Meet Your 2026-2027 Officers
President
Kaitlyn Ward, CRDH, graduated as a dental hygienist from FSCJ in 2019 where she went on to work in general practice. She is passionate about volunteering within the dental community and you will often see her at events like mission of mercy, give kids a smile, and as a clinical director for Special Olympics Special Smiles. She strongly believes in advocating for access to care, especially for underserved and vulnerable populations. Kaitlyn lives with her husband and 2 rescue cats and in her free time enjoys reading, watching classic movies, and spending time with friends and family. Kaitlyn looks forward to serving as your 2026-2027 NEFDHA President!
Immediate
Past-President
Monica Franklin, DHSc, CDA, CRDH, currently serves as the Dean of Health Sciences at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Now in her second term as president of the Northeast Florida Dental Hygienists' Association (NEFDHA), she continues to champion the values of connection, collaboration, and community. Monica encourages all dental hygienists to build meaningful relationships—whether by engaging with peers, attending in-person continuing education (CE) and social events, or actively participating in community outreach.
Secretary
Jonathan Griggs, CRDH embraces life-long learning and utilizes gently engaging motivational education. Jonathan dedicates his life to kindness, compassion, gratitude, equanimity, and forgiveness. Collaboration with community is foundational to his methodology, positive outlook, and success.
Treasurer
Michelle La Duca, CRDH, started her dental hygiene adventure after a long career as an engineer. As a new dental hygienist, her passion is to provide oral health education and services to disadvantaged populations in Jacksonville and throughout Florida. She has worked in private offices, and volunteer clinics with City Rescue Mission (CRM), Give Kids a Smile (GKAS), and Remote Area Medical (RAM) dental clinics. Her goal is to further advance quality dental hygiene access to all areas of Florida. She is excited to be part of the officers of NEFDHA in order to champion the needs and goals of the dental hygiene community.
E-Communications Director
Shanna Nicoletti, CRDH, EFDA, CNA, is a graduate of Florida State College at Jacksonville and a dedicated dental hygienist with a passion for patient education and community service. Originally from Upstate New York, she is a proud military Veteran spouse and spent many years traveling back and forth across the country while her husband served as a Deep Sea Diver in the U.S. Navy. Shanna is actively involved with numerous local and national organizations and is committed to advancing oral health throughout Northeast Florida. Outside of dentistry, she is a proud mom of two, coffee enthusiast, and avid traveler. When she's not caring for patients, you'll find her at the beach, volunteering with her children at the Jacksonville Humane Society, cheering on her son at sporting events, attending her daughter's dance recitals, enjoying coffee with her husband, or planning the family's next adventure.
FDHA-
Northeast Director
Cindy Wampler, CRDH, MS, has been a licensed dental hygienist for 46 years. She retired in May of 2022 following a 21 year career as a professor in the Dental Hygiene Program at Florida State College at Jacksonville, Cindy remains an active member of ADHA. Her current role is Director for Northeast Florida. She is also active on the Council on Membership and Council on Governmental Affairs. She has been very active in moving our profession forward with her advocacy for improved access to care for all Floridians and mentoring others to do the same. She looks forward to continuing to serve dental hygienists in the Northeast district of Florida.
Student Liaison
