Meet Our Staff
Leah Saunders
Like many of her new coworkers, Leah’s lived in Reno pretty much her whole life, and before joining the team, she was a patient of Dr Tripp’s for years. With over 25 years of experience working in medical offices, she’s no stranger to connecting patients with the care they need. When she’s not running the Tripp office, she’s running the Saunders family kitchen at home as the family’s cook or trying to visit every MLB stadium with her husband.
Q: What’s your favorite place to vacation?
A: Hawaii
Q: Have you read any books more than once?
A: Yes. I read Skipping Christmas by John Grisham every December.
Q: What’s your ideal Saturday look like?
A: Hanging out at home with my family.
Q: Favorite Sports Team/Athlete?
A: San Francisco Giants
Q: What food is your guilty pleasure?
A: Pizza!
Q: Dogs or cats?
A: Dogs
Q: Sunrise or Sunset?
A: Sunset
Q: What’s your favorite recipe to make?
A: Cinnamon rolls from scratch
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Reno
Q: What was your first job?
A: Baskin Robbins at Park Lane Mall
Ann Miers
Ann has two boys, Jackson and Lucas, with her husband of 29 years, Paul. She graduated from Idaho University with a Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene and is a mean baker at home. When she’s not whipping up sweet treats, she’s coaching Galena High School’s mountain biking team and staying (heavily) involved in the Reno Tahoe Junior Cycling Program.
Q: What’s your secret skill?
A: If I told you I’d have to kill you
Q: What’s your favorite place to vacation?
A: Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
Q: What’s the last series you binge watched?
A: Big Bang Theory
Q: Have you read any books more than once?
A: “If You Give a Pig a Pancake” (a classic, for sure)
Q: What’s your ideal Saturday look like?
A: A good cup of coffee and then free to do whatever I want to
Q: Favorite Sports Team/Athlete?
A: Kateřina Nash
Q: What food is your guilty pleasure?
A: Maui Onion chips
Q: What have you been listening to lately?
A: Lenny Kravitz
Q: If you weren’t in dentistry, what would you be doing?
A: Skiing more. Oh, and riding my bike and baking more
Q: Dogs or cats?
A: Dogs
Q: What’s an exotic pet you’d like to have?
A: Monkey
Q: Sunrise or Sunset?
A: Neither, I’m more of a 10-2 kind of person
Q: What’s your favorite recipe to make?
A: Any baked treat
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Reno
Q: What was your first job?
A: Lifeguard
Q: Nevada native?
A: No
Michelle Becker
Although born in the Castro Valley in California, Michelle is a Nevadan through and through. After growing up in Carson City, she graduated from Carson High School and devoted most of her life to dentistry, save for some time off to raise her three kids. Now, she and her husband of 25 years, Brad, are empty nesters waiting to see what life brings them. So far, it’s plenty of family time at Lake Tahoe, riding quads, boating, travelling, and a healthy supply of downtime.
Q: What’s your favorite place to vacation?
A: South Africa and Turks and Caicos
Q: What’s the last series you binge watched?
A: Scandal
Q: Have you read any books more than once?
A: No
Q: What’s your ideal Saturday look like?
A: Lake Tahoe on the boat
Q: Favorite Sports Team/Athlete?
A: Whoever’s winning
Q: What food is your guilty pleasure?
A: Mexican and margaritas : )
Q: What have you been listening to lately?
A: Country
Q: If you weren’t in dentistry, what would you be doing?
A: Personal shopper
Q: Dogs or cats?
A: Cats AND dogs
Q: What’s an exotic pet you’d like to have?
A: Tiger
Q: Sunrise or Sunset?
A: Sunsets
Q: What’s your favorite recipe to make?
A: Spoon tacos
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Carson City and Bay Area
Q: What was your first job?
A: Taco Bell
Q: Nevada native?
A: No
Michele Whitten
Michele, like so many Tripp DDS employees is a world class dental assistant with some serious Nevada ties. This Silver State native was born and raised in Reno, graduated from Reno High School, and can usually be found at Lake Tahoe on the weekends with her family. She’s been happily married for 19 years and is a self-described, avid baseball and volleyball mom of two teenagers.
Q: What’s your favorite place to vacation?
A: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Q: What’s the last series you binge watched?
A: Breaking Bad
Q: Have you read any books more than once?
A: The Notebook
Q: What’s your ideal Saturday look like?
A: Hanging out with my husband and 2 kids at Lake Tahoe
Q: Favorite Sports Team/Athlete?
A: San Francisco Giants
Q: What food is your guilty pleasure?
A: Macadamia, sea salt, caramel clusters
Q: What have you been listening to lately?
A: Chainsmokers
Q: Describe a favorite childhood memory.
A: Playing hide and seek with all my neighborhood friends
Q: If you weren’t in dentistry, what would you be doing?
A: Personal shopper
Q: Dogs or cats?
A: Dogs, I have two named Bodie and Abby
Q: What’s an exotic pet you’d like to have?
A: Monkey
Q: Sunrise or Sunset?
A: Sunsets.
Q: What’s your favorite recipe to make?
A: Chicken Marbela
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Reno
Q: What was your first job?
A: Dentistry and the Best Wishes Gift Shop
Q: Nevada native?
A: Yes!
Peggy Draper
Most people’s retirement plans involve expensive toys and burning as few calories as possible on a beach somewhere. Peggy’s has the beach, but that’s where the similarities end. “I’m looking forward to retiring with my hubby and possibly moving where there are sea turtles so we can be volunteers.” Until then, she’s taking care of another animal, Indy, her recently adopted puppy, and spending the days with her grown children, Cleighton and Erynn.
Q: What’s your secret skill?
A: I can get almost any stain out of anything
Q: What’s your favorite place to vacation?
A: Any beach, as long as it’s sunny
Q: What’s the last series you binge watched?
A: Royal Pains
Q: Have you read any books more than once?
A: No
Q: What’s your ideal Saturday look like?
A: Coffee with the hubby, out for breakfast, then taking the dog for a walk
Q: Favorite Sports Team/Athlete?
A: Colorado Avalanche
Q: What food is your guilty pleasure?
A: Dark chocolate
Q: What have you been listening to lately?
A: News
Q: If you weren’t in dentistry, what would you be doing?
A: Making jewelry
Q: Dogs or cats?
A: Dogs
Q: What’s an exotic pet you’d like to have?
A: A hedgehog
Q: Sunrise or Sunset?
A: Sunsets
Q: What’s your favorite recipe to make?
A: White Sangria
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: So Cal
Q: What was your first job?
A: Worked in a tool and dye shop
Q: Nevada native?
A: No
Caia Bailie
Caia knew she wanted to work in dentistry since she was 7 years old. This may come as no surprise to her patients, as they see firsthand just how much she loves getting to know them and helping them with their oral health. Other things Caia loves: marrying her high school sweetheart and her (soon to be) three children. When she’s not keeping teeth sparkling white in the Tripp DDS office, she’s maximizing time with her growing family. That could be outdoors camping, swimming, and hiking with them, or at home doing everything she can to keep the oreo ice cream out of reach.
Q: What’s your favorite place to vacation?
A: Definitely, Maui HI, I love the beach and the slow pace.
Q: What’s the last series you binge watched?
A: These days I don’t have time to binge watch anything, but I love This is Us
Q: Have you read any books more than once?
A: When I was younger, I read the Twilight series a few times.
Q: Favorite Sports Team/Athlete?
A: Football, the Dallas Cowboys
Q: What food is your guilty pleasure?
A: Oreo Ice Cream
Q: Describe a favorite childhood memory.
A: My family used to go camping at Round Valley Reservoir every summer.
Q: Dogs or cats?
A: Dogs for sure!
Q: Sunrise or Sunset?
A: Love sunsets
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Spanish Springs
Q: What was your first job?
A: Jamba Juice
Q: Nevada native?
A: No.
Michelle Twichell
For Michelle, family is everything. It’s what made all of those long flights to Germany as a kid worth it – knowing her relatives were waiting with open arms when she landed. Family’s what made her come back to Nevada after graduating from the University of Colorado. And after 32 years of practicing dental hygiene, her patients are now like the biggest extended family possible. She loves hearing about their lives and keeping their smiles in tip top shape. Outside the office, she spends much of her time with the two most important family members, her husband and their dog, Sophie. You can find them hiking Mt. Rose, traveling the world, or at home filling their pantry with homemade canned treats.
Q: What’s your secret skill?
A: Canning
Q: What’s your favorite place to vacation?
A: Europe
Q: What’s the last series you binge watched?
A: The Blacklist
Q: What’s your ideal Saturday look like?
A: Hiking Mt. Rose with my dog Sophie
Q: Favorite Sports Team/Athlete?
A: The Denver Broncos
Q: What food is your guilty pleasure?
A: Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate
Q: Dogs or cats?
A: Dogs
Q: Sunrise or Sunset?
A: Sunset
Q: What’s your favorite recipe to make?
A: Sauteed strawberries in a red wine pepper sauce served over ice cream
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Sparks
Q: Nevada native?
A: Moved here when I was 5 so I consider myself a native.
Gracie Clark
Gracie’s not one for comfort zones. When Dr. Tripp recommended she enter dental assisting school, Gracie took it to heart. Before she knew it, she was out of the dental chair and working by the dentist’s side. That might seem like quite the leap, but for Gracie, not much is out of the question. This is the girl who literally herds cats. That’s right, if you happen to bump into her and her husband, Alex, on an average weekend, chances are it’ll be on the hiking trails with their three courageous kitties. Otherwise, you can catch this former gymnastics coach baking up a storm in the kitchen while Ace Ventura plays in the background.
Q: What’s your favorite place to vacation?
A: DisneyLand
Q: What’s the last series you binge watched?
A: The Walking Dead
Q: What’s your ideal Saturday look like?
A: Hiking with my kittens and hubby
Q: What food is your guilty pleasure?
A: Lays Pickle Chips
Q: Dogs or cats?
A: Cats
Q: What’s an exotic pet you’d like to have?
A: Black Panther
Q: Sunrise or Sunset?
A: Sunset
Q: What’s your favorite recipe to make?
A: Anything with pasta
Q: What was your first job?
A: Gymnastics Coach
Q: Are you a native Nevadan?
A: Yes