Meet The Team
Our Doctors
Dr. Brad Hester
Dental School: Oregon Health and Science University School of Dentistry
Practicing general dentistry in Bend for more than 20 years, Dr. Hester’s passion is helping people achieve a beautiful, healthy smile. His interest in dentistry began at an early age deciding on dentistry as a career in 7th grade. His college years were spent at the University of Portland, graduating with a B.S. in Biology. Dr. Hester won a scholarship to play baseball at the University and was voted Most Valuable Player as well as achieving the Highest Batting Average award during his senior season. He went on to earn his D.M.D. (Doctor of Dental Medicine) at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon.
In 1988 Dr. Hester opened his private practice in Portland, practicing there until 1994 when he moved back to his roots in Central Oregon.
Committed to providing the best, most advanced dental care, Dr. Hester invests hundreds of hours each year enhancing his skills and keeping up to date on advances in the dental field. He has studied with some of the world’s leading authorities in dentistry including Dr. Peter Dawson and The Pankey Institute (reconstructive dentistry), Dr. David Hornbrook (esthetics), Dr. Carl Misch (Implants), and Dr. Ken Reed & William Gottschalk (IV Sedation).
We are proud to announce that Dr. Brad Hester recently became the Oregon Dental Association’s (ODA) 128th President!
Dr. Hester is married to his wife of 33 years, Kelly, who works as an RN at Volunteers in Medicine. They have five grown children and two dogs. In his free time, Dr. Hester enjoys outdoor activities, fine woodworking, and most recently building and racing Baja off-road cars.
Dr. Haley Van Volkenburg
Dental School: Oregon Health and Science University School of Dentistry
Dr. Van Volkenburg decided to pursue dentistry at a young age due to the profound impact that dental professionals made in her life and with her smile. As an avid learner, she appreciates the chance to be challenged and inspired in dentistry. She values building relationships with patients to encourage them to meet their oral health goals while providing a welcoming, thoughtful, and cheerful environment. With the ever-changing advancements in the dental field, Dr. Van Volkenburg prioritizes continuing her education in order to provide the best possible care for her patients.
Dr. Van Volkenburg is a native Oregonian and grew up in Roseburg, OR. She attended Oregon State University for her undergraduate degree and continued on to graduate from OHSU School of Dentistry in 2019. During her time at OHSU, she was an integral part of the American Student Dental Association, Student Research Group, and the Oregon Academy of General Dentistry. She also co-founded the Women in Dentistry Club and coordinated multiple volunteer dental clinics. Today, Dr. Van Volkenburg stays involved in the American Dental Association, Oregon Dental Association, and the Oregon Academy of General Dentistry.
Dr. Van Volkenburg is thrilled about her recent move to Central Oregon with her fiancé, Brian, and is looking forward to experiencing all it has to offer. When not at the office, you can find her visiting family, skiing, cycling, reading a good book, planning her next travels, or trying new recipes at home.
Dr. Nicole Tasooji
Dental School: Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health
Dr. Nicole Tasooji grew up by the beach in San Diego, where most of her time was spent splashing in the waves or hunting for sand crabs. Dr. Tasooji devoted her teenage years to excelling at both academics and sports. At 5’11, she was a towering force on both the basketball and volleyball court. She traded the ocean for the deserts of Arizona, where she attended the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health and graduated among the top of her class. Dr. Tasooji then continued her education at the prestigious University of Utah hospital in Salt Lake City. She has been blessed to work in unique places from the rural hills of Mexico, to the jungles of Jamaica, to the eastern shore of Maryland, and now back on the west coast. She is confident in all aspects of dentistry, with special interests in cosmetics, surgery and working with individuals with special needs.
In her free time, you can find Dr. Tasooji out exploring with her husband and Sheltie-Terrier mix, Odysseus (Ody). She loves to rock climb, practice yoga, and enjoys iced lattes. Dr. Tasooji loves live performances and can’t wait to once again be front row at concerts, theatres and comedy shows.
Dr. Tasooji believes a healthy and beautiful smile is important to a person’s overall health and well-being. She is fulfilled by helping people understand and take control of their own oral health.
Dr. Sumra Zaidi
Dental School: University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine
Dr. Sumra Zaidi grew up in New York where she enjoyed spending time with her four sisters, exploring Manhattan, and finding the best pizza and bagels that New York has to offer. She obtained her Bachelors of Science in Psychology from the City College of New York and completed her doctorate in dental surgery at the University at Buffalo.
She had always dreamed about living on the West Coast, so traded in her snow boots for rain boots and moved to Seattle, WA. She completed advanced training in oral surgery, implant dentistry, root canal therapy, intravenous sedation, and pediatric dentistry through a General Practice Residency at Swedish Medical Center. During residency, she had the opportunity to treat patients with various medical complexities, special needs, developmental delays, and dental phobias.
Dr. Zaidi decided to pursue dentistry as a way to combine her love for science and art, but her favorite part of dentistry is working with people everyday and helping them feel at ease in the dental setting. Her goals in dentistry are to work with like-minded dentists to provide the highest quality of care to her patients.
In her free time, Dr. Zaidi enjoys trail running, mountain biking, skiing, and doing yoga with her fiancé, Sam, and their dogs, Abby and Molly. She is so excited to join the amazing team at Bend Family Dentistry to provide the best care and impact a positive change in her patients’ lives!
Our Team
Stacey
Stacey has been a member of our team since May of 1992. She grew up on the Oregon Coast and is happy to live in Central Oregon, where the sky is always blue. She has a soft heart for dogs and has two precious rescues, Cricket and Phoebe. She and her husband love traveling, going on hikes, drinking good wine, camping and just enjoying the outdoors.
Nicole
Nicole started her career in dentistry in Portland in 2003. She joined our practice in 2010 when she and her husband moved to Bend to raise their two children. The South is home for Nicole, but after 20+ years in the NW, she loves Bend for its small town community-based feel. Outside of the office she likes to read, sew, knit, decorate and boat on the lakes of Central Oregon with her husband, kids and chocolate lab, Remington.
Marcie
Marcie is one of our newest members to Bend Family Dentistry. She grew up in Vancouver, WA, where she obtained her Dental Assisting Certificate. She moved to Central Oregon in 1996 to raise her family. Marcie brings over 25 years of experience to the team and is super grateful to have the opportunity to join this amazing group. Dentistry has always been her passion and she absolutely loves the connection she makes while helping our patients. She is looking forward to many years of working with the Bend Family Dentistry.
In her spare time, she loves paying attention to all her animals and working in her yard.
Jennifer
Jen grew up in Montana, where she attended the University of Montana and earned her degree in business administration. She worked at a dental office in Missoula, starting out as a receptionist, and eventually became front office manager. After starting a family and working in a dental office for over 11 years, she was ready to try something new; so they all packed up and moved to San Diego. After four years in southern California, though, they were homesick for forests and rivers. They decided to take a chance on Bend and fell in love with it. When their daughter was settled into kindergarten, Jen started working at Bend Family Dentistry – Third Street, where she works hard to help patients get the most out of their dental insurance. She is an avid reader and also loves golfing and camping.
Kimber
Kimber has lived in Central Oregon for more than 30 years. She moved here to raise her daughter in the fresh mountain air. Now, her greatest joy is that her granddaughter is being raised here as well. When time allows, she enjoys spending time at the lakes and rivers. She loves traveling the world to remote destinations, and she also loves to sail. An avid animal lover, there are always pets in her life. Right now, she owns 4 dogs, a kitten, 7 chickens, and 7 alpacas.
Kimber is happy to be a part of the Bend Family Dentistry team. She loves her job helping patients with their insurance questions.
Angela
Angela and her husband recently moved to Bend from the Portland area where she was an EFDA-certified Dental Assistant for the past 23 years. In moving to Bend she had the opportunity with Bend Family Dentistry – Third Street to make transition to the front office and continue serving patients in a different aspect of the dental field. Being an Oregon native, she has a great love for the outdoors, enjoying everything that our beautiful PNW environment has to offer. She also loves spending time with her husband, son, and rescue dog Millicent as a family taking advantage of the local hiking, food, and breweries.
Christina
Christina grew up in Clackamas, Oregon and moved to Bend in 2004 with her husband of 20 years and 3 daughters. She is new to the dental field, but has been a patient coordinator for over 7 years. She enjoys taking her dogs, a Lhasa Apso and an Albino Blue Heeler, for a walk in the evenings. On her days off in the summer you will find her camping, and in the winter, she will be snowmobiling in Central Oregon’s beautiful outdoors.
Stephanie
Stephanie was born and raised in Northern Virginia and has lived in beautiful Bend, Oregon, since 2002. Her passion for helping others and bringing a smile to people’s faces led her to dentistry in 2006, and she’s been hooked ever since.
Stephanie has a kind, spunky, inspiring 6-year-old daughter and loves all animals, big and small. When she’s not talking teeth, you can find Stephanie enjoying Bend’s beauty, preferably near water. She loves hiking, yoga, paddle boarding, and spreading the love with her friends and family.
Janae
Janae is a native Oregonian and grew up in Salem before chasing the sunshine to Central Oregon. She has two amazing children and an adventurous spirit that inspires her love of nature and passion for travel.
Janae has been in dentistry for over 25 years, initially working as an EFDA dental assistant for 10 years before being promoted to a front office administrative role. Her love of dentistry began at a young age as she wanted to be part of an exceptional team inspired by smiles. In her free time, you will find Janae basking in the outdoors with family and friends. She loves to go camping, hiking, and paddle boarding as well as painting, gardening, and trying new adventures!
Cyndee
Cyndee joins Bend Family Dentistry – Third Street after being in the Orthodontic field, as a patient coordinator, for 15+ years and is learning the worlds differ quite a bit! She loves helping people and finds it rewarding when issues can be resolved and patients can leave pain free and problems identified. Cyndee and her husband have been happily married over 40 yrs. They have loved living in Redmond for the past 5 yrs and they do not miss the Tacoma Rains! They have 3 grown kids and one grandson, she warmly refers to as their Nugget of Goodness, all in Tacoma Seattle area and they have the most handsome Schnottie terrier named Blu that is 14+ years old. She says they are happy empty nesters! Cyndee is thrilled to be part of such a wonderful team.
Tianna
Tianna grew up in Southern Oregon and moved to Sisters in 1996. She graduated from Sisters High School in 1997 and became a Dental Assistant for 3 1/2 years before attending OHSU Dental Hygiene Program. She graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. She lives in Sisters with her husband, Jason, her two very sweet little girls and her two rat terriers. She loves scrapbooking, shopping and spending time outdoors.
Nikki
Nikki grew up in Springfield, Oregon. She has 2 beautiful kids, Blake and Brooklynn, and 3 fur babies, Harley girl, Hazzie and Hopey Jane. She was a stay-at-home mom for almost 18 years and jumped back into the working world when Blake graduated from high school. She has lived all over the southern states, including Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Texas, but Oregon will always have her heart. You may even hear her say “y’all” from time to time.
In her spare time, Nikki loves sipping coffee, camping, kayaking, paddle boarding and hiking in the forest. You will find her on Friday nights around the bonfire with good music, family & friends.
Missy
Missy was born and raised in Medford, Oregon. She graduated dental hygiene school in 2003 from Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon.
Missy moved to Bend in 2017 and considers it one of the best decisions she has ever made. She loves everything about Central Oregon and all it has to offer. She loves hiking, kayaking, snow shoeing, and camping. She also has a passion for photography.
Missy is so happy to call Bend home!
Barbara
Meet Barbara Templeton. Barbara was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. She graduated from Pierce College in 1996. Barbara moved to Bend in 1998 and loves living here. She has worked at Bend Family Dentistry for many years. In her off time, she likes to get together with friends, garden and walk her two dogs. She enjoys watching her two grandchildren one day a week.
Shanna
Shanna was born and raised in Oregon. She graduated in 1999 from Oregon Institute of Technology, with a Bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene. She and her husband, Jesse, and their two beautiful girls moved to Central Oregon in 2017. Aside from being a wife and mom, she enjoys camping, backpacking, skiing, shopping and exercising. Shanna also loves spending time with friends, family and her chocolate lab, Baily.
Jaimee
Jaimee is originally from Alaska, but has called Oregon home for the past 14 years. She graduated from the University of Oregon with her Bachelor of Arts and from Lane Community College with her degree in dental hygiene. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.
Alisha
Alisha is a 2012 graduate of Pacific University (Hillsboro, OR), where she earned a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene. She has called the Pacific Northwest her home since childhood and moved to Central Oregon in 2018.
In her free time, Alisha enjoys snowboarding, riding her dirt bike and camping with her husband, two toddlers (Brix & Quinn) and two dogs (Moose & Oaklee).
Susie
Susie has been in dentistry since 1988. She started as a sterile tech with Dr. Straka in Bend, Oregon, before moving into assisting and administration. She loves making relationships with patients and helping them live happy, healthy lives with beautiful smiles.
Susie has been married for 31 years. She loves to camp and fish around central Oregon, visit the beach, and spend time with her family outside the office. She has an intense love for books and prefers to read good books in her leisure time.
Cassandra
Cassandra is an Oregonian, born and raised. She and her husband moved to Bend in 2020 from Newport, Oregon, where she was a dental assistant for three years. She is excited to be a part of the Bend Family Dentistry and making a difference in our community.
Cassandra is a proud mom to one human and one fur baby. She also loves to hike, kayak, camp, photography, and upcycle.
Amy
Amy graduated from Boise State in 1997 with her CDA, EFDA certification for dental assisting. Amy has been with Bend Family Dentistry – Third Street since 1999 and plays an essential role in the smooth operation of each day. Amy grew up in Colorado and loves the snow. She now lives in Sunriver with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys all that Central Oregon has to offer. She especially takes pleasure in the area’s snowfall and during the summer months appreciates recreation on the area’s high lakes. Her girls keep her busy with softball coaching and managing their teams.
Elle
Elle was born in Dayton, Ohio and moved to a tiny town in Southern Oregon (Coquille) at the age of 14. She moved to the Portland area for college and attended Clackamas Community College where she obtained her Expanded Functions Dental Assisting certification. She just recently moved to Bend and is loving living in “vacation land.”
Elle has been in the dental field for nearly a decade, and her favorite part of dentistry is getting to know patients on a personal level and ensuring they feel very welcomed in our office. Outside of the office, she loves to travel and experience new cultures. She also loves spending time with her family, friends, and dog as much as possible!
Chrisie
Chrisie was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up in Hillsboro. She moved to Central Oregon in 1995 to finish high school and never looked back as Central Oregon became her home. She now lives in Terrebonne with views of Smith Rock and the mountains. Chrisie loves being outdoors and camping, fishing, hunting, and kayaking. She has 2 wonderful daughters and an amazing step-daughter, as well as two dogs that she gets to go home to every day.
Chrisie has been in dentistry since 2016 and her favorite part about it is meeting new people, building relationships, and having a patient leaving smiling and happy. She also loves learning new things that will help her grow in dentistry.
Adam
Adam was born in the state of Alaska where the outdoors was right at his front door. Adam later moved to the Seattle area where he graduated from Renton Technical College with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Dental Assisting. Adam has a true passion for the outdoors which brought him to the Central Oregon area, and he now resides in La Pine. Adam enjoys spending his free time with friends and family, and is an avid animal lover. Adam feels blessed to be part of a cohesive team at Bend Family Dentistry – Third Street, and feels proud to work for doctors who provide quality comprehensive care.
Daven
Daven graduated with her certifications from the Dental Assisting Program at Central Oregon Community College. She loves everything dentistry has to offer. Her favorite part is being a part of a patient’s dental journey.
Daven grew up in Bend and enjoys snowboarding in her free time.
Melanie
Melanie graduated from the dental assisting program at Central Oregon Community College and was born and raised in Bend. There is nothing that she loves more than helping people gain a beautiful smile.
She loves to travel, an opportunity she will take in a heartbeat, and she hopes to see more of the world someday. She loves to snowboard, hammock, and take scenery pictures.