Todd Gerlach, DDS
Director
Dr. Todd Gerlach has been a Director of Park Dental Partners, LLC since inception in 2023 and has been with The Dental Specialists since 2004.
Dr. Gerlach was on The Dental Specialists Board of Governors for eight years. He serves as a Director on the Boards for Dental Building Fund I and Dental Building Fund II, two commercial real estate entities. Dr. Gerlach was previously on the Minnesota Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Board for four years including as President in 2016-2017. He is a practicing Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon with The Dental Specialists. Dr. Gerlach has experience in the clinical practice of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the financial performance of The Dental Specialists and Park Dental Partners.
Dr. Gerlach received his B.A. from St. Olaf College and his D.D.S. from The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. His residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery was at The University of Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital.
Alan S. Law, DDS, PhD
Director
Dr. Alan Law serves as chief clinical officer, specialty practices, for Park Dental Partners, Inc., (PDPI), the largest Minnesota-based provider of business and nonclinical support to general and multi-specialty dental practices. Dr. Law is responsible for overseeing clinical standards and practices, and ensuring quality patient care across all affiliated specialty dental practices. He also spearheads continuing education and professional development initiatives within the affiliated dental practices.
A 28-year veteran of PDPI, Dr. Law has served in multiple operational and leadership capacities within the organization, and continues to practice as an endodontist. He originally joined the group in 1996, and since 2003 has served as president of The Dental Specialists, a multi-specialty dental practice with over 40 specialists. Dr. Law currently serves as a director on the PDPI Board.
Dr. Law is a graduate of the University of Iowa where he also received his DDS degree, certificate in endodontics, and Ph.D. in Mechanisms and Modulation of Orofacial Pain. He is a past president of the American Association of Endodontists, American Board of Endodontics, and Minnesota Association of Endodontics. He has published several articles in scientific and clinical journals and textbooks, is an editor of Endodontics: Principles and Practice, and has lectured at over 300 local, national and international meetings.
Anna Schaefer
Director
Anna Schaefer is a retired finance professional with more than 20 years of leadership experience in financial planning, financial reporting, risk management and tax functions.
Anna most recently served as VP & CFO of Kipsu, with prior experience as a finance leader at ConvergeOne Holdings Corp, Digital River, Inc., and Northwest Airlines where she held the position of Vice President Finance & Chief Accounting Officer until its merger with Delta Airlines. Anna has significant experience in supporting board of directors and audit committees on finance and accounting matters.
Anna received B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Minnesota State University, Mankato and is a Certified Public Accountant – State of Minnesota, (inactive).
Chris Smith
Director
Christopher (Chris) Smith is President and CEO of Kipsu, a technology company he co-founded in 2010, which created the Frontline Customer Experience software category.
Chris has worked as a venture capitalist with Coral Ventures, an associate with IBM’s venture capital group and a consulting manager with Accenture. He co-founded and serves on the board of DOCSI, a healthcare technology company, and has served on the boards for a number of for-profit venture-backed technology companies in Silicon Valley. He also chaired the Blake School Board of Trustees and chaired and co-founded Minnesota Comeback, a nonprofit addressing the educational achievement gap in Minneapolis.
Chris received a B.S. from Syracuse University and an M.B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, where he was an IBM Venture Fellow.
Phil Smith
Director
Phil Smith has over 30 years of board, strategic advisory and operational leadership experience in the healthcare industry, predominantly with medical device companies.
Phil is currently Operating Partner at Altaris Capital Partners, LLC. Phil was a managing director at investment banking firms Kroll (formerly Duff & Phelps), BMO Capital Markets (formerly Greene Holcomb Fisher) and Piper Jaffray, where he advised healthcare clients and executed mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance transactions. Phil has significant experience as a board member, including nearly a decade on Delta Dental of Minnesota’s Board of Directors.
Phil received a B.S. in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from the University of Florida, and an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Christopher E. Steele, DDS
Director
Dr. Chris Steele serves as the chief clinical officer, general practices, for Park Dental Partners, Inc., (PDPI), the largest Minnesota-based provider of business and nonclinical support to general and multi-specialty dental practices. He is responsible for overseeing clinical standards and practices, and ensuring quality patient care across all affiliated general dental practices. He also spearheads continuing education and professional development initiatives for general dentists within the affiliated dental practices.
A 33-year veteran of PDPI, Dr. Steele has served in multiple operational and governance leadership capacities within the organization, and continues to practice as a general dentist. He originally joined the group in 1991 and has led Park Dental, a general dental group with over 160 dentists, as president since 2019. Dr. Steele currently serves as a director on the PDPI Board and has also served on the Park Dental Partners Foundation Board since its inception in 2015.
Dr. Steele holds a bachelor of science degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, and a DDS degree from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. He completed a general practice residency program at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry.
Pete Swenson
Board Chairman
Pete Swenson serves as chairman and chief executive officer for Park Dental Partners, Inc., (PDPI), the largest Minnesota-based provider of business and nonclinical support to general and multi-specialty dental practices. He works in close collaboration with key doctor leaders involved in all facets of the governance and management of the group, which has been in operation for over 52 years.
Pete has served in leadership capacities for over two decades, steering executive and operational functions, and leading the growth of the group from 98 doctors to more than 200 doctors and 1,400 team members.
Prior to joining Park Dental, Pete was vice president of market development for American Dental Partners (ADPI), a dental practice management company now owned by Heartland Dental. During his tenure, he helped grow ADPI from start-up to over $300 million in revenues through its 1998 IPO.
Pete’s board memberships have included American Academy of Dental Group Practice and Voyageurs National Park Association. He currently serves as chair of the PDPI board and has served on the Park Dental Partners Foundation board since its inception in 2015.
Pete earned his bachelor’s degree in economics with departmental distinction from St. Olaf College.
