Our Team
The “T” in TAP
A third-generation dentist, Dr. W. Keith Thornton practiced restorative dentistry in Dallas, Texas for 37 years. In addition to practicing general dentistry, Dr. Thornton focused on the treatment of temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) and was a leader in the use of splint therapy for the treatment of jaw joint pain. Using his knowledge and background in TMD management, Dr. Thornton invented the Thornton Adjustable Positioner (TAP®) for sleep disordered breathing in 1994. Today, he holds approximately 72 patents on this technology including a number of ones for CPAP.
Dr. Thornton taught for 25 years at the Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Center for Pain and Sleep at Texas A&M University, Baylor College of Dentistry. Dr. Thornton is a board certified Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM). He is a fellow in both the American College of Dentistry and the International College of Dentistry and is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine where he received the distinguished service award in 2008.
He is the owner, Chief Technology Officer, and Chairman of the Board at Airway Management, the company that manufactures the TAP Sleep Care Portfolio of products. He has worked at his practice SleepWell Solutions in Dallas, TX for over 20 years. Today, Dr. Thornton continues to invent, teach, and advance the field of sleep medicine.
Meet the TAP Team
Charles Collins
CEO
Years: 20
Charles works alongside Dr. Keith Thornton to bring his innovative ideas to life in the marketplace. He has worked in multiple operations roles, learning something new about the business and industry in each position. As the CEO, Charles has created a work environment that encourages innovation and ideas from all team members and continues to help Airway lead the industry in helping the most patients with sleep disordered breathing (including himself). He wears a flexTAP on a nightly basis. When Charles isn’t working, he enjoys running, home remodeling projects, spending time with his family and traveling Contact Charles at ccollins@amisleep.com.
Lynne Tomas
Controller
Years: 14
Lynne provides leadership and coordination of Airway Management financial planning, debt financing and budget management functions. She is a sounding board for all who work at Airway Management, and she has held leadership positions in both Finance and Human Resources at Airway Management. “We don’t make up things about our products to get customers to use it. Everyone here really cares about the company, each other and the products we produce.” When Lynne isn’t taking care of our customers and employees, she enjoys traveling, gardening and quilting. Contact Lynne at ltomas@amisleep.com.
Alastair McAuley
Director of Research and Development
Years: 7
Alastair works as an R&D consultant to Dr. Keith Thornton, and enjoys designing new products and improving existing products. This involves understanding patients’ needs and exploring different solutions to resolve them. The ultimate goal is to make significant and ongoing product improvements to positively impact people’s lives. Alastair wears the myTAP on a nightly basis after testing in its initial stages and noticing how much his sleep and well-being improved. When he’s not designing or improving products, he and his wife enjoy spending time with their daughter and son traveling New Zealand where he is based. They can often be found boating on Lake Rotoiti. Contact Al at amcauley@amisleep.com.
Eric Jarrett
Quality and Regulatory Director
Years: 4
With 22 years of experience in managing QMS systems related to ISO, QS, and FDA-regulated industries, Eric ensures the execution of global quality and regulatory strategies, business initiatives, and systems development to advance our business goals. Eric’s areas of experience include medical device and military systems development, oral pharmaceuticals process validation (IQ, OQ, PQ), process development, process optimization, six sigma tool-set training, six sigma mentoring, value stream mapping, and high-purity chemical processing. When Eric isn’t formulating results for AMI, he enjoys spending time with his two daughters and staying active with fitness training and running. Contact Eric at ejarrett@amisleep.com.
Thomas David
Quality Associate
Years: 9
Thomas assists in the management of quality control of product, both incoming and outgoing, and the quality system at Airway Management, Inc. Eric and Thomas work as a close team to ensure we are up to FDA standards. Contact Thomas at tdavid@amisleep.com.
Dee Harris
Accounting/Office Manager
Years: 6
Dee manages the accounting department at Airway Management. She loves providing excellent service to doctors and labs. Her biggest point of pride is knowing that she is helping people and in some cases, saving lives. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family and watching her babies play basketball. Contact Dee at dharris@amisleep.com.
Rudy Zermeno
Lab Manager
Years: 22
Rudy is an integral team member and leader at Airway Labs. He assists Dr. Keith Thornton and Charles Collins with research and development of new TAP Sleep Care products and ensures that every custom TAP that goes out the door is up to Airway Management’s high-quality standards for every patient. Rudy personally started wearing a TAP in 2019 and has experienced incredibly restful sleep with a great-fitting appliance. Outside of work, Rudy enjoys everything outdoors, like camping with his family and competing in kayak bass fishing tournaments. Contact Rudy at rzermeno@amisleep.com.
Shannon Beck
Lab Assistant Manager
Years: 13
Shannon works primarily as a lab technician for Airway Labs, successfully completing all phases of fabrication of custom oral appliances. He assists in answering customer specific lab calls, and helps Rudy with quality inspection to make sure every custom TAP that goes out the door is up to Airway Management’s high-quality standards.
Sherron Williams
Lab Customer Service Manager
Years: 12
Sherron takes pride in providing TAP customers with high-quality support and overall customer satisfaction in a timely manner with accurate information. Before working for Airway Management, she did claims processing and billing for a healthcare company. Outside of work, she and her husband stay busy with their 5-year-old son who keeps them fully entertained. Contact Sherron at swilliams@amisleep.com.
Nikki Candler
Lab Customer Service
Years: 12
Nikki plays a critical role in providing an interface between customer and company. Like Sherron, she takes pride in providing TAP customers with high-quality support and overall customer satisfaction in a timely manner with accurate information. Contact Nikki at ncandler@amisleep.com.
Patricia Torres
Inventory Manager
Years: 12
Patricia manages the TAP inventory, conducting cycle counts and physical inventory. She manages the inventory team, Javier Garcia (12 years) and Teo Chavez (8 years), who provides excellent communication to our customers. The best part of her day is fulfilling customer orders in a timely manner, since she likes knowing that patients will have the best product available on the market when they need it. When she’s not working, she enjoys traveling, going to concerts, cooking, and spending time with her family. Contact Patricia at ptorres@amisleep.com.
Terri Jones
Sales Manager / Clinician Support
Years: 9
Terri works with new and current customers, making sure they are set up to efficiently provide TAP in their practice. She also works to connect patients looking for alternative therapies with TAP providers. Her favorite thing to hear is when a patient says they have slept with their spouse in the same bed for the first time in years. Before working at Airway Management, Terri worked in cardiac rehabilitation/pulmonary disease intervention. When she’s not working, she enjoys gardening, spending time at the lake with family, and cooking. Contact Terri at tjones@amisleep.com.
Kelly McDuff
Marketing Manager
Years: 2
Kelly manages the TAP brand, marketing collateral, website updates, digital and print advertising, trade show coordination, and more. When Kelly isn’t driving strategy and handling our social accounts, she enjoys photography, happy hours and traveling to new cities. For any marketing related inquiries, you can contact Kelly at kmcduff@amisleep.com.
