pioneer spirit by solidifying its partnership with Jacobs Holding AG. For more information, please visit: www.NADentalGroup.com.

For Information:
Reginald Fields
FieldsR@nadentalgroup.com  
614-537-7943

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SOURCE North American Dental Group