Joan Monaco, DMD, a student of Farleigh Dickenson University Dental School from 1987 – 1990,  transferred to and graduated from UMDNJ – NJDS in 1991. Dr. Monaco was in private practice full-time and worked part time with the largest major insurance carrier before becoming full-time in-house in 2007. She left both private practice and the insurance industry to establish her own consulting firm until 2015 when she joined the NJDA as Director of Dental Benefits. Dr. Monaco currently oversees all dental operations for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey as the Director of Dental Operations under the Commercial Business Unit’s EXPAND line of business.

Dr. Sam Wakim is the Dental Director for the Government Programs Division of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.  He is a graduate of University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and earned a master’s degree in Dental Public Health from UMDNJ – School of Public Health.  He is a staunch advocate for access to preventive services including sealants and fluoride to prevent dental decay and HPV vaccines to prevent oropharyngeal cancer in underserved communities.  Prior to joining Horizon, Dr. Wakim served as Zufall Health Center’s Chief Dental Officer for 13 years. In addition to overseeing the dental department, Dr. Wakim established numerous initiatives addressing comprehensive health care needs. These included school-based education and screening programs, a dental residency program, on-the-job training initiatives, continuing education classes and integrated programs with the medical department. Before joining Zufall, he ran the school-based dental program at the Paterson Community Health Center and was the Dental Director for UMDNJ’s University Dental Center in Newton. He was named a Top Dentist by New Jersey Monthly Magazine, was recognized by the New Jersey Dental Association with the “Give Kids A Smile Pioneer Award,” and was designated a “Real Doc Hollywood” by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health.