Meet the staff

MELANIE COLEMAN, RDH – IMPLANT TREATMENT COORDINATOR

I was born and raised in southern Kentucky. I graduated from Western Kentucky University Dental Hygiene Program in 1994. I have truly enjoyed being in dentistry for over 20 years. When not at work I enjoy camping, knitting, cooking and riding the motorcycle with my wonderful husband, Dickie.

I have worked for Dr. Blanchard since 2001, first as a dental hygienist and now as the Implant Treatment Coordinator. I find being in a practice that puts patient education and comfort first to be very fulfilling. Watching people get excited about improving their dental health is the ultimate reward. I look forward to meeting with you. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Shea Whitehead – Patient Coordinator

Born and raised in Elizabeth City, I have lived here all of my life. I have been married to my husband Robbie for 16 years, and we have one daughter, Amber. We live on a 30-acre farm, where we have horses, cow, and pigs. Amber raises cows and pigs for 4-H, but we spend most of our spare time with our horses. Amber has been barrel racing since she was 7 years old, winning NC State 4-H Gaming Champion. We go to competitions all over North Carolina, and we have even been as far as Memphis, Tennessee.

I have been the patient coordinator for Dr. Blanchard for over 3 years and have learned a great deal from my experiences with him. I have enjoyed working in the dental field and will be more than happy to help everyone with any questions that they might have. I look forward to working with you.

Deborah K Lawrence, CDA – Surgical Assistant

I was born and raised in the Philadelphia suburbs. (GO EAGLES!) After attending two years of college I decided to move into the dental field. I started working for a general dentist in 1997 and earned my National Dental Assisting Certification.

I moved to North Carolina in 1999 and started working with Dr. Blanchard. I have thoroughly enjoyed working in the field of periodontics and implants.

When out of the office I spend my time with my husband Michael and our two children, Camryn and Luke. We enjoy riding our horses and often travel to barrel racing competitions up and down the east coast.

I look forward to meeting our patients and being able to provide them with a great dental experience while achieving their dental needs and goals.

M’Liss Miller, RDH – Dental Hygienist

I made a decision at age 11 to be a dental hygienist. After much negotiating (pleading actually) my family dentist agreed to start my training as a dental assistant while I was in high school. I graduated from Northhampton County Community College in 1981. All these years later I am still happily doing what I love. Working with Dr. Blanchard since 2000 has taken my clinical skills to a new dimension. It’s a pleasure to work with someone committed to improving our patients dental and overall health.

Just as dental hygiene has changed for me so has my life. Since moving with my husband Mike from the mountains of Pennsylvania to the ocean in North Carolina. I am happily looking forward to may more years by the water and with Dr. Blanchard.

Cheryl P. Armstrong, RDH, CDA – Dental Hygienist

I was born in Richmond, Virginia but I have lived in the Albemarle area most of my life. I currently live in Elizabeth City with my husband, Vic and my rottweiler, Zeus. I have one wonderful daugher: Jennifer, a great son-in-law: Kelly and a beautiful grandaughter: Alyssa, and two “grand-dogs”. I enjoy competition waterskiing and am part-owner of Beaver Lake in Gates County where our ski club holds water ski tournaments, learn to ski days, and various fundraisers each year. I also enjoy reading, fitness, camping, hiking, ATV trail riding and NASCAR.

I have been in the dental field since 1984. I started out as an office trained dental assistant and worked enough hours to test and obtain my national dental assisting certification (CDA). I worked a s a CDA for 17 years in general, pediatric, and oral surgery practices. During this time I determined that I wanted to become a registered dental hygienist (RDH). After our daughter graduated from high school and started attending college I decided that is was time for me to attend college also. I graduated from Wayne Community College in 2003 and then took state and national boards to obtain my RDH certification and licenses. I have been working as a registered dental hygienist since that time and have been working with Dr. Blanchard since 2007. I have a license to practice dental hygiene in North Carolina and Virginia.

I look forward to meeting you and helping you achieve optimum dental health. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing someone work hard and realize his or her goals.

Professional Associations: American Dental Hygiene Association, NC Dental Hygiene Association, Dental Assisting National Board, NC Dental Assistants Association, USA Waterski member

Kali Murphy-Surgical Assistant

I was born in Media, Pennsylvania and moved to Hertford, NC for my dad’s job in 1998. I grew up showing livestock for the 4-H and showed horses all over eastern North Carolina. I competed in Western Pleasure, Working Western, Cattle Sorting and now I’ve entered the Barrell Racing World.

I started our my college career with Culinary Technology and also Veterinary Assisting. I now have a small specialty cake business I do from home. I came across this job by Dr. Blanchard’s other assistatn Debbie Lawrence and have been working here since 2014. I absolutely love Dental Assisting and can’t imagine doing anything else!

I look forward to learning more and being able to help our patients in every way!