Stephanie Sawatzke, President and Founder
Stephanie was born in Santa Monica, California and is the oldest of five children. Stephanie had some unique challenges with her teeth and received braces at 8 years old. They finally came off when she was 18! After 10 years in braces, she ironically chose a career in dentistry and attended dental assisting school. She graduated with honors and quickly went to work as an assistant. A strong proponent of continuing education, Stephanie received her RDA and CDA in California and then moved to Utah to get some additional training.
Stephanie met her husband in Provo where she worked as a dental assistant while he finished his degree. Upon graduation, the couple moved to Southern California, where Stephanie continued her dental career and received more training at UCLA. In 1992, her husband was recruited by a Salt Lake company and the young family to Sandy. With an extensive background and training, Stephanie had no problem landing a dental assisting position in Salt Lake.
She loved the dental field, but the arrival of their second child prompted her to pursue more flexible ways to serve the dental community. She needed a flexible work schedule that could accommodate the growing demands of motherhood.
In 1997, Stephanie founded Doctors Staffing and Resources, Inc. With lots of hard work, and an emphasis on developing a network of incredible professional relationships in the dental community, Stephanie has built a thriving agency that is big enough to support every request, yet small enough to care about every interaction.
Valerie Eastmond, Operations Manager
With a career spanning over 17 years in the dental field, Valerie (or Val) brings a wealth of experience and passion to Doctors Staffing. Starting as a dental assistant in 2007, she learned all aspects of the dental office even cross-training on front office duties. But she wanted to learn even more! In 2014, Val graduated from Fortis College with a degree in Dental Hygiene.
She loves serving the dental community serving as Vice-President Elect for the UDHA Salt Lake Component and as a Waterpik Professional Educator, where she spent several years advancing her dental knowledge and practices. This experience was complemented by a rewarding stint as a Clinical Instructor at Fortis College, guiding the next generation of dental professionals. Val keeps her Hygiene skills sharp by working part-time as a dental hygienist.
With over 17 years’ experience in the dental field in various roles, she knows the dental community, people, and practices, and leverages all that experience to ensure in when Doctors Staffing send out staff, it will be a good match between the dental practice and the individual. Val is passionate about connecting the right talent with the right opportunities and committed to enhancing both the work environment and patient care through thoughtful placements and personalized service. When not working, Val enjoys spending quality time with family and friends.
Brooke Speer, Scheduling Coordinator
Brooke has been with Doctors Staffing for over 8 years and is passionate about helping offices and temps find the perfect match. Originally from Perry, Utah, she attended Utah State University, where she met her husband. Together, they have five wonderful children! As you can imagine, five kids can keep you quite busy. Not only is she a great Scheduling Coordinator at Doctors Staffing, she is the Master Scheduling Coordinator for her family! (she’s really good at it!) She also spends a lot of her time as the family taxi driver. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking with her husband and exploring new restaurants.
Hannah Lora
Hannah has over 11 years’ experience in the dental field. She started as a Dental Assistant and after working in various offices throughout the Salt Lake Valley for 8 years. For the last 3 years she has been a Hygienist. The decision to become a Hygienist happened while on a humanitarian service project in Central America. This experience changed her life and when she got back, she enrolled in Hygiene School. She graduated from Fortis College in January of 2021!
Hannah loves being part of the dental community as it brings her a strong sense of professional fulfillment, the ability to help others, and continually grow and challenge herself!