Meet The team

Emily — Emily is our Office Manager and a LDA at Tonka Smiles. She graduated from Minnesota School of Business in 2001 as a Licensed Dental Assistant and has been in the dental field ever since. She is very passionate about educating patients on their oral health needs and addressing any concerns they may have. Emily enjoys being outdoors, gardening, kayaking, and spending time with her family and friends.

Carol — Carol started as a member of our Patient Care Coordinators and has evolved over the years to the Office Insurance Coordinator. She absolutely loves the challenge of working with insurance companies. Carol is married to Paul for 44 years. They have 6 grown children and 5 adorable grandchildren (and one in heaven!). Her favorite things to do are organizing, reading, gardening, and more organizing.

Katie –Katie grew up in Cottage Grove, MN and graduated from Century College in 2004 as a Licensed Dental Assistant. She’s been in the dental field for 21 years and has been part of Tonka Smiles family for the past five. After spending many years chairside, Katie discovered her true passion at the front desk- helping patients feel comfortable and cared for from the moment they walk in.  

Outside of work, Katie loves spending time with her husband and their two dogs, Nala and Millie. She’s also passionate about fitness and enjoys hitting the gym and relaxing with a good book. 

Julie – Juile graduated from the U of M in 1981. She joined our team in 1996 having previously worked in a specialty perio practice for 15 years. She loves coming to work each day and providing quality care for her patients alongside an awesome team.

In her spare time Julie enjoys hiking, biking, and reading. Her favorite time spent is being with her family and friends. Julie lives in Minnetonka with her husband and they have three grown children and three grandchildren.

 

 Rachel – Rachel graduated with her Bachelor of Science in dental hygiene in 2023. She is originally from Little Falls, MN, and looks forward to providing quality dental care to patients and their families!

In her spare time, Rachel enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to the gym, and spending time outdoors; whether that’s hiking, going on walks, golfing, or snowboarding! She hopes to get more traveling in and eventually get a dog of her own.

 

 

 Amanda – Amanda earned her Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from the University of Minnesota in 2021. She is passionate about providing compassionate patient care and creating a comfortable, positive dental experience for every patient. Amanda enjoys educating patients on oral health and helping them build healthy habits and confident smiles. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, family, 2 dogs, and 3 cats. 

Amy — Amy graduated from Lakeland Medical/Dental Academy in 1980. She started working for Dr. Ronald Axel and Dr. Tim Bergstedt over 30 years ago. She has continued to work at this practice until it evolved into Tonka Smiles. Amy enjoys working with a terrific staff as well as having fun with patients and building lasting relationships with them.

Outside of work, Amy’s interests include: playing volleyball, biking, baking, spending time with her nieces and nephews and traveling with her husband. Amy resides in Eden Prairie with her husband Jim.

Mai — Mai graduated from Hennepin Technical College in 2022 as a Certified and Licensed Dental Assistant. She joined Tonka Smiles in Sept 2022 and she enjoys educating patients on oral health care.

When she is not working, she enjoys exploring nature, going shopping, traveling as much as she can and going to street food markets.

Kara — Kara graduated from St. Cloud Technical and Community College in 2017 as a Certified & Licensed Dental Assistant. She joined Tonka Smiles in May 2019.

Outside of dental assisting, she and her husband enjoy hunting, fishing, trapping, traveling and mountain biking.

 

Chrissy – Chrissy graduated in 2013 from Hennepin Technical College as a licensed dental assistant. She joined Tonka Smiles in 2016. Chrissy strongly believes in the importance of patient care and enjoys working with and educating patients on their dental needs. Chrissy enjoys performing cosmetic dental procedures and enhancing patients’ smiles.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her loved ones, cooking, crafting, going to the lake, and gardening.

 

 Valentina – Valentina is a dedicated professional who brings a strong sense of balance, commitment, and community to everything she does. Originally from Ukraine and having moved at age eight, she combines a deep appreciation for diverse cultures with a strong worth ethic shaped by her life experiences. Outside of work, she enjoys nature walks, spending quality time with friends, family and exploring new ethnic restaurants-always eager to connect with people and discover something new. 

 

Jasmine – Originally from Prior Lake, MN. Jasmine graduated from DCTC as a Certified & Licensed Dental Assistant in May of 2025 and joined Tonka Smiles in September of 2025. She enjoys working with children, chatting and getting to know her patients, along with helping them meet their smile goals. 

On her days off, you’d most likely find her in the kitchen as she enjoys cooking and baking. 

 

 

Genevieve– Is from the Twin Cities and graduated from Century College in White Bear Lake, MN in 2020. Genevieve’ s favorite part of her job is being a patient advocate and cheerleader! In her free time she enjoys reading the Bible with her family, and working on her non profit organization which provides care to mothers in the metro area.