Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Le.
Hi Michael, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I didn’t start out in nonprofit leadership — in fact, I began my career as an attorney. I practiced law for several years, but I kept feeling this tug toward impact work — the kind that doesn’t just win cases, but changes lives. That led me to pivot out of the courtroom and into community-focused roles where I could use my strategic, legal, and communications background to build something more meaningful.
Today, I serve as the Executive Director of the Pacific Dental Services Foundation. Our mission is to increase access to oral health care for underserved populations, especially individuals with special needs and communities in Guatemala. We also aim to address critical workforce shortages by supporting future dental professionals.
I’m proud of how we’ve evolved not just as a foundation, but as a movement. We’ve trained students, supported dentists, funded scholarships, and grown a passionate community of servant-hearted healthcare leaders. What drives me is seeing systems change: turning the “no” into a “yes” for patients and providers who have been overlooked for too long.
I believe storytelling can shift culture, that operations, when aligned with mission, can scale impact, and that the best leaders are the ones building tables where more people feel seen, heard, and cared for.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all, but it’s all about the journey, not the destination.
Shifting from the legal world into the nonprofit space meant rebuilding my career around a different kind of impact, one that isn’t always easy to quantify. Early on, I had to learn how to navigate the complexities of nonprofit leadership: limited resources, shifting priorities, and the challenge of balancing heart with strategy.
At the Pacific Dental Services Foundation, we often work in areas where systems are broken, whether it’s the massive gap in care for people with disabilities, the shortage of dental assistants, or the health inequities faced in places like rural Guatemala. That means we’re not just running programs. We’re trying to reimagine what access and equity look like, often with constrained budgets and a small but mighty team.
There have been moments of doubt, burnout, and wondering if we’re moving the needle fast enough. But those moments are usually followed by a parent saying “thank you” or a student telling us this scholarship changed their life. That’s the fuel that keeps me and our team going.
Challenges are part of the road. But I’ve learned that resilience, when rooted in purpose, creates real momentum.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
About PDS Foundation
The Pacific Dental Services Foundation is a nonprofit committed to increasing access to oral health care and advancing health equity, particularly for individuals with special needs, aspiring dental professionals, and underserved communities abroad.
We operate across three core programs:
Special Needs Dentistry
We support one of the nation’s only brick-and-mortar dental offices exclusively serving patients with special needs and complex medical conditions. More importantly, we’re scaling our impact by training current and future providers to build a more inclusive oral healthcare workforce.
Dental Assistant Scholarships
Through the Dr. Carolyn Ghazal Scholarship, we’re addressing the national dental assistant shortage by removing financial barriers and empowering students — many of whom are working parents, first-generation college students, or career changers — to enter a meaningful and high-impact career path.
International Dental Care
In Guatemala, we’ve partnered with local leaders to establish a permanent dental clinic that provides year-round care to children and families. This clinic is supported by volunteer trips from U.S. dental professionals and students.
What sets us apart is that we don’t just provide charity. We build capacity. We’re committed to long-term, systems-based solutions that ensure everyone, regardless of ability, location, or life circumstance, has a home for oral health: because oral health is health.
We’re most proud of the community we’re building: servant-hearted healthcare leaders who believe in a world where no one is left behind. Our brand is defined by hope, inclusion, and action. We bring partners together across healthcare, education, and philanthropy to make real change possible.
If you take away one thing, let it be this: We are here to turn “no” into “yes” for patients, providers, and families who’ve been told for too long that oral healthcare is out of reach.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
To me, risk isn’t about being reckless. It’s about being willing to disrupt the status quo when the mission demands it. I don’t believe in taking risks to make noise. I believe in taking calculated risks that align with our purpose, people, and potential to create lasting impact.
One of the most significant risks I took was leaving a stable legal career to pursue nonprofit leadership. I didn’t have a blueprint. I was firmly convinced that my skills could be used to create systems of equity and care. That leap into mission-driven work reshaped everything for me.
Professionally, I’ve taken that mindset into how we lead and grow the Pacific Dental Services Foundation. One of our earliest bold moves was launching a dedicated dental clinic exclusively for patients with special needs. That decision required us to challenge traditional models of care and sustainability. Another was investing in a permanent international clinic in Guatemala rather than relying solely on short-term service trips. These decisions came with risk: financial, operational, and reputational. But we made them based on deep listening, data, and a commitment to long-term change.
Investing in technology and marketing is another form of calculated risk.
In the nonprofit world, we’re often expected to do more with less and justify every dollar that doesn’t go directly to “the cause.” But I believe that technology and storytelling are the cause when they allow us to serve more people, communicate our mission more clearly, and inspire more significant support.
We’ve invested in platforms like Salesforce, Feathr, Synthesia, and Zapier not because they’re trendy but because they help us automate, personalize, and scale. Similarly, we’ve invested in video storytelling and donor engagement strategies not because they’re flashy but because people give to stories, not statistics.
Every risk we take is anchored in this question:
Does this decision move us closer to a future where care is more accessible, inclusive, and equitable?
If the answer is yes, then it’s a risk worth taking.
Contact Info:
- Website: www,pdsfoundation.org
- Instagram: @pdsfoundation
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PDSFoundation/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pdsfoundation/?viewAsMember=true
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pdsfoundation7173
- Other: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kiZ-JuY_mgk&feature=youtu.be
