Jimi Sode
Senior Manager for Dental Admissions

osode@umkc.edu
816-235-2094

Jimi Sode is the Senior Manager for Dental Admissions.  He has a BS in Biology from Pittsburg State University and a Masters of Health Administration from Missouri State University.  He oversees the admissions processes for the School of Dentistry and helps guide applicants through the admissions process.

John L Cottrell
Director of Minority and Special Programs

cottrellj@umkc.edu
816-235-2085

John L. Cottrell is a Clinical Instructor in the Dental Public and Behavioral Science Department and Director of Minority and Special Programs at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. He received a BA from Pittsburg State University and an M.A. in College Student Personnel with emphasis in Counseling from the University of Northern Iowa.

His responsibilities as Director of Minority and Special Programs include coordination of UMKC/AHEC Dental Assistant Program, Dental Research Explorer Post Programs, Great Start Program and the Hospital Hill Health Diversity Scholarship Dinner Dance He is also the faculty advisor for the Student National Dental Association/ Hispanic Student Dental Association which provides dental screening and variety of oral health activities to the community.

Jennifer Pennington
Enrollment Services Coordinator

penningtonjn@umkc.edu
816-235-6322

Jennifer Pennington is the Senior Enrollment Advisor at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. She received her MA from Southeast Missouri State University in Higher Education Administration. She loves assisting students and helping them reach their career goals.  Some of her interests include reading, hiking, and traveling to new places.

Her responsibilities as Senior Enrollment Advisor include advising dental applicants regarding career opportunities, admissions requirements, program requirements, dental student experiences, and applicant’s strengths and weaknesses. She also plans and presents educational programs to prospective dental students and reviews and processes all applications for the School of Dentistry.

Deja Lamb
Student Services Coordinator

lambdm@umkc.edu
816-235-2083

Deja graduated with a B.S. in Public Relations from Northwest Missouri State University. She was very involved during her time in college where she held positions both in the alumni relations department and in the athletics marketing and promotions department on campus. Deja grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and is glad to be back. In her spare time, she is an avid reader (her favorite book is Beloved by Toni Morrison). Deja also enjoys catching up on some of her favorite TV shows on Netflix and loves spending time with her family.

Her responsibilities as Student Services Coordinator include advising dental hygiene applicants regarding admissions requirements, program requirements, dental hygiene student experiences, and applicant’s strengths and weaknesses.

In addition to admissions recruitment and processing, she also helps coordinate the STAHR and Kuwait Dental programs.