CDHA - The Voice of Dental Hygiene in California

About

YOUR SUCCESS IS OUR PROMISE

We are proud to represent California's dental hygiene profession and to comprise the state's leading network of professionals committed to the highest standards of oral health.

Our promise is to provide the most current tools and resources to help hygienists all across California achieve personal success in the local communities they serve.

Engaging with CDHA can help you advance your skills, knowledge, and career.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Kathy Kane, BSRDH, RDHAP

President

Kathy has spent 36 years in the dental health field as a dental hygienist, speaker, consultant, author and business owner. She has served as a mentor and professional expert in her field and has contributed to the professional growth of the dental hygiene profession through her advocacy and work in dental public health. She continues to work in the non-profit and corporate dental world as well as consulting as a subject matter expert for the Dental Hygiene Board of CA.

Vickie Kimbrough, PhD, MBA, RDH

President-Elect

Dr. Kimbrough has been in higher education for 23 years in both teaching and administrative roles. She has been a dental hygiene program director since 1999 and currently the director of the Taft College program. She has co-authored two textbooks for dental hygiene, including Ethics Jurisprudence and Practice Management for the Dental Hygienist as well as several articles for the CDHA Journal. She began her career in dentistry at the age of 15 as a Red Cross Volunteer at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas. Several years later she graduated from the Cerritos College dental hygiene program and began her teaching career as an adjunct instructor at Taft College in 1997. Since then she has earned her master’s degree in business administration and a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Nevada (Reno). Her extensive teaching and administrative experience has been in the community college system and her passion is mentoring faculty and students. Dr. Kimbrough has three sons, one grandson, and two dog members of the family. Her free time is spent offering the Expanded Duties course for dental hygienists relocating to California. She also loves to produce abstract paintings. She resides in is Bakersfield.

Heidi Coggan, RDHAP, BS

Immediate Past President

Heidi has been a practicing dental hygienist since 1997. She moved to California in 2003 and met her husband on the first day of her first job in the state. She currently works in private practice and as an adjunct faculty member at Southwestern College. She is also a practicing RDHAP and has her own business, Hygiene in Motion. Heidi has held several positions in her local San Diego component, as well as at the state level, and has volunteered in many capacities.

Mindy Duncan, RDH, BSRDH

Secretary-Treasurer

Mindy is excited to be serving as CDHA’s Secretary Treasurer for the 2022-2024 term. She has been a practicing RDH since 2015 and prior to that she was an RDA for several years. She has been an active member in her local CDHA component since she graduated helping out wherever she can. She lives behind the “redwood curtain” in Eureka and enjoys spending time with her two dogs and partner both at home and in the redwoods or on the beach.

Helen Smart, RDH, BS

VP of Membership & Professional Development

Helen began her second career as a dental hygienist in 1998. Previously, she worked in Hospital Food and Nutrition Department after earning her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science from the University of California, Davis. Since obtaining her RDH, she has worked exclusively in private practice and has been active with her local component. She grew up in San Gabriel Valley, Southern California, and met her husband Steve while at UC Davis. They share two grown children, Ryan and Valorie.

Dalia Lai, RDH, BS

VP of Administration & Public Relations

Dalia Lai, RDH BS is a practicing clinician in Sacramento, California who is passionate about teaching, writing and advocating for interdisciplinary oral healthcare. When she isn’t working on behalf of dental hygienists in California she can be found outdoors, hiking and gardening with her husband Sonny and dog Cosmo.