President William Spruill ’ s Address to the House of Delegates
His comprehensive work on HD 10-24 has defined our knowledge base and will lead to informed decision making on PA dental education and dentist workforce issues for years . Thank you , Andy .
President-elect Denny Charlton chaired the Strategic Planning Committee . His committees ’ work-product is excellent and is before you for adoption at this House . Denny represented us at New York and Maryland state meetings , Columbia University ’ s Dunning Conference on mid-level providers and he testified at the FDA hearings in December . He is already one of our best presidents ever , even before he begins his term .
Thanks to PDA Secretary Jeff Sameroff , who after monitoring our work at the ADA House of Delegates , revised the “ Responsibilities for ADA Delegates and Alternates ” to make us a more effective delegation at our national meeting . These recommendations were unanimously approved by your PDA Board of Trustees . Please look for them in Board Report # 3 and keep them in mind if you are nominated as a delegate at-large and as you are called to serve .
Your Pennsylvania Dental Association was very active this fall with our legislative push , attendance at district and local society meetings , as well as district events for legislators . In January we began the third legislative session with our fine Lobby firm , the Winter Group . They deserve our thanks as they have taught us a great deal about accessing the system and about political reality . In turn they have learned about our issues , our profession and our association . The knowledge we ’ ve gained together portends well for the future . I am excited and optimistic about our effectiveness with a new administration and a new majority in the PA House on matters of importance to dentistry now and in the future .
I must also extend special thanks to Camille Kostelac-Cherry and our excellent PDA staff , each one a true professional , who parks their ego at the door and works diligently on your behalf each and everyday . They are a superbly dedicated group whose one aim is to make dentists , the profession and our association look good . And as Association leaders , so should we all .
Recommendations
At our Strategic Planning retreat this past July , our consultant described us as “ strongly habit bound and change averse .” And indeed we are . So much so that often we make a well thought out change , then change it back before we have seen the change take effect .
At the 2010 House you adopted many changes to this organization ; changes which require that we be more efficient , costeffective and responsive . Special thanks to the entire Board of Trustees who have continued to conduct their business on the PDA Social Network and are leading the way toward the organization we can be and truly must become .
I . Let me share an example of strategic thinking and positioning PDA for the future . At our November Board meeting we discussed the ADA Annual Meeting Delegation . Again this year it was evident that funding 18 alternate delegates is excessive . And while we agreed that it may be fiscally unwise to fund all 18 for the coming year , your BOT decided to recommend no changes in the ADA Delegation for two to three years so that we may completely evaluate the effectiveness of your decision last year . We discussed the value of sending new leaders by having alternate delegates from the districts including district presidents and president-elects who may not be PDA delegates . This gives them the national exposure of the ADA Annual Session and equipping them as future leaders . We compared filling those “ designated alternate ” slots with folks already committed to ADA Councils and Committee positions because of their contacts with their other council members around the country . Are these folks committed enough already with their meetings in Chicago throughout the year
18 July / August 2011 • Pennsylvania Dental Journal