Meet the Team

We recognize that all our patients are unique and deserve to receive dental care that reflects their individual needs. Our experienced and talented dental team is committed to working with you and your family to create a comfortable, stress-free, and rewarding dental experience every time you visit our practice.

We are pleased to welcome you and your family, and we look forward to working with you.

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Kayla

Dental Assistant

I am a 2015 graduate from MTC for dental assisting. My prior experience was three years in pediatrics. Although I enjoyed working with children, I wanted to advance my scope of work and get into general dentistry. I am the newest member to this particular office and enjoying every bit of it so far. It’s nice working with a laid-back doctor who is happy to be here at the office. There is a lot of laughter, which helps keep the positive vibes going throughout the day.

General dentistry has so much to enjoy. I love meeting new people and having the opportunity to help people when needed. Dentistry has brought both of those to me on a daily basis, whether it’s just meeting somebody during a routine checkup or helping with a specific problem.

I was born and raised here in Bradenton. I have a little boy named Austin, who is the center of my world, along with his father Jesse. We have been together since 2011. He also is in the dental field and encouraged me to join. My home also consists of a cat named Avalanche, who is solid white and destroys everything he possibly can. I enjoy anything involved with family time or making memories with my son. He is pretty spoiled and we go on lots of trips to the zoos, aquariums, parks, and of course our beautiful beaches.

Rebecca

Dental Hygiene

My career started in 1977, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Like most hygienists, I received my A.S. in dental hygiene and sat for the Florida Hygiene Board exams. The nuts and bolts of my role are patient care relevant to prevention and maintenance. In the realm of therapy, I am skilled in non-surgical periodontal therapies to treat gum disease. My passion — what I consider is the most important of all services I can offer — is preventive care. My focus is for my patients to require as little dentistry as possible to keep their teeth looking great, feeling great, and doing their job without jeopardizing their health.

Dr. KT honors me in that bcaus of my master’s in oriental medicine, I might see the world a little differently. Nutrition affects dental health and can help determine what approach might be best to use or how aggressive that approach might have to be to accomplish the task of achieving optimal health.

To balance out my medical mind, I love to build. I’m happy with a hammer or a garden hoe. Two cats own me. With any luck, the boat motor works and you can find me on the Upper Manatee River putting in at Ray’s Canoe Hideaway. Life is good.

Seth

Dental Assistant

I assist Dr. Tulipano in providing great dentistry and ensure that my patients receive a great experience. My goal for all patients is to make sure I provide them with a great experience and hopefully get a laugh out of them!

Every day, I have a smile on my face, knowing that I get to work with a team that enjoys taking on our daily tasks together. Everyone communicates well and does their part to make sure the office flows effectively so our patients are rightfully taken care of.

At home, I have a rescue dog named Zeus. My hobbies include watching sports, mainly basketball and football, days out by the beach, or outside. I mostly enjoy quiet time to relax. I was born in Vermont but have lived in Florida nearly my whole life and I’ll probably never leave!

Susan

Office Manager

I was very happy to join Dr. Tulipano in her new business owner adventure when she bought this office. I bring with me decades of practice management experience and had the pleasure of being a front-desk trainer for multiple offices within a large, corporate dental group. Here at Cortez Gardens Family Dental, I am responsible for all aspects of administrative management and patient interaction.

The people I interact with are the best parts of this job. It is a privilege to work with the team to serve our patients to the best of our ability. Our office environment is friendly, fun, and relaxed, full of laughter and free of stress and drama. Who could ask for more?

I am a grandmother to two awesome children, Roman and Marina. My daughter, son-in-law, grandchildren, and I share a home, so I have the pleasure of spending time with the grandkids every day. In my free time, I love being outside hanging out by the pool and spending time with friends. I also enjoy serving and being involved at church.

Rosanne

Dental Hygienist

I have worked at this practice since 1988. I earned my AS in dental hygiene in 1969 from Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York, which was associated with Eastman Dental Research.

Now, as a part of Dr. Tulipano’s team, I have the chance to continue my passion for dental hygiene with our wonderful patients. I love to see their smiles restored to health and motivated to keep everything healthy in the future.

I was born and raised near Buffalo, New York and moved to Florida when I married my husband Mike in 1975. We enjoy traveling (especially to Ireland), playing golf, boating, and spending time at our mountain getaway in Sky Valley, Georgia. We do not have any children but we have more than 200 nieces and nephews to spoil! Not to mention the cutest dog ever, Teagan, our 15-pound Westie!

Michele

Front Desk / Dental Assistant

I began my career in 1999 at the front desk and loved the dental field so much, I decided to study for dental assisting! I graduated from Manatee Technical Institute in 2002 and recently joined the Cortez Gardens Family Dental team.

My goal is to create a pleasant experience for our patients, from their first phone call to the end of their appointment. I love working with our wonderful team and developing new relationships with our patients. I feel lucky to mean it when I say I love coming to work every day!

In my spare time, I like being with my husband and daughter watching movies, going to the beach, or playing with our three dogs, cat, and sugar glider.

David

Part-Time Hygienist / Maintenance

I earned my associate’s degree in dental hygiene from State College of Florida, Bradenton campus, in 2015. I met my wife Dr. Kate in 2011 and she has been educating me on dentistry the whole time. It was only our second date when she was looking in my mouth!

I was happy to join the team in 2018, seeing patients for hygiene services on Fridays, taking care of the books, and maintaining our building and grounds. It’s great to meet new people and see the result of someone getting their oral hygiene back up to good standards.

Dr. Katie and I have a son Joe, two dogs, and three cats. We like spending time together outside biking, hiking, and rollerblading, or venturing out to the state parks, aquariums, and zoos. I am the typical car guy and have built a hot rod in the garage: my wife says I love it more than her.

I love my community and have participated in the Sarasota RAM (Remote Area Medical) for several years. This event is a great way to give back to local families who desperately need medical services.