Meet the Team

Sarah Wovcha, JD, MPH

Board Treasurer

Sarah Wovcha is the Executive Director of Children’s Dental Services in Minneapolis, Minnesota’s largest provider of school- and Head Start-based dental care, serving over 37,000 children and families annually. She holds a law degree from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. Ms. Wovcha is passionate about serving Hope Dental because it is truly and uniquely a dental safety net provider for everyone!

Terri Henneman

Board Secretary

Terri is a retired nurse who previously worked in hospital settings and in employee health testing. The impact of dental health on overall physical health and overcoming disparities in health care fuel her interest in helping Hope Dental Clinic succeed. Terri is a community volunteer who especially enjoys development and fund raising. She has worked on the Capital Campaign for the International Institute of Minnesota, fundraising galas for the Ordway Center for Performing Arts, and chairs the Development Committee for Hope Dental Clinic. Terri has a BA in Nursing from Gustavus Adolphus College.

Terri and her husband Mark have three children, a son in law, and two grandsons. Terri and Mark live in St Paul and enjoy spending time with family at their cabin in Wisconsin and condo in Florida. Terri enjoys reading, biking, long walks, and working on her golf game.

David S. Gesko, DDS, FACD

As the Senior Vice President and Dental Director for HealthPartners, an integrated, not-for-profit, consumer-governed health system based in Minnesota David is passionate about integrating medical and dental care and applying growing evidence-based research to care delivery.

He is and has been a leader for many years in support of licensing and integrating dental therapy into dental practice.

He has been on the advisory panel for the Institute for Oral Health and is a past Chair of the Institute for Oral and Systemic Health sponsored by Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wisconsin. He is currently a Board member of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality. All these groups are working to build national consensus on guidelines for measurement and prevention of disease management in oral health care and to facilitate implementation of those guidelines into the care, policy, and financing systems.

Dr. Gesko has served for seven years on the Minnesota Board of Dentistry appointment by former Governor Mark Dayton. During his tenure on the Board, Dr. Gesko has held all the officer roles including President. Currently, Dr. Gesko is an active consultant with the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.

Dr. Gesko and his wife Leslie have two grown (married) children. Their daughter Tracey has two children and lives in southwest Washington State. Their son Sam was recently married and is a third-year dental student in Phoenix, Arizona. Sam and his wife Kieran recently had their first child, and one more “Sam Gesko” is with us!

Kelly Gray, PHR

Kelly is the Director of Talent for Robins Kaplan LLP, an AM Law 200 litigation firm based in Minneapolis. In this role, Kelly oversees the Human Resources, compliance, talent acquisition, and diversity initiatives at the firm. Kelly brings 12 years of Human Resources experience to the Hope Board of Directors and has worked in a variety of industries including non-profit, manufacturing, and professional services. Kelly has served on Hope's Board since 2020 and is currently the Chair of the Governance Committee. Kelly has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Human Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and maintains her professional in human resources (PHR) certification.

Russ Loomis

Russ is a retired Dental Products Division Account Executive. He worked at 3M for 44 years, most in the dental area.

He holds a degree in Economics from The University of Minnesota. Having lived in St. Louis and Chicago for a few years, most of his life has been spent in St. Paul. He serves on the Hope Dental Board and the Development Committee. Russ is passionate about Hope Dental’s tremendous service provided to the community. Hope serves so many less fortunate patients, children through the elderly.

T. Cher Moua

T. Cher Moua spent the first 14 years of his life in Laos during the US Conflict in Indochina. He and his family immigrated to the US in 1979, after the fall of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. T. Cher completed his Seminary education at Bethel University (Formerly Bethel Seminary) in St. Paul in 1994.

T. Cher served as Senior Pastor and Church Planter both in Hmong Indigenous and Cross-cultural contexts for over 37 years in Michigan and Minnesota. He has also been serving on different non-profit organizations and higher education institutions Boards in the Twin Cities. In addition, T. Cher has continued to serve as Pastoral Counseling and Perspectives on the World Christian Movement for over 10 years. T. Cher is currently serving as a member of the Leadership Team with Cru’s Immigrants, Internationals, and Refugees (IIR).

T. Cher and Mai Yia, his wife, have five adult children and their spouses and seventeen grandchildren from three different ethnic backgrounds. He is the author of Crossing the River: One Man’s Journey From Darkness To Light, and Marriage & Family Healing and Wholeness: A Hmong Multicultural Pastoral Counseling Perspective (Published 2024).

T. Cher’s purpose and passion as a man, husband, father, grandfather, and Christ-follower are to be faithful to the call of God in his life and a good steward of the gifts and talents God has granted him to influence others with the good news of Jesus Christ for the sake of the kingdom of God.

In his spare time, T. Cher enjoys time with Mai Yia, his wife in their backyard garden and other recreational activities around the house and outside away from home.