participate at the state level . However , once my term was completed , I dove into the activities of the organization . I served as a delegate to the PDA House of Delegates and learned the finer points of parliamentary procedure and how to craft a cogent argument and write resolutions . Ultimately , I was elected president of the PDA , after serving as secretary and president-elect . As president , I was given the opportunity to testify on several occasions before the House Committee on Licensure ; to meet and strategize with our lobbyists ; and to visit key leaders and stakeholders during our Day on the Hill . It was an honor to work with our dedicated and professional lobbyists as they tirelessly worked on our behalf . It was equally an honor to work with so many like-minded members who gave up time from their practices to advance PDA ’ s legislative agenda .
As my PDA involvement grew , so did my service to the ADA . I was offered the opportunity to serve on the ADA Council on Dental Education & Licensure ( CDEL ). Later , I was appointed by the ADA President to a
Special Task Force on the Commission on Dental Accreditation ( CODA ), which looked at the way CODA did business and to make recommendations for best practices for an accrediting organization . In 2011 , I was appointed to the ADA Council on Ethics , Bylaws and Judicial Affairs ( CEBJA ), becoming the chair in my fourth and final year on the council . All this experience on ADA councils and task forces informed my participation as a delegate to ADA House of Delegates .
My involvement in organized dentistry culminated with my election as your ADA Trustee . Again , I marveled at the depth and breadth of ADA ’ s involvement in lobbying the stakeholders and policymakers and the commitment of the organization to our members . The importance of coalitions and the relationships that were forged between our lobbyists , our ADA volunteers , grassroots dentists and members of Congress was brought into sharp focus during these recent years of the COVID pandemic . Within a few months of the declaration that our offices had to close , while we figured out
how to keep ourselves , our teams and our patients safe in an aerosol-generating atmosphere , the ADA had developed a comprehensive Back to Work Toolkit . The ADA lobbied successfully to have dentistry categorized as an “ essential health service ” and broke the logjam at FEMA so that dentists would be able to order the necessary personal protective equipment . The ADA lobbied to be sure that dentistry was included in the PPP loans and the EIDL program . The funding provided by those programs kept many dentists afloat and allowed them to continue to serve their patients . Just as the ADA had done all those decades ago during the HIV / AIDS crisis , once again the ADA had our backs .
My friend who admonished me all those years ago to get involved was spot on . WE – you and I – are the organization . It is what we make of it . I urge each of you to become involved , to support the tripartite at all levels , to reach out to your legislators and contribute to PADPAC and ADPAC . Legions of those who came before us kept the flame burning . For the newest members , the torch is being passed to you . I urge you to take it and run with it . The future is yours .
2007 Day on the Hill
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