Lasting Impressions | Summer 2016

NSU COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE x 29 Inspire Generous Gift With a thriving practice based in a striking, freestand- ing building in South Miami—a space that he and his wife, Kimber, had a major hand in designing—Mariani has become a dental school donor. Because, as he says, “I don’t really have an alma mater” to support, Mariani and his wife, Kimber, who retired from her careers as a nurse and a medical insurance investigator, have made a generous gift to NSU’s College of Dental Medicine. The orthodontist and his wife have no professional ties of their own to NSU, though their 19-year-old son, Christopher James (C.J.), is now a freshman. Mariani has made a presentation to the college’s orthodontic residents about the value of membership in the American Association of Orthodontists, has visited the dental college, and admires the educational philosophies of both George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., NSU president and chief executive officer, and Linda Niessen, D.M.D., M.P.H., M.P.P., dean of the College of Dental Medicine. “Nova Southeastern University is a wonderful part of the community, with so much to offer, and the College of Dental Medicine is growing exponentially,” said Kimber Mariani. “We’re thrilled to be able to give back to university, just as the university gives back to the community. We feel our gift is being passed on, which is wonderful.” For Mariani to give to an institution he didn’t attend isn’t unheard of, Niessen said. “Like other donors, dentists contribute to dental schools for any number of reasons: They believe in the mission of the school, they are faculty members, or they contribute to honor a current or past faculty member,” she said. “I am honored that Kimber and Chris chose to support our college of dental medicine, even though Chris did not attend NSU.” According to Niessen, the donation will be used for two specific purposes. “It has enabled the College of Dental Medicine to update our strategic planning process and launch a new faculty development program,” she explained. “This new distinguished lecture series will invite outstanding leaders in dentistry to the College of Dental Medicine to share new techniques or clinical skills, advance research, or present new educational ideas.” Niessen added that the lecture series will be named in honor of the Mariani family. That the Marianis would be drawn to NSU’s College of Dental Medicine, with its state-of-the-art facilities and emphasis on student centeredness along with academic excellence, isn’t surprising. Preparing students for careers that will stretch into 2050 will involve teaching “digital- radiography, 3-D imaging, digital impressioning, digital design, and fabrication of dental restorations (CAD/CAM dentistry)—techniques that will continue to advance in the lifetime of our graduates,” Niessen said. Fostering a student-centered environment in an intense, highly technical field also helps the college train future leaders. “Giving students a voice in their education, listening to the problems they have identified, and working together to create solutions allows the students to demonstrate their leadership skills, making it a natural transition for them to become leaders when they graduate,” Niessen explained. Mariani is that kind of leader. He was the founder and first president of the University of Miami’s chapter of the American Society for Pre-Dental Students and is a past president of the Florida Association of Orthodontists. He is also a team sports dentist for Coral Gables High School and the University of Miami—the latter continuing a tradition begun by his father, who was a team dentist for the Hurricanes. “I take the materials and teach the student trainers to make mouth guards,” Mariani said. “I took impressions on site of all the football players. It’s fun and nice to be involved; it’s energizing.” Mariani’s office, which was inspired by a resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands, blended with what the ortho- dontist calls “a Cape Cod coastal feeling,” exudes a relaxed, welcoming warmth. Ceiling fans with drooping palm-frond blades hang from a wooden ceiling that rises to a peak in