I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to run for the VDA President-Elect. As someone who was born and raised in Virginia and continues to live, serve, and practice in the Commonwealth, it has always been a personal and professional goal to lead Virginia’s organized dentistry into the future. My path to dentistry was not what most would consider conventional. As a first-generation college student in my family, I graduated from Virginia’s Hampden-Sydney College with a degree in Physics, hoping to pursue an engineering career. It wasn’t until I joined the local volunteer fire department and rescue squad that I realized my passion for serving others! So how does one combine a physics background's critical thinking and problem-solving skills with helping others in a professional healthcare setting? You apply to dental school, right?! Dentistry is small-scale engineering at its finest. Just think, we still get to build bridges and use drills each day! It was during Dental School that I realized the importance of organized dentistry. If we don’t advocate for ourselves, no one else will. After serving as class president during my four years of dental school, I entered an endodontic residency. Once I had completed a post-doctoral master’s degree and Certificate in Endodontics as chief resident, I moved back to my hometown of Lynchburg, where I continue to maintain a successful private practice that is both evidence-based and patient-focused.

We have all seen dentistry evolve over the years, especially through the challenges we faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to navigate these waters together and come out stronger than ever.

As healthcare professionals, our number one goal should remain the same; to provide the highest level of care to our patients. Membership in the VDA is vital to see that our goal is not only met but exceeded, all while advocating for the DENTIST. In a world that is insurance-driven and with the push for mid-level providers, we need the VDA, now more than ever, to fight to ensure that our voice is heard, advocate so that we are appropriately compensated for our services, and see to it that we are not told how and when to practice by a corporate or government entity. We need to build on our positive reputation and increase our membership footprint because, after all, there is strength in numbers. I feel confident that I possess the passion, enthusiasm, and skill set needed to lead the VDA!

I have served in numerous local, state, and national leadership capacities.  I was elected to the VDA Board of Directors, where I have continued to serve since 2016. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve you all and respectfully ask for your vote as the next President-Elect of the VDA!

I have had the unique opportunity of being called to serve as VDA Secretary-Treasurer late last year as Dr. Southern took her seat as our President-Elect. I have gained a deeper insight into how best to serve on a state level. I hope to continue to grow and offer my talents in this position. 

My experience in several levels of leadership and my desire to be better than I was the day before is a testament for what is needed to fill this position. 

I look forward to continuing to serve as your state Secretary-Treasurer as well as bringing a fresh and sometimes witty perspective to the board of directors.  I sincerely appreciate your support and consideration!

I have had the pleasure of serving as an Alternate Delegate to the 16th District Delegation since 2018. We are lucky to have great leadership in the 16th District. By serving on the delegation, I have gained both knowledge and experience that is helpful in shaping the future of this profession. My experience as an Alternate Delegate for the past four years has prepared me to take the step forward as a Delegate. I believe my understanding of the tripartite membership, my experience at each level, and my desire to work towards a stronger association qualify me for this position. Thank you for your support and consideration, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the delegation, and I look forward to having the opportunity to serve as an ADA Delegate.

Dr. Howell's CV

Serving as a Delegate to the American Dental Association has been one of my proudest achievements. I have also served as President of the Northern Virginia Dental Society, Chairman of the Peer Review Committee, and as a member of the ADA Council on Members Insurance & Retirement Programs.

The profession of dentistry is constantly changing. The pressure of government regulations, insurance companies, student debt, and the pandemic are just a few of the issues facing dentists today. Having served on various committees at the local, state, and national levels have given me the opportunity to view the challenges and to help be part of the solution. I would like to continue to make this great profession of ours thrive. I humbly ask for your vote to allow me to continue to represent you at the American Dental Association.

Dr. Olenyn's CV

There are very few days that I don’t take a moment to realize how grateful I am to be a dentist. Dentistry has been a part of my life forever. My father was a dentist in a small town, and I grew up watching him go to work every day, whistling as he went. He worked hard, and put in long hours, but loved his profession. Just like most of you, I do the same. I work hard, but I love what I do. Continuing to serve the VDA as a delegate to the ADA would allow me an opportunity to continue to give back to this profession that has been so wonderful to me. I want to help ensure that each of our members can focus on his/her patients first, knowing that the VDA and the ADA are lobbying for them, fighting for fair insurance reimbursement and less government interference. I want to help ensure that every dental student and every new dentist has an opportunity to practice dentistry in a way that is meaningful to them, in a modality that makes sense to them. I want to be sure that those who are less fortunate can get the dental care that they need and that the dentists providing that care are fairly compensated. It would be my absolute pleasure to continue to represent Virginia on the 16th District delegation to be your advocate and your conduit to the ADA. I humbly ask for your vote and invite your suggestions, opinions, and questions. 

