Darla Gerik grew up in West, Texas, a small town just north of Waco, and is the Clinical Leader for the practice. Darla has been with us since soon after opening our doors. Darla attended Texas State Technical College, graduated as a Dental Assistant, and spent 5 years in practice before deciding to attend nursing school. She graduated in 2000 from McLennan Community College and has worked in the field of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery ever since.
She has two boys that are active in motocross and she and her husband spend most of their free time traveling from one race to another. The younger of the two loves to play softball, as well. When Darla has time to herself, she enjoys running and reading.
Jo Alexander
Jo Alexander is a native Texan and resides in Lott, Texas. Jo has recently retired from civil service after 30 years of service. She spent the last 16 years at Darnall Army Medical Center in the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Department as a Scrub Technician, and 14 years prior to that as a Dental Assistant to specialists such as Prosthodontist and Endodontists.
Jo lives close to her daughter, Jamie, son-in-law, Troy, and her three grandchildren. They all love to rodeo and compete in barrel racing. The three generations of women, Jo, Jamie and Macy, have competed against each other many times. In her spare time, Jo ropes steers with her grandson Ross, and goes fishing with the youngest, Ace.
Heidi Clark - Special Projects
Heidi is originally from Illinois and obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Illinois Wesleyan University sponsored by the US Army ROTC program. After graduation, she entered active duty service and spent 12 years as a Critical Care and Emergency Room nurse in the Army. During that time, she also received a Master of Science in Nursing from Georgetown University.
Heidi’s specialty area in nursing has been mostly patients with heart disease. She has cared for patients in that area ranging from children with cardiac abnormalities to adult patients who have heart attacks and require either cardiac catheterization or open heart surgery. This specialty area has required her to have additional certifications in Critical Care Nursing (CCRN), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advance Life Support (PALS). Advanced knowledge in these areas enables her to direct the care of our patients undergoing sedation and to help care for any patients who may have additional medical needs.
Laura Gray
Laura Gray is originally from College Station, TX, but moved to Waco over six years ago. Her nursing career began at the Waco VA Hospital, where she worked with in-patient psychiatric patients as well as geriatric psych patients. From the Waco VA she was transferred to the Temple VA and worked with oncology patients. Laura then moved to Labor and Delivery at Providence Hospital for 2 years. She is proud to be a part of the team at Heart of the Brazos Oral and Facial Surgery. Laura strives to make every patient feel comfortable during their treatment while in our care.
She enjoys spending time with her daughter and watching her dance and play sports. Laura received her nursing degree from McLennan Community College.
Michelle Kendrick
Michelle was born in San Antonio, TX, and as the daughter of a military service member, grew up in Germany, and returned to Texas after high school. She graduated from Central Texas College as an EMT in 2001, and then from nursing school in 2004. After graduation she moved to Waco and worked as a labor and delivery nurse at both King’s Daughter’s Hospital and Providence Hospital. She is excited to be learning a new area of medicine and dentistry at Heart of the Brazos.
Michelle lives in Speegleville, and she and her husband keep busy with their three boys: Tarver, Brandon, and Bryce. She attends Christian Life Church in Robinson, and loves to scrapbook in her spare time.
Brian Pillians
Brian Pillans has lived in Corsicana, Texas all of his life. He attended Navarro College and received his Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Tyler. After graduating from UT, he was accepted into an eleven month Operating Room interniship with Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.
Since January 2003, Brian has been a Surgical Nurse, specializing in Oral, Pediatric, and Gynecological surgeries. Brian began working with the Heart of the Brazos in June of 2008 and can normally be found in the Corsicana office.
Robin Reed
Robin is originally from Hereford, Texas and attended Texas Tech University. After receiving her nursing degree from Covenant Hospital, she worked as a pediatric emergency room nurse for the hospital. She also has experience working in a 12 physician pediatric practice in Iowa City, Iowa. Due to her background in pediatrics, Robin has a special heart for children and looks forward to helping even the smallest patients feel like they are in the most professional and comfortable setting at Heart of the Brazos Oral & Facial Surgery.
Robin has been married for 11 years, and she and her husband have two sons and one daughter. They relocated to the Waco area in 2003 due to her husband’s job, and are happy to now call Waco their home. As a family, they are actively involved in community youth sports and church activities. Robin’s hobbies include traveling and spending time with her family and friends.
