Meet Our Staff
Our Staff
As team members, we all share Dr. Richard’s vision for making beautiful smiles and are especially interested in making all our patients feel right at home! We aim to provide an energetic and fun-loving atmosphere for every patient while putting their needs first to achieve efficient, comprehensive treatment and exceptional results.
Every staff member is well trained and proficient in their respective field, and many have been with us for several years, which allows us to create that family feeling for our patients. Members of our team have Orthodontic Expanded Functions and X-ray certifications. We aim to stay abreast of the latest technological advances by regularly attending continuing education courses and seminars.
Meet Our Team
Fonda – Office Manger
Evelyn – Money Magician
Nicki – Ambassador of Buzz
Kim – Correspondence Administrator
Katie – Director of First Impressions
Marnie – Director of First Impressions
Julie B – Clinical Coordinator
Valjean – Dental Monitoring Coordinator
Julie S – Smile Architect
Ariana – Smile Architect
Jennifer – Smile Architect
Carol – Smile Architect
Jamie – Smile Architect
Ava – Trainee
Maddie – Trainee
Fonda
Fonda’s love for orthodontics started when she was in braces as a teenager. Seeing the change in her smile is what inspired her to pursue a career in orthodontics starting her Senior year of high school. Watching the changes in patients is still the highlight of her day. As the saying goes “Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life”.
She recently joined our team as the Administrative Manager. She gives special thanks to Nicki for reaching out to her when this position became available. ” From the minute I walked into the office , on my first day, this amazing team made me feel so very welcomed. No new person transition butterflies”. Dr Richards has put together an amazing team that works together to create beautiful smiles!
In her spare time, when she is not video chatting with her two granddaughters that live out of state, she enjoys reading, traveling, crafting and relaxing with her husband and fur baby Otis.
Evelyn
Evelyn has been working in the orthodontic field for 41 years. She has had a love for the profession since she was just five years old. Her orthodontists mad her treatment very interesting. The reward we give people with their new smiles is amazing. She is the finical coordinator that gets your treatment underway. She and her husband David are both from the outskirts of Buffalo NY and lived in Florida for the past 25 years. In her free time, she and David are busy with their puppies Oliver and Hondie.
Nicki
Nicki is a native Fort Myers girl and started her career with Dr Van Speas at a very young age in 1990.
She has many years of experience working in both the orthodontic and dental fields and appreciates the opportunity it gives her to meet and communicate with a variety of wonderful people every day.
It is great to be a part of this unique office and to work with such talented and caring people. When she is not at the office, Nicki enjoys her time with her family and friends. She has a love for traveling especially to visit her family in Sweden. Furthermore, she is an avid bowler and foodie. Please feel free to discuss dental health care or food with her at any time!
Katie
Katie has been in the medical field for close to five years, two of which have been in Orthodontics. Being able to care for others has been very rewarding for her. It puts a smile on her face knowing that she has done her best to make patients feel at home. When she is not at work, Katie is at home with her son, and their two cats. They love spending time with each other by traveling, visiting amusement parks, having nerf wars, playing games and going to the pool.
Marnie
Marnie has been a certified Orthodontic Assistant since 1996 and a proud team member at Richards and Associates since 2021. Her love of orthodontics began when she was and orthodontic patient herself. She loves to see the transformation and the confidence that a beautiful new smile brings. You may see her at the front desk greeting patients or back in the clinic helping to transform smiles. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her husband, spending time boating and enjoying all things water and sunshine.
Julie
Julie is a certified orthodontic and dental assistant working with Dr. Richards for the past 14 years. She has thirty-six years of dental experience total and loves orthodontics the best. It’s her true passion and she enjoys getting to know our patients and helping them achieve that beautiful smile they’ve dreamed of having. In her off time she enjoys home projects, boating as well as traveling with her family.
Valjean
Valjean started her Orthodontic career in 1986 as a receptionist then went into training to become an orthodontic assistant a few years later. She is a certified orthodontic assistant with her dental x-ray certification. Valjean joined Richards and Associates in 1998. Her day will consist of interacting with our patients and parents as an assistant then switching hats to become our Dental Monitoring Coordinator. DM is designed to help patients with Invisalign monitor the evolution of their orthodontic treatment remotely between appointments with them scanning in a weekly basis from home. Valjean is originally from Pennsylvania and has three children: Brock, Paige and Sydni. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach and boating and watching our amazing Florida sunsets.
Julie S.
Julie is an Orthodontic Technician graduating from NICC, Peosta Iowa. She has been in the dental field since 1982, taking time off to raise her three grown children. Alisha, Phillip and Katie. Julie loves seeing the transformation of patients smiles and watching their confidence grow as our team helps them achieve their dream smile. Julie’s goal is to make our patients visit pleasant and educational. She loves working with our team and feels fortunate to be with Richards and Associates. After moving to Cape Coral in 2015, Wisconsin will always be home. When not at work, Julie enjoys hanging out with friends and family, participating in many outdoor activities. A few are scuba diving, fishing, gardening and traveling.
Arianna
Ari has been working for Richards and Associates for the past three years. She was introduced to dentistry at a young age due to both of her parents are dentists in the community. Instead of following in their footsteps she went on to graduate from Lynn University in 2019 with a Psychology degree. The opportunity presented itself to become part of Richards and Associates in 2020. It has been an incredible journey and it’s just the beginning. I love to smile, and I love to make others smile. She feels lucky knowing that our job is to enhance your smile and to make you feel your absolute best. When she is not at work, she enjoys exploring new places and spending time with Pepper ( her Mimi Australian Sheppard).
Jennifer
Jen has over 20 years of experience as a certified dental assistant.
Jen started her dental career in 1992 at the Allen School of Health and Science where she fell in love with the dental community. Jen’s favorite part about working in orthodontics is meeting and interacting with many different people. She feels a great sense of satisfaction when patients feel confident and ready to share their smiles. When not at work Jen loves spending time with her three children and many hobbies including Yoga, scrapbooking and painting just to name a few.
Carol
Bio Coming Soon!
Jaimee
Jaimee has over seven years of experience as a Dental Assistant. She loves working with kids and making them feel as comfortable in our office as if they were at home. Jaimee also has an associate in science degree in culinary arts. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her three children, Jaihden, Kasper and Maxximus. As a family they enjoy racing motorcycles and playing sports.
Ava and Maddy
Ava and Maddy recently moved to Fort Myers and are known as our ” Tooth fairies in training” doing a little bit of everything for the office.
Maddy enjoys working at the office, she believes that the experience from this job will help her figure out her interests leading towards the future. Maddy sees this as an opportunity, as she would like to enter the medical field. Outside the office, Maddy enjoys boating, going to the beach, concerts and hanging out with friends and family.
As for Ava, she looks at this job as a learning opportunity. She learns something new every day. Working with Dr. Richards has peaked Ava’s interest in entering the dental world after college. Outside the office Ava enjoys watching movies, going to the beach, traveling and being around the ocean. Overall, these girls are extremely hard workers and love to help wherever they can.
