It would be my honor to serve as your next President-Elect of the Virginia Dental Association. The Virginia Dental Association has been a part of my life long before I even considered becoming a dentist. As a kid, I remember traveling with my parents to the annual VDA meetings at the Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach. My childhood memories from these beach trips included watching the friendships my father had with his colleagues; friendships that have certainly transcended the years. Many years later, as I entered the profession, it became apparent to me how the VDA helped provide the network for these friendships. I, too, have made friends with so many colleagues through the VDA, and I expect these relationships to enrich my personal and professional life. I think we can all attest to the network and strength of our VDA. For over 150 years we have successfully advocated for our patients and the profession through our history of strong leadership and robust membership. That tradition must continue for us to maintain our relevancy in such a dynamic market. It is appropriate for us to tout our historical victories, such as non-covered services, de-minimus clause legislation, increased Medicaid reimbursements, etc., but the adversities facing our profession are only growing. Third party intrusion, workforce shortages, and increased governmental regulations are just a few of the current issues facing our members. I mention these challenges not as a doom-and-gloom for our new members but as a reality check that the profession needs the Virginia Dental Association…and the VDA needs its members in order to overcome these adversities. I don’t think anyone would argue that the dental landscape seems to be changing exponentially faster than it has in years past. This is an opportunity for the VDA to capitalize on forward-thinking concepts to continue to poise ourselves for success. I believe that as an organization of nearly 4,000 member dentists, we should leverage our size to exploit opportunities for our membership. These opportunities exist; we simply need the courage to explore them. I am truly excited about the future of the VDA. Our previous leaders have poised our association for success at every turn. With your support, I am ready and willing to put forth the effort needed and required to continue to lead the VDA. I am running for the position of President-Elect because I am committed to the future success of the VDA.

Having served as Delegate in the past, I feel this is not only an honor, but a responsibility I take very seriously as we approach a very pivotal time in ADA history. Membership and younger member involvement is not only needed, but we need to affect changes that enable younger member investment in the ADA and organized dentistry. As a delegate with some experience, I feel that I can help make positive change for the ADA and dentistry in the years to come.

It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as an ADA alternate delegate over the past four years, and I am hoping you will allow me to serve as one of your ADA delegates in the coming term. At a time when the trend is to pull away from group involvement outside of office and home, there is nothing more important than being a part of an organization that has your well-being and your back as its highest priority. From our grassroots local components to our national ADA, we are working to strengthen support for our members and facilitate communication from local to national and vice versa. Our 16th district delegation works hard to help bring legislation and support efforts of the ADA to be more flexible and adaptive to the changing needs of our profession and our members. What keeps me so passionate about organized dentistry? The future of our profession for the next generation. I want our profession to be as vibrant and impactful for my daughter, who is finishing her 2nd year of dental school (VCU!), my young partner, and all their colleagues as it has been for us all these years. If we don’t preserve and protect our profession, who will? I am so appreciative of your support over the years, and I humbly ask for your vote to allow me to continue to serve and represent your voice on a national level.

I have been very fortunate to serve on the 16th District Delegation for the past several years. I am running for another term as Delegate on the delegation because I am passionate about contributing all I can to the tripartite. Last year I served on the ADA’s Strategic Forecasting Task Force which evolved, through passage in the House of Delegates, into the Strategic Forecasting Committee. The Task Force spent a tremendous amount of time and effort to develop a very forward-thinking concept and model to advance the ADA. It was a very rewarding experience serving on the Task Force, and I intend to continue to bring that same forward-thinking mindset and attitude to the ADA’s House of Delegates in the future. At a very important time in our Association’s history, it is going to require full commitment from volunteers to maintain relevancy for the ADA. I wish to fulfill my commitment and serve the members of the ADA. I appreciate your consideration and for allowing me to serve you.

As a current ADA delegate, I ask for your support as I seek another term in this position. I feel there is so much more I can do to support and promote our profession as an ADA Delegate. We have many changes ahead of us and I would like to be a Virginia voice of dentistry. I have currently been active on a local level at addressing the workforce shortage issue. Our problem is not unique and as a profession, we need to find solutions. Virginia is a great state to practice dentistry, and I want to make our voices heard in organized dentistry. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this great community, and I hope you allow me to continue as your ADA Delegate.

I would like to impact our Association by guiding us in the best direction for our members, patients, and profession. I'm supportive of ideas that grow our membership but don't compromise the integrity of our profession.

Serving on the delegation since 2019 has been a rewarding experience and one that I'd love to continue as an Alternate Delegate. Representing our state and voting on resolutions that allow our organization to support the best interests of its members and the communities that we serve is an honor. It has been incredibly humbling to work alongside colleagues with a vast knowledge of our organization's history and to watch their tireless efforts to support the needs of younger dentists like myself. I look forward to continuing to learn on the delegation and appreciate your support.

I have served as Richmond Dental Society President and on the VDA Board of Directors. I would like to continue serving my component and the member and non-member dentists of Virginia as an Alternate Delegate for the ADA House of Delegates to help guide the association into the future.

I humbly ask for your vote to allow me to serve as an ADA alternate delegate. As someone who was born and raised in Virginia and continues to live, serve, and practice in the Commonwealth, I have been involved in organized dentistry since dental school. I have served in numerous leadership capacities on the local, state, and national levels. I am a Past President of the Lynchburg Dental Society, a member of the American Association of Endodontists, a board member of the Piedmont Dental Society, and currently serve as President-Elect of the Virginia Dental Association. I have served on the Infection Control Committee, Non-renew Task Force, and currently serve on the Council for Membership and Marketing. I am actively involved in the Southern Endodontic Study Group and volunteer at both the VCU and WVU School of Dentistry, all while maintaining a successful private Endodontic practice that is both evidence-based and patient-focused. I hope to continue my service to the profession of dentistry at the National Level by serving as an Alternate Delegate for the 16th District. If we don’t advocate for ourselves, no one else will. I want to ensure that Virginia Dental Association members and our neighboring 16th District members continue to bring ideas and advancements to the ADA and the profession that we are all so blessed to be a part of. I feel confident that I possess the passion, enthusiasm, and skill set needed to fill this position. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve you all and respectfully ask for your vote as ADA Alternate Delegate!

As a dentist anesthesiologist (DA), a basic tenet of what we do is to serve both our patients and our fellow dentists. There is no need for a dentist anesthesiologist without our operating dentists; we cannot exist independently without violating our parameters of care. Many of my colleagues forget this, but I believe the participation of DAs in the ADA is long overdue and we must move on from the past and move forward together. In this case, I believe the best way to encourage such is to lead by example. In doing so, I believe my demonstrated skill set and involvement in advocacy, education, and organized dentistry will be an asset to the Virginia Dental Association.