Northern Virginia Periodontics Practice Administrator
Munazza, also known as MJ, epitomizes Northern Virginia's spirit, deeply ingrained in its community. With a B.S. in Biology from George Mason University, she embarked on her dental career in 2003, swiftly excelling under Dr. Gouldin's mentorship since 2004. As Dr. Gouldin’s lead surgical assistant for over five years, MJ's proficiency and dedication gleamed. Now, as a Practice Administrator at Northern Virginia Periodontics, she leads with finesse. Beyond work, MJ cherishes time with her husband and kids, indulging in cooking, crafting, and exploring new horizons.
Northern Virginia Periodontics was blessed when they purchased the practice of Dr. Mark Gordon in 2020 to inherit a remarkable and genuinely kind new team member, Jennie. Jennie was born in Fort Collins, CO, to a military family, and she has lived in 8 states before officially settling in Alexandria, VA. As a child, Jennie always enjoyed the healthcare field and her educational background illustrates this. She attended Bayside High School’s Health Sciences Academy, obtained a B.S. in Biology from Radford University, and finally she became a Certified Dental Assistant at Northern Virginia Community College. When not at work, Jennie is either reading a mixture of autobiographies or thrillers, learning new recipes, biking the Mt. Vernon trail, or tending to her plants. Above all, Jennie enjoys spending quality time with her family and her two parrots, Sunny and Kiwi. "Fun Facts" about Jennie include: her and her husband are high school sweethearts; her favorite number is 13 because it doesn't get enough love; and she loves playing board and card games.
Juan brings over 12 years of dedicated experience in general dentistry and oral surgery to our practice, making a profound impact on the dental health and smiles of countless patients. Born and raised in sunny Southern California, Juan embodies the vibrant and welcoming spirit of the region, bringing a warm, friendly, and energetic approach to Northern Virginia Periodontics. Beyond the office, Juan's life revolves around family, friends, and a love for great food. Whether it's exploring the latest culinary hotspots or enjoying a cozy meal at a beloved local restaurant Juan always finds a way to enjoy the little things in life.
Kanjana (KJ)
Correspondence Coordinator
KJ quietly merged into the Northern Virginia Periodontics Team in September 2019 as Dr. Gouldin's personal assistant and scribe. Her efficiency, intelligence and delightful personality was recognized immediately by all members of the NVP Team, and she has evolved into our Communications Coordinator, handling all digital communication between of our doctors/hygienists and our referring offices throughout the DMV area.
KJ embodies and demonstrates daily a core virtue that all of us at NVP strive to achieve, and that is to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.
In KJ's leisure time, she is currently enjoying the process of remodeling her new home which she shares with her family.
Brooke
Treatment Coordinator
Brooke began her career in the dental field in 2017 after graduating with a degree in Business from Faulkner University. She has worked in both Periodontics and Orthodontics. Brooke moved here from Alabama in 2020 and is enjoying all there is to do in the area. When she is not working, she enjoys reading, painting, and going to the park with her son. Her favorite part about the periodontal field is building relationships with the patients and learning about all the surgical and non-surgical treatment options.
Andrea
Treatment Coordinator
Andrea grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, and pursued Psychology at The University of Maryland, graduating with her bachelor's degree. Her venture into orthodontics sparked a deep passion for dental care. Driven by this interest, she expanded her expertise in dentistry. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her four rescue cats: Queso, Matcha, Mango, and Ramen, along with cooking and reading.
Melissa
Treatment Coordinator
Melissa began her career in dentistry in 2018. After a few years as a dental and oral surgery assistant, she decided to expand her knowledge in the treatment coordination aspect of the dental field, as well as Periodontics. As a newer resident of Northern Virginia, Melissa is still enjoying getting to know the area. She enjoys going to the gym, spending time with her family, loves the beach, and trying out new places to eat. Melissa is passionate about the dental field and sharing knowledge with others.
Emily
Treatment Coordinator
Emily grew up in rural, central Pennsylvania. She attended Penn State where I earned my bachelor's degree in Psychology. The convenience store "Sheetz" originated in her hometown of Altoona, PA, and she worked there for 11 years while in high school, college, and beyond. In her past life, she also worked for the USPS delivering mail. Emily entered the world of dentistry by working as a patient coordinator in an orthodontics office and she quickly became obsessed with teeth! In her free time, her favorite things to do are hiking/camping (okay, maybe glamping), testing new recipes, baking pastries, and spending time with her friends and family.
Dental Hygienists
Parisa
Registered Dental Hygienist
Parisa’s early childhood experiences with preventative oral health care ultimately helped save her teeth. It then became an objective for her to help provide access to interdisciplinary care as a liaison between hygiene, dental and medical care. She found her vocation while volunteering for the VCU Jamaica Dental Mission Project and Virginia Dental Association’s Mission of Mercy in various parts of southwestern VA and MD. Parisa completed her B.S. in Biology and minors in business and chemistry from VCU in 2010 and B.S. in Dental Hygiene from the Medical College of Virginia Commonwealth University in 2013. Parisa is obsessed with cooking, baking and learning about other cultures' foods and languages. She tries to balance these passions with playing tennis and pickleball, and although petite, she is quite adept at weightlifting. In fact, Parisa is a Virginia State Powerlifting Deadlift record holder.
Periodontal Surgical Assistants
Carmen
Registered Dental Assistant
Carmen is a Certified and Registered Dental Assistant who has been in the dental field since 2000 – she is fluent in Spanish. Given her many years of experience in dentistry, Carmen appreciates that our periodontists are conscientious about providing the highest quality periodontal and dental implant treatment, and she is proud to be part of the practice! Carmen and her husband, Giovanni, have 2 children. Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with her family, going to the beach, and attending her children’s sporting activities. She also loves to travel anywhere her friends and family want to go.
Richard "Richie"
Registered Dental Assistant
Richard got his start working with animals throughout college. He graduated from Radford with a bachelor's degree in biology and then went on to complete a dental assistant program as well! Richard recently joined our team as a dental assistant this past summer and since then has proven to be invaluable. Richard enjoys going on walks with his dog and snowboarding. His favorite thing about working in dental is helping people bring confidence back to their smiles.
Jasmin
Registered Dental Assistant
Jasmin joined the NVP team as a Registered Dental Assistant! She finds joy in helping people and seeing them smile after a dental transformation is the reason why she chose this career path. As a youngster, she underwent a lot of dental work as she did not take care of her teeth. Her goal is to educate others in her community about dental health and show them how to care for and maintain a healthy smile. In her spare time, she likes to take the time to be around family and friends. She also loves to work out! One fun fact about her is that she has two Shih Tzus named Zoey and Charlie.
Karla
Registered Dental Assistant
Karla grew up in Puerto Rico until she moved to the states at a young age. While transitioning from Puerto Rico to Milwaukee she managed to learn and become fluent in English. Shortly after she made her way to Philadelphia where being in health care, precisely in the dental assistant field, spiked an interest. She started pursuing this career path by enrolling in the All-State Career program and obtaining an EFDA Dental Assistant Diploma. While becoming a dental assistant in Philadelphia for a duration of eight years she decided it was time for a change of scenery and joined Northern Virginia Periodontics in the fall of 2022. During Karla's free time, she likes to explore new sights in the DMV area and spend time with close friends and family.