BITES&BRIEFS
ADA Strategic Forecasting Committee: A Change for Better Member Involvement
L
arge organizations like the ADA require certain structure and oversight to func- tion their best, but the ADA is striving
to engage more members—to allow their voices and ideas to be provided to the ADA. Strategic Forecasting is a movement by the ADA to significantly change the way it drives member engagement. It is a way for more members to assist in their ownership of the ADA by giving input into ADA priorities and funding strategies. It helps the ADA create more inclusive and nimble plans to ensure the best value and experience possible for all den- tists—both members and “not yet” members.
CURRENT ADA DISTRICTS
ADA Trustee Districts have long been its structure. The MDA is a part of the Sixth District, which includes Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. These Dis- tricts have had a voice at the ADA through a Trustee who serves on the MDA Board (Missouri gets a Trustee rotation every 16 years). As well, annually the MDA “elects” dentist members to be delegates to the ADA who caucus with other district members (just like legislative bodies). Thus, involvement from many members can be hard to achieve. Hence, the Strategic Forecasting Committee (SFC) model and its smaller subsets allow for more involvement opportunities.
NEW SFC REGIONS
While the ADA will retain its Trustee Districts, the ADA SFC will combine more states into four regions. The MDA and its Sixth District join the North Region (Michi- gan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, plus our current Sixth District states of Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. The SFC Regional concept (with Action Groups) opens additional opportunities for any mem- ber interested in participating more in the profession.
8 focus | SUMMER 2023 | ISSUE 2 ACTION GROUPS
Action Groups are being created around three topic areas: • Direct to Dentist – Will discuss products, services and programs provided to den- tists across all practice modalities, dental students, dental teams, and the industry advertisers and sponsors who want to engage with those individuals.
• Direct to Tripartite – Will discuss activi- ties that directly support the operations of individual state and local dental as- sociations and strategically engage key stakeholder groups to advance those relationships across the Tripartite.
• Public & Professional – Will discuss strategic initiatives to improve the oral health of the public and advance the profession of dentistry.
To fulfill our commitment to nominate people for the action groups, the MDA sent an email to the entire membership about the oppor- tunity to participate. We were pleased with the interest, having 17 people self-nominate for positions. The Sixth District also chose a Missouri dentist, Dr. Danielle Riordan, St. Peters, to serve on the nominating commit- tee within the North Region. That committee reviewed all applications submitted and sent those on to the ADA for final selection. We now await the ADA’s selection and expect to know more by the end of this July.
The ADA has looked at governance structure changes many times over the past years; this is the first time a change has been initiated. The ADA truly desires to serve its members well and make changes to be inclusive to all dentists and practice modalities, while main- taining a strong organizational foundation. We appreciate everyone who self-nominated, asked questions and showed interest.
TOP: Current ADA Districts with the Sixth District in blue. BOTTOM: Four new Strategic Forecasting Committee Regions (of which Missouri is in the North). The new SFC Regional Structure does not replace the current ADA District Structure—the goal of having both is to allow for more member engagement.
Congratulations Jerri Wildhaber
O
n June 8, Jerri Wildhaber, MDIS Operations Director, the MDA’s
wholly owned insurance subsidiary. Jerri started in accounting but eventually got her license about 10 years ago—adding even more value to her role at MDIS. “Simply put, Jerri is one of the hardest working and most dedicated individuals I know,” said Vicki Wilbers, MDA Executive Director and MDIS Executive Vice President. “She became Operations Director in 2019 and has since taken MDIS to heights no one thought imaginable. She is a great motivator to her team and forms lasting and long