I would like to continue serving as an ADA delegate. I have served as an ADA Delegate for the last four years. I have learned through my experience with the association that hard work pays off. I have been involved with my component and state association since 2000. I am very committed to our profession and would like the opportunity to continue to serve at the next level. My work at the VDA level has provided the experience that is needed to serve as an ADA delegate. It is with great pleasure that I am seeking the position of Delegate to the ADA.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the Virginia Dental Association in the capacity of ADA Alternate Delegate. From years representing the Shenandoah Valley on the VDA Board of Directors, I understand the mechanisms by which policy changes affect our profession on a state level and hope to bring this experience to learn more about how Association policy is made at a national level. I will be honored to serve our membership in this role.

Dentistry faces challenges on many fronts and as an ADA Alternate Delegate, I am honored to work on our profession’s difficult issues on your behalf. The ADA Board of Trustees appointed me to a four-year term on the Council on Government Affairs and have two years of service remaining. As a member of this Council, I am very involved with all areas of the Council’s work. Serving as an Alternate Delegate allows me to be more effective in advancing Virginia and the 16th District interests to the ADA House. “The Council on Government Affairs (CGA) recommends policies related to legislative and regulatory issues, including the formulation of proposed federal legislation. The Council also disseminates information to assist state and local societies on state legislative and regulatory matters. The CGA is the Association’s liaison with agencies of the federal government, especially those agencies that employ dental personnel.” My life experiences have prepared me well to serve you in this arena. I am committed to ensuring that the ADA’s efforts to protect our interests remain a high priority for the ADA. I’m proud to be a dentist practicing in Virginia, and I will be honored to continue serving you as an Alternate-Delegate to the ADA. If we work collaboratively, we can meet the challenges before us in a way that will improve our profession while protecting our core value of improving the oral health of our patients. Thank you for granting me the opportunity to represent your interests on the ADA Delegation.

In my professional career thus far, the Virginia Dental Association has been exceptional in allowing me to humbly serve the dentists and patients of our great state. I have enjoyed learning alongside my colleagues to further understand the pulse of the profession, both on the state and national levels. I have seen how the parliamentary process acts as a conduit for the desires of our membership, by way of the House of Delegates, to allow for this pulse to be heard and then disseminated as a united and effective voice. Having served as both a Delegate and Chair for ASDA’s delegation to the ADA, I have experienced this process first-hand. I believe wholeheartedly that such involvement in organized dentistry is vital to keeping dentistry poised to evolve while simultaneously allowing us to protect the profession. Due to my previous experience and enthusiasm for service, I earnestly ask for your support and vote to represent the Virginia Dental Association’s voice as an Alternate Delegate to the ADA. It would be my honor and privilege to serve dentistry in this way as we move ahead as a united force, voice, and profession through the challenges that lie ahead. I sincerely thank you for your consideration.

Dr. Halpern's CV

I have served in leadership positions not only in Virginia but in Maryland as well. When I relocated to Virginia in 2015, I was the President-Elect of the Howard County Dental Association. I have since matriculated from Secretary-Treasurer of the Tidewater Dental Association to the President and now Immediate Past President. I am passionate about organized dentistry and eager to learn and put my best electric handpiece forward for the benefit of dentistry. I have held several leadership positions because of my go-getter personality and colleagues like you who have believed in me to deliver, with a smile and quick wit or the determination of one looking for MB2. I recently opened my start-up general practice where I have applied my leadership skills and passion as a clinician to do things in a humble and fun manner. I look forward to serving on a national level as an ADA Alternate Delegate and being a representative of not only our Commonwealth but of the 757 (component 1)!

Dr. Hamlin's CV

There are many reasons I am seeking to serve a second term as an ADA Alternate Delegate. I have served on Component 8’s delegation to the VDA House of Delegates since early in my career. I am a long-time member of our component’s Board of Directors and am both able and willing to present the opinions of my colleagues as well as to offer my own. We are blessed with great leaders in the current ADA House of Delegates—leaders who strive to protect our beloved profession, the public, our future, and the future of those dentists who will practice after us. I believe we can only protect what we have worked so hard to establish by staying involved in and committed to organized dentistry. Only then may we wisely and proactively address the challenges that come our way. It goes without saying that our profession has confronted a myriad of unique challenges and rapid changes in how we practice our profession in the last two years, and I have never been prouder to be an ADA member and Alternate Delegate. If re-elected, I will continue to make myself available to my peers and colleagues and work to facilitate our shared goals. I am fully committed to the duties and responsibilities of the position, and it would be an honor and privilege to continue serving our great profession at the national level. Thank you for your consideration!

Serving as an ADA Alternate Delegate for the Virginia Dental Association is truly an experience that I wish to continue. Our 16^th ADA District is comprised of the most enjoyable and effective group of representatives within the dental profession. It is a pleasure to work with them.