Meet the Team
Co-Founders and Directors of NC Dental U
Tammy Hughes;
DAII
Tammy Hughes, founding Partner of NC Dental U, and celebrates her 26th year in the dental field this year. She has worked in the capacity of DAII, Front Desk Receptionist, Manager and Consultant. Her expertise is in New Practice and Team Development. She is a motivated leader that instinctively understands the business of dentistry. Tammy has successfully built staffed and coached new dental offices throughout North Carolina. With extensive knowledge in all aspects of dental care, she has the business savvy and technical skill to lead any team to success!
Professional Memberships:
NCADOM
AADOM
ADMC
A NC native, she resides in Wake County with her husband and three sons.
Robyn Klose;
RDH
Robyn is a founding partner of NC Dental U. She is celebrating over 28 years in the dental field this year. Robyn has worked as a Dental Assistant, Dental Receptionist and Clinic Coordinator in New York and Washington State before graduating in 1999 as an RDH. She is licensed in both North Carolina and New York. She has been practicing Dental Hygiene for over 22 years and has been directly involved in practice management the past sixteen years. She has traveled nationwide to further her dental education with Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies as well as Genr8tion Next and ACE. She is a proud member of the American Dental Hygiene Association. Robyn is always working to advance her knowledge in new science, research and technology training.
Robyn has combined all this acquired knowledge and personal experience to help create an inspired, effective, and motivational curriculum that refines the systems surrounding the patients total experience with a dental practice.
Professional Memberships:
NCADOM
AADOM
ADMC
Her extensive exposure to most forms of practice management and dental systems, as well as her strong focus on patient satisfaction, makes her a specialist in her field. She resides in Wake County with her husband and two sons.


Nicole Liles;
Assistant Director of Education and Instructor
Tiffany Anderson;
Student Services Representative

Tina Casper;
RDH


Katie Graham;
DA II
Katie has been in the Dental field since the early 2000’s. She moved to North Carolina in December 2018 after starting her career in New Jersey. Katie joined NC Dental U as an Instructor January 2019. While working as a receptionist, Katie was fascinated by what was happening in the clinic. She took full advantage of any opportunity to observe the Dentist and Assistants working on patients. Katie knew she wanted to be a Dental Assistant. She began her training chairside and later went on to become DAMB certified in dental radiology. Katie later became the lead dental assistant and worked her way into clinical management. She currently leads an awesome team of Dental Professionals as a Clinic Coordinator in Greenville. She has a passion for her craft and loves teaching it to both patient and students. Katie uses her knowledge of the dental field to help patients understand the importance of their dental health.
Karen Haldeman;
RDH- Charlotte Campus


Monique Hollis;
RDH NCDU – Greenville
Monique Hollis is a North Carolina native. After becoming a DAII, Monique wanted to expand in the dental field. While getting her medical assistant degree, she applied for dental hygiene. Monique didn’t get in her first year. But on the second try she was accepted into a dental hygiene program. Being a single mom, it was very hard road, but she got through it. While in hygiene school she worked at The Dental Care Center where they worked around her school schedule and later employed her as a Dental Hygienist. She later returned to school and got her Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Administration.
Cheryl Klein;
Registrar and Student Support
She resides in Lockport, NY.


Nikki Mele;
CDA – Charlotte Campus
Nikki moved from NY in 2008 and started as a dental assistant in 2013. She joined NC Dental U as an instructor in 2019 at our Charlotte campus. She has experience in multiple areas of dental practice including pediatrics, emergency dentistry, and volunteering at community and military dental events. She enjoys sharing her experience with her students to prepare them for real dental office settings.
Sharma Rains;
Franchise Owner/ Director- Smithfield Campus
Sharma has served in several facets of dentistry in her 29 years in the dental field, she has worked in the capacity of chairside assistant, clinic coordinator, front desk receptionist, and dental office management.
Sharma has instructed with NC Dental U for several years at our Wake Forest campus. In 2020, Sharma was our first Franchise expansion and started our Smithfield campus! She loves sharing her passion for dentistry with individuals that want to start a new career. Her goal is to share her knowledge & experiences in the dental field to her students and they will share their knowledge that will lead to healthy smiles that will last a life time.
She resides in Goldsboro NC with her husband & 2 sons.

