AADOM Member Stories: Hannah Lively
Hannah Lively, Finance Manager at Allen Family Dentistry in Athens, Texas!
🎧 Prefer to listen? Tune into Hannah’s story HERE.
For Hannah Lively, MAADOM, a career in dentistry wasn’t always the plan. Before entering the dental world, she worked in banking. Fifteen years later, she has grown from checking patients out at the front desk to helping manage three dental practices and a team of approximately 40 employees.
Growing Alongside the Practice
When Hannah joined the practice, there was one location and a team of about 10 employees. As the organization expanded to three locations, her responsibilities grew too. Along the way, she learned treatment, insurance, finance, HR, and practice management while stepping into increasingly larger leadership roles.
Managing three locations means working with different teams and personalities, but Hannah sees that as part of what makes the role rewarding. There is always something new to learn.
Finding Support Through AADOM
Hannah discovered AADOM after realizing that while dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants have many opportunities for continuing education, those working on the business side of dentistry need education and support of their own.
AADOM became a resource for learning how to manage both the people and the business behind the practice.
That support became especially valuable during COVID. Hannah was responsible for areas such as OSHA training and compliance while her practice was also navigating the uncertainty of having purchased its third location just two weeks before the shutdown. Having access to timely information and a community of dental management professionals helped her team navigate an incredibly challenging period.
Turning Education Into Action
For Hannah, professional development isn’t just about learning something new. It’s about bringing that knowledge back to the practice and asking, “How can we use this, and what can we do to make things better?”
With three locations, creating consistent processes is especially important. Hannah and her team regularly take ideas from AADOM conferences, webinars, and other educational resources and adapt them to work across their practices. She credits many of their current processes to ideas they first discovered through AADOM.
For newer members who may feel overwhelmed by all the resources available, Hannah recommends starting with the OM101: Dental Office Manager Training Series and moving through it at your own pace. Learn something, apply it, and then continue building from there.
Finding Your People
Hannah still remembers attending her first AADOM Conference and realizing she had found a community of people who were just as passionate about dentistry and professional growth as she was.
Conference introduced her to new speakers, ideas, resources, and connections that continued long after the event ended. Each time she returns from an AADOM experience, she comes back energized and ready to implement what she learned.
Hannah’s journey is a reminder that leadership doesn’t require having all the answers when you begin. With a willingness to keep learning, seek new perspectives, and bring those lessons back to your team, you can continue growing alongside your practice.
Hannah Lively:
Hannah Lively is the finance manager at Allen Family Dentistry in Athens, TX. She is a graduate of Texas Christian University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in business with a focus on entrepreneurial management. With over 15 years of experience in the dental field, she brings deep knowledge and compassion to her role. Hannah’s favorite part of the job is getting to know patients, hearing their stories, and helping them achieve the smiles they’ve always dreamed of. She’s also well-versed in insurance and patient financing, making it easier for patients to afford the care they need.
Outside of work, Hannah is a certified personal trainer who loves working out and running—she’s completed an impressive 13 half marathons. A college football fanatic, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, especially when it involves a friendly game of cornhole.
Not an AADOM Member Yet?
Now’s the perfect time to join the 10,000+ dental managers nationwide who rely on AADOM for real-world support, expert training, and tools to grow their careers and strengthen their practices. Join today for less than the cost of a daily cup of coffee and start unlocking leadership resources designed just for you!
