BizTimes Milwaukee: What is Community Smiles Dental, and what makes your mission unique and vital to our community?
Scott Marshall: Community Smiles Dental (CSD) is the place parents and caregivers come for the best dental care for their loved one. We’re a nonprofit clinic serving kids and people with special needs across southeastern Wisconsin — those who have no insurance or rely on Medicaid. The patients most for-profit dental offices turn away. We were founded in 2008 by Waukesha school-system nurses, local family dentists and Waukesha Memorial Hospital. They saw kids in pain who weren’t able to see a dentist. They decided to do something. We now have clinics in Waukesha and Menomonee Falls.
BizTimes: What opportunities and challenges are CSD tackling?
Marshall: The demand for our care far outpaces our capacity. We’re in the middle of an $8.2 million capital campaign to add a clinic in Milwaukee. It’ll be twice the size of either current location — designed to be the dental home for more than 5,000 children. And we’re two thirds of the way there! For anyone looking to make an investment with an immediate, measurable and permanent impact, this is your moment.
BizTimes: What’s your favorite success story as CEO?
Marshall: When I arrived, we had dental chairs sitting empty too often. I asked board members who ran dental clinics what their schedules looked like compared to ours. We were under-scheduling. Our team had been scheduling lighter to protect staff from burnout, but nobody had asked the team what they wanted. When I asked, they said they would love to see more patients! We started to fill those chairs. But the metric I’m proudest of is that more of our patients are returning without decay. Education is working and prevention is winning.
BizTimes: How is CSD evolving to meet local needs?
Marshall: We’re growing with purpose, not just in size. Our Milwaukee clinic plan is exciting, but our evolution runs deeper. We run CSD with the discipline of any for-profit, high-performing business, investing in top-tier equipment and people. We track appointments to maximize efficiency. Every unfilled slot is a kid who wasn’t seen. We’re also building awareness, so families and donors can find us. I want campaigns like Tooth Fairy Day, Healthy Smiles Month and Smiles for the Season to become part of this region’s philanthropic culture.
BizTimes: Why is the CSD mission something you’re passionate about?
Marshall: I grew up in Greenfield in a family that was on-and-off reliant on public assistance. We went to food pantries often — and I was excited to go. We shopped at Goodwill before thrifting was cool. I didn’t understand until my 20s how hard my mother was working. When I see a parent who’s been turned away by office after office, still fighting to get their kid care — I don’t see a statistic. I see my mom. If that resonates with you, visit CommunitySmiles.org to donate or refer a patient. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Or email me at smarshall@communitysmiles.org for a tour. Stand in one of our clinics for 10 minutes and you’ll want to be part of what happens.
210 NW Barstow Street, Suite 305 • Waukesha , WI 53188
262-522-7645 • communitysmiles.org
