This is Your PDA
By Dr . Bruce R . Terry , Editor
The 145 th PDA Annual Session was held at the Hotel Hershey on April 25 - April 27 . This was a pivotal year for our organization . Facing concerns of declining membership , decreasing member involvement , decreasing dues income and increasing operating costs , PDA recognized the need to take action to ensure a viable future .
In 2012 , Dr . Bernie Dishler , our president at the time , formed an ad hoc Governance Task Force committee ( GTF ) with Dr . Karin Brian serving as chairperson . The purpose of the GTF was to examine the current structure and make suggestions for the possible restructuring of PDA .
For nearly 10 months this committee reviewed and discussed our current governance structure . They examined not only what we do in Pennsylvania , but also what governance models are used by other state dental associations . They sent a preliminary report to the Board of Trustees in February 2013 , and after much discussion , the board made some suggestions to the GTF which were included in its final report to the PDA House of Delegates .
By the time the Annual Session opened on Friday morning , the issue of governance restructuring had become a hot topic among the delegates . At the reference committee hearings and in the hallways the buzz was all about the GTF recommendations , and what , if anything , would change . Some districts had alternative ideas and proposed alternate resolutions .
Discussion of the issues determining how best PDA would be represented in the future filled the lunch tables . Should we use the model suggested by Mary Byers in her book , “ Race to Relevance ,” or should we do something else ? In her book , Byers examines the current model of association leadership where positions of leadership are populated by individual volunteers who rise to positions of leadership because of the giving of time and sense of belonging to the organization . She thinks that geographical representation , while fair , is really not the best way to get the best and brightest people in leadership positions . Association boards should consist of no more than five to seven members for an organization the size of the PDA . This board should be comprised of individuals who have talents in certain areas , i . e . treasurer , membership , governance , communications , and so forth . The board would represent the entire PDA and would replace the current system of trustees from each district as well as the entire House of Delegates ( HOD ). Citing micromanaging and the cost of an Annual Session , the HOD has not been able to react quickly enough to the needs of our organization , and this often prevented us from being nimble and moving forward as needed in today ’ s environment . With the difficulty we have in filling all positions at PDA with active volunteers , we need to streamline our governance and concentrate on those areas that are most important to our membership , rather than trying to do everything for every member of our association .
Also at center stage of the governance restructure discussions were the committees . The BOT had already decided that most of the committees should be replaced by advisory groups charged with dealing with issues . These advisory groups would also be created from a pool of interested volunteers and not based upon district representation . This would require a bylaws change . HD 13-07 was approved by the House and allows PDA to sunset six committees ( Government Relations , Dental Benefits , Communications and Public Relations , Concerned Colleague , Access to Oral Health
145 T H ANNuAL sEssioN
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