Chord Specialty Dental Partners is led by a group of
dedicated professionals driven to support our partner
practices and the skilled clinicians within them.
Todd R. Cruse
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Cruse has over twenty years of experience leading high-performing dental organizations. Before joining Chord in 2023, Todd served as President of Advantage Dental+ and on the Executive Leadership Team of DentaQuest, the nation’s largest Medicaid benefits administrator. In addition to his experience in the dental sector, Todd was a member of former Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist’s cabinet and senior staff. Todd lives in Nashville with his family, where he has served on many non-profit boards over the years. He is currently the Chairman of Voices for Safer Tennessee and serves on both the board and the finance committee of the Sexual Assault Center. When he is not working at Chord or supporting his community endeavors, you can find Todd outdoors enjoying fly fishing or bird hunting.
Favorite Chords: Allman Brothers, George Strait, Grateful Dead, Old Crow Medicine Show, Zach Bryan
Dr. Steven Melnic, DMD
Chief Clinical Officer
Dr. Steven Melnic is the Chief Clinical Officer for Chord Specialty Dental Partners. As a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and a Diplomat of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Melnic is dedicated to providing the highest quality of dental care for children. His expertise and commitment to pediatric dentistry have made him a respected leader in his field. Dr. Melnic earned a Masters of the Arts in Medical Sciences Oral Health Sciences from Boston University, followed by a Doctor of Dental Medicine from Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Melnic completed his Advanced Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry at Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital of Richmond, Virginia.
Outside of his professional life, Dr. Melnic is a former Division I golfer who continues to enjoy hitting the fairways with his family and friends. He also loves cooking, traveling, and spending quality time with his family. Dr. Melnic is blessed to share his life with his wife Nicole and their three children, Jamie, Daniel, and Emma.
Favorite Chords: Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, The Beach Boys and The Beatles
Alex Clayton
Chief Financial Officer
Alex Clayton brings deep transaction and operating experience to his role as Chief Financial Officer at Chord, where he oversees the organization’s finance, strategy, business development, and analytics functions. Before joining Chord, Alex advised healthcare clients as a Senior Manager in Deloitte’s Transaction Services practice, building a strong accounting and diligence background that, combined with his prior tenure as Chord’s SVP of Strategy & Development, now informs Chord’s M&A strategy. Alex holds a Master’s in Accounting from Michigan State University.
Favorite Chords: The Eagles, Morgan Wallen, Drake
Allison Cotton
Chief Legal and Administrative Officer
Since joining Chord in April 2024 as General Counsel, Allison’s primary focus is to provide strategic legal guidance and conduct comprehensive risk assessments to safeguard the organization’s interests. Her educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Studies from Vanderbilt University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Allison serves as a board member of the Nashville Ballet, indulging her passion for the arts. She also enjoys staying active through tennis and spending time with her son.
Favorite Chords: Anything by Dolly Parton
Shawn Manis
Chief Information Officer
Shawn Manis is a three-time CIO, with an IT career spanning 25+ years. During his time in leadership, Shawn has met the needs of several private equity growth organizations, successfully executed projects for a Fortune 500 company, and helmed multiple, full IT stack rebuilds. Shawn is genuinely passionate about optimization efforts, building world class teams, reducing spend while driving value, and finding mediums for IT to help increase revenue. When Shawn isn’t working on the initiatives above, he enjoys hiking, building up his TV & movie knowledge, eating at great restaurants and traveling with his fiancé, and playing with his dogs, Enzo & Tundra.
Favorite Chords: My taste varies almost too wide to pin down, but I’ll sing every word from 2Pac, Outkast, Biggie, Matchbox Twenty, Collective Soul, and the Counting Crows.
Jennifer L. Hartman
Chief Compliance Officer
Jennifer began her career in the dental industry with Spark Orthodontics in 2010, leveraging her knowledge and first-hand experience in various senior management positions to streamline policies and processes driving exceptional patient care. She was an integral part in growing Spark Orthodontics from one to ten locations in six years. Prior to her role as Chief Compliance Officer, Jennifer directed and managed daily operations across 20+ orthodontic offices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Jennifer graduated from Muhlenberg College with a BA in Business Administration and received her Juris Doctor from Dickinson School of Law, the Pennsylvania State University, in 2005 and is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania. When not working, Jenn is cheering on her twin sons at their sporting events.
Favorite Chords: Dave Matthews Band
Megan Shepard
Senior Vice President of Operations
Megan Shepard brings over twenty years of experience in the dental industry, including more than a decade in operations leadership. As Senior Vice President of Operations, she leads operational strategy across large-scale dental organizations, driving efficiency, enhancing patient experience, and delivering sustainable revenue and profitability growth. She believes that trusted relationships with doctors, stakeholders, and teams are essential to organizational success.
Megan earned her bachelor’s degree from Trevecca Nazarene University. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, especially to national parks, along with hiking, gardening, and photography.
Favorite Chords: Garth Brooks, Forrest Frank, Josiah Queen, AC/DC
Joe Lichty
Senior Vice President, Marketing
Joe has been with the organization since December 2018 and is responsible for the overall marketing and communications strategy, ranging from patient acquisition campaigns, recruitment efforts, and public relations. Joe loves creating engaging content that promotes the cultures of our partner clinics and enjoys the challenge of creating campaigns as unique as our 60+ offices. Joe is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and resides in West Chester, PA with his family. Outside the office, Joe enjoys cooking, platform tennis, watching his favorite teams (Arsenal, Miami Dolphins, Pitt Panthers), and spending time with his family.
Favorite Chords: My go-to is 90’s Hip-Hop (Outkast, Nas, Tribe), but I also love 80’s Rock like Mötley Crüe and Van Halen.