Meet Our Team

Our friendly and experienced team of dental professionals is committed to helping you improve your oral health and enjoy a beautiful, confident smile for life! We are excited to welcome you to Noel Dental Arts, and when you visit Dr. Jake Noel or Dr. Karter Smith, you can count on us to help you feel at ease so that you can receive the care you need in comfort. Call 256-883-0030 today to schedule an appointment with our dentists in Huntsville, Alabama, and learn more!

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team photo

Krystal Childress

Operations & Billing Manager

Krystal has been in billing since 2011. She started out in medical billing and has been a certified medical biller and coder since 2013. After meeting and working with Dr. Noel previously, she switched over to dental and fell in love. She has been in her current role as operations/billing manager since she joined our practice in April of 2021. Krystal enjoys helping and interacting with patients. Our patients and staff enjoy her cheerful, positive personality and glowing bright smile.

Krystal has been married to her husband since 2014 and they share three kids together, Tristen, Jacob, and Jaxon. In her free time, she loves to travel, dine out, attend sports games for her kids and spends her free time devoted to her family and friends.

 

Maritza “Ritz” Cienfuegos

Front Desk

Ritz graduated from West Morgan High School and is currently attending Wallace State Community College. Since January 2022, she has been the friendly face our patients see when they walk through our doors. Though she may look young, she is actually old enough to work here, and she is even bilingual to help more of our patients.

Ritz is the second child in her family and plans to be the first generation to graduate from college. In her free time, she enjoys skateboarding, playing basketball, shopping, eating and playing with her dog, Teddy.

Brianne Vaow

Insurance Coordinator

Brianne joined our team in July 2022, and she enjoys working in a stress-free environment with our helpful team. She is also very helpful in taking care of our patients’ insurance needs.

Brianne has a beautiful, wild, crazy 3-year-old daughter named Logann-Rose. She would like all our patients to know that they should come talk to her if they want a laugh!

Lesley Stapler

Front Desk

Lesley graduated summa cum laude from Athens State University with a bachelor’s degree in management and a minor in project management. She joined our team in July 2022. Lesley loves that our team is focused on providing the highest level of quality care to our patients, and she contributes her exceptional multitasking and organizational skills to our practice.

Lesley was born and raised in Huntsville. She is married with children, and she has five dogs. When not at the office, Lesley spends a lot of time boating and fishing at the lake house.

Gabriela “Gavi” Hernandez

Lead Dental Assistant

Gavi has been a part of our team since February 2019 and has especially enjoyed the friendly, family-like environment we have here. She is great at helping our patients feel calm during their treatments.

Gavi is married and has four dogs. Outside of the office, she loves to travel and visit her family in Texas and Mexico.

Brittan Scott

Dental Assistant

Brittan got her dental assisting certificate from the North Alabama Dental Assisting Program, and in June 2022, she joined our Noel Dental Arts family. One of her strengths is how she always looks for the good in people or situations, knowing that life is too short to assume the worst in someone. She has been a great member of our team, helping us to truly care for our patients and each other.

Outside of the office, Brittan loves thrifting, crafting, doing anything outdoors, listening to true crime videos and podcasts, and hanging out with friends. She has a husky lab named Finn and a little sister named Palace. She is currently pregnant with her first baby girl, Madelyn, and we are happy for her anticipated arrival in March!

Chandler Conner

Dental Assistant

Chandler graduated from Calhoun Community College’s dental assisting program in 2018. She joined Noel Dental Arts in August 2022. Chandler is always making the best out of every situation placed in front of her and strives to make every patient leave with a smile.

Outside of work, Chandler enjoys babysitting and going to thrift stores, as well as spending time with her family; her fiancé, Scott; and her two birds, Penelope and Bernard.

Whitney Tarkington

Lead Dental Hygienist

Whitney graduated cum laude from Wallace State Community College in 2008 with a degree in dental hygiene and the Hu-Friedy Golden Scaler award. Then, in 2021, she graduated cum laude from Southern New Hampshire University with a Bachelor of Science in public health. She is very dedicated and gives 100% to our patients, striving to give them quality care and better oral health education.

Outside of work, Whitney is married to her husband, who retired from the Army in 2019 after 23 years of service. Being a military spouse has given her the opportunity to work in many different settings, but she returned to her home in Alabama in 2021. She and her husband have two children. In her free time, Whitney likes to read and spend time with family.

Vanessa Parton

Dental Hygienist

Vanessa earned her dental hygiene degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2009 and became a part of our practice in August 2022. She appreciates the chance to be a part of a team that is like family, and she builds connections with her patients so that they feel comfortable during their visits.

Vanessa married her husband, Jake, in 2008 and they have two daughters, Ella and Emma. In her free time, she enjoys weight lifting and CrossFit.