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Craig — Janet Pearcey, Northwest Colorado Dental Coalition director, pauses as she thinks about the direction her life has taken during the past year.

Directing a nonprofit organization wasn't originally in her plan when she moved to Craig more than a decade ago, she said.

Neither was volunteering on the Moffat County Social Services' Child Protection Team last fall.

Becoming a member on the Colorado Northwestern Community College Board of Control also was a development she hadn't planned until recently.

Although these obligations fill her calendar, she wouldn't have it any other way, she said.

As director of the Dental Coalition, she secures grant funding from various private foundations, including Moffat County United Way.

That is, when she's not scheduling patients' appointments or assisting the Coalition's new dental intern.

Pearcey entered the dental profession in 1987 and the job has remained her passion throughout her adult life, she said.

Pearcey currently holds licensure from the Dental Assisting National Board. The license allows her to perform a variety of dental procedures, including installing fillings and working on dentures.

She entered a new phase of her career last January when she accepted the directorial position at the Dental Coalition. The non-profit group offers dental services to the uninsured, underinsured, Medicare patients and patients on the Children's Health Plan Plus, a state-funded medical and dental care program.

Until she came to the Dental Coalition, she had worked exclusively in private practices.

Last January, she decided to make a change.

"It was an opportunity I felt like I could help those who could not get (dental) services," she said.

"I love my job," she added. "I have the perfect job."

Her experience at the Dental Coalition presented an unforeseen opportunity to Pearcey. Last fall, a member of Moffat County Social Services' Child Protection Team suggested she join the group.

The Child Protection Team, a state-mandated group, includes residents and representatives from various community agencies. The team reviews responses made by public and private agencies to reported incidences of child abuse and neglect.

The group also suggests how agencies' responses could be improved, said Marie Peer, Moffat County Social Services director.

Offering creative solutions and demonstrating a commitment to children's wellbeing are essential to the position, said Peer, who also serves as the team's coordinator - qualities she believes Pearcey gained at the Dental Coalition.

Recently, Pearcey added another obligation to her list: Becoming a member on the CNCC Board of Control.

The college's current plan includes constructing dormitories and drawing in students from outside the community - both developments of which she approves, she said.

"Having access to college is a benefit to the entire community," she added.

Pearcey's daughter, Desirae, is a senior at Moffat County High School this year and is taking dual-credit courses through CNCC, which allow her to earn college and high school credit simultaneously.

Her daughter is close to earning her associate's degree at the same time she is preparing to graduate high school - a fact that has made Pearcey a "fan" of the college, she said.

She and her husband, Ray, also have a son, Keith, 22, who works at the TriState Power Plant.

Although Pearcey's path has taken some turns she hadn't anticipated, she believes it's all been for the best.

"I think everything I've done (in the past has) made me better at what I do," she said, adding that her experience in private practice introduced her to both the secretarial and medical sides of dentistry work - skills she's used in the Dental Coalition and her volunteer positions.

"It gave me a very broad base" of experience, she said.