Pearl Santillan and Macy Kiim helped connect their mothers with dental services with the assistance of generous donations from Arizona dentists, and the process of linking their moms with these services and the life-changing implications that followed inspired Macy and Pearl to start A New Dawn AZ in 2015, a 501(c)3 non-profit aimed at bringing dental services to those in need. Both are grateful for their strong oral integrity and smile about it as much as possible. In 2018, Alicia Yaeger-Booth joined the team to support the growth and impact of the organization.
Pearl Santillan Co-founded A New Dawn AZ and currently serves on the board of directors to continue to support the vision,
structure and movement of the organization. She is employed at North Country HealthCare as the Maternal Child Health Program
Manager. She has served mothers, babies, and families in Northern Arizona for 15 years. As a Birth and Postpartum doula and
women’s health massage therapist at the Flagstaff Birth and Women’s Center, Pearl began her career with a hands on approach
to maternal and child health. After completing her degree in Public Health at NAU she moved on to become a home visitor for
the Parents and Teachers Program at Parenting AZ and served in that capacity for 5 years. Working closely with families in
their homes strengthened her understanding that what happens in the early years has a tremendous impact on a person throughout
their life, and that every family should have access to the resources they need for the best start possible.
In 2014, after witnessing the detrimental effects oral cancer had on her mother’s oral health, she co-founded A New Dawn AZ,
a non-profit created to help low income and vulnerable adults receive comprehensive dental care. Through this experience she
learned the inner-workings of the non-profit world and how important it is to move money toward efforts that improve health
outcomes and increase the quality of life for individuals.
Pearl is a lifelong Flagstaff resident and is endlessly grateful to be raising her son in the community she loves. She enjoys
exploring the beautiful landscape of northern Arizona and gets outside as much as possible biking, hiking, and water adventuring.
She has a long list of things that bring her joy including dancing, yoga, music, art, community, children and selfless service.
She loves everything about food including gardening, getting creative in the kitchen, supporting local food, and gathering
with loved ones around tasty meals.
Macy is proud to be one of A New Dawn AZ's co-founders, former Co-Director and Director, and current Board Chairwoman.
In 2020 Macy realized that a career shift was imminent for her, and was delighted and grateful to welcome Alicia Yaeger-Booth
as Director. Macy lives and works as a guest on occupied Indigenous homelands while acknowledging and honoring the past,
present, and future generations who have been here for millenia and will forever call this beautiful place home.
Working toward the greater good has always fueled Macy, and she finds the pro-social nature of ANDAZ to be uplifting,
challenging, and rewarding. Contributing to society and challenging the status quo are two of her biggest guiding tenets,
and she is grateful that ANDAZ gives her the opportunity to do both. According to her, when people are lacking basic needs
it is most often a systemic failure, not a personal one. She dreams of a progressive society in which all people's needs are
met and no one has to suffer needlessly due to health disparities.
When not scheming with the ANDAZ team, Macy can be found working with and loving the children of Haven Montessori School,
growing alongside her family, cooking up some tasty experiment in the kitchen, reading a pile of books, walking barefoot
in the forest, or slowly chunking away at her Master’s degree with NAU’s Sustainable Communities Program. Macy is thrilled
to be embarking on a career in the natural building field, and is ready to tackle pressing social issues through the lens of
earthen building and architecture.
People look to Macy as a community-minded friend and leader who moves through the world on strong legs, with her eyes set
on bold visions for a better world. Macy is steady in her conviction that access to oral health care is a human right.
To contact Macy, please email her at macy.kiim@anewdawnaz.org.
Alicia Yaeger-Booth is the executive director and patient support specialist for the collaborative Oral Health Northern
Arizona (OHnAZ) project funded by the Arizona Community Foundation. OHnAZ merges A New Dawn’s goal to fill gaps
in oral health for adults to the Northern Arizona Oral Health Coalition’s (NAOHC) mission to address oral health
disparities within our community.
Over the course of her career, Alicia has both worked and volunteered in various non-profits within Arizona,
New York, and abroad, including serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala. She has committed her efforts to
serving vulnerable populations in areas of education and health.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology, A Master of Science in Teaching 7-12 grade Biology, and a Master of
Public Health in Global Health from Tulane University.
Outside of work, Alicia spends her time caring for her two children and husband while enjoying all the wonders
Northern Arizona has to offer.
To contact Alicia, please email her at alicia@anewdawnaz.org.
My name is Graciela Del Moral, I am an immigrant from Mexico and have been a resident of Flagstaff since 2007. Since I
moved to Flagstaff I have been involved in the area of substance abuse recovery. In January of 2021, I became a proud
board member of A New Dawn AZ.
I am happy to be an ambassador of their mission. Additionally, I have dedicated my talents to other areas of public
service. Currently, I serve as CEO of a social community center called Connection Trail. Both A New Dawn and Project
Connection Trail have provided me with opportunities to be of service to my community, allowing me to find like-minded
people who are willing to come together and collectively help and inspire others to get involved to impact our community
at large. It is a fabulous domino effect that occurs in front of my eyes regularly.
Throughout my time in Flagstaff, I have felt the support of my community and it is undeniable how important this has
been in the development of my career and my personal life.