Meet The Team
Get to Know Our Team
Meet Our Skilled Team Members
Dr. Gary Berson
Dr. Halie Aronson
Dr. David Schwartz
Hygiene
Linda Erts, RDH
Since the age of 15, Linda knew she wanted to be a Dental Hygienist. Her dream was realized in 1978 when she attended OCCC. After that, she worked in different dental settings before moving to the area and working for Dr. Berson. Throughout the years at Dr. Berson’s practice she has had the pleasure to meet and care for many kind and wonderful people. Although she has been with our office for 30 plus years, she still has a passion for dental hygiene. Linda has two adult children, Kendra and Ryan, along with an assortment of four legged critters. She loves traveling, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and anything water related.
Kris Tunno, RDH
In 1999, Kris graduated from hygiene school and was a former clinical instructor at SUNY Orange. She has been working at Dr. Berson’s office for over 17 years. Kris enjoys baking, gardening, camping, and spending time with her son, husband, dog, and chickens.
Jackie Rutledge BA, RDH
Jackie Rutledge BA, RDH, is the “Jackie” of all trades in our office. In 1993, she received a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Albany and then went back to school in 1996 at SUNY Orange to become a dental hygienist. She previously worked for her mother, Dr. Maureen Whipple, for 15 years as a hygienist and office manager before coming to Dr. Berson’s office. Jackie is involved in a multitude of activities and is very involved in her community here in Sullivan County. Some of her activities include running, in which she has done 4 marathons, volunteer work, and recently became a member of the Sullivan West school board.
Michelle Olsen, RDH
We’re glad to welcome one of our newest hygienists, Michelle! She has been a registered Dental Hygienist for more than 20 years. Michelle strives to provide a comfortable experience for her patients no matter if you’re 3 years old or 93 years old! In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with her husband and son kayaking, boating and hiking at their lake home in PA.
Judith Amato, RDH
Judith Amato started her Dental career as an Ortho Assistant for Bracesetters right here in Monticello. After following the advice of the Orthodontist, she decided to further her career in the dental field and started taking courses towards a Dental Hygiene Degree. She graduated from Orange County Community College in 2000, making the Dean’s list. Throughout her time as an assistant and later as a Dental Hygienist, she volunteered at all the local schools in her area providing Dental Health Education services for over 35 years. She has served 10 years on the Port Jervis School Board. She is married to her husband Joe and they have six children. Her hobbies included breeding Siberian Huskies, and they had an opportunity for one of their puppies to try out for a part in the Disney movie, Snow Buddies.
Certified Dental Assistants
Karen
Karen has been working at Dr. Berson’s office for over 18 years but has been assisting for the past 25. She is both certified and licensed in dental assisting and is the head assistant in the office. She enjoys doing most anything but especially gardening and working around the house. When she is not at the office, Karen loves to spend time with her three beautiful daughters whom she is proud to say she raised alone, and her grandchildren, Maverick, Avianna, Paisley, and Archer.
Pamela
Pamela has been working for over 3 years at Dr. Berson’s office since 2021. She is a dental assistant and helps the office with any tech issues that come up, as well as creating an online presence for the office. She attended Siena College, working as a Special Ed TA for middle school students. After that, she worked as a photographer, specializing in portraits and sports. While she enjoys her new career, she still does freelance photography. Her other hobbies include photographing her cats, traveling, and playing video games. She is currently enjoying newlywed life with her husband James.
Front Office
Lori
Lori Rivas has been working with Dr. Berson for over 10 years. Working in Dr. Berson’s office has been like working with family. She has been married to her wonderful husband Adam for 25 years and has two awesome sons, Dylan and Colby. She loves spending quality time with her family, like hiking, biking, snowshoeing and off-road jeeping.
