Meet The Team

Sammi Paz, Office Manager 

Sammi joined the dental field in 2016 when she began working as a manager for a local nonprofit dental organization. This is where her love for dentistry and helping patients began. Sammi enjoys helping our patients understand the importance of taking care of their smile. As our office manager, Sammi is an expert on making sure patients are satisfied with their dental visit and are happy to return. She is also excellent with making sure that the cost of dental procedures fits with patient's budgets. In her free time, Sammi enjoys spending time with her daughter, and staying fit while enjoying many outdoor activities. 

Jane Rama, Registered Dental Hygienist

"Active Superhero- Saving Smiles One Dental Cleaning at A Time" Jane has been practicing dental hygiene since 2004. She practiced for 10 years in Florida where she is originally from. After moving to Santa Cruz in 2014, she joined Dr. Konopka's team. Jane is passionate about smiles. She believes that the key to a healthy smile is self-awareness and self-care. She strives to reach patients' optimum oral health goal together with them. Jane is highly appreciated by many for her skillset and professionalism. She is a recipient of the Proctor and Gamble Preventive Oral Health Award for Dental Hygienist and Miss Congeniality Award for Tallahassee Community College Dental Hygiene Program. On her downtime, she enjoys musical jam sessions with her husband. She is also a vanlifer and loves outdoor adventures.

Naomi Gryspos, Dental Assistant

Naomi received her dental assisting certificate in 2008. Since joining Dr. Konopka's practice in 2019, it has been her pleasure to work with a team that strives to give their patients ultimate care. Helping them fall in love with their smile again is always the best part of her day. In her free time, you can find Naomi gardening, tending to her tropical plant collection, or visiting the Live Oak farmer's market.

Kelsey Walker, Registered Dental Assistant 

Kelsey is our newest team member and we welcomed her in December of 2021. Kelsey began practicing as a Dental Assistant in 2013. She is currently a Registered Dental Assistant and attending the University of the Pacific Dental School in San Francisco to obtain her license as a Registered Dental Assistant with Extended Functions. We are excited to welcome Kelsey to our team as she will be able to provide dental services to our patients under Dr. Konopka's supervision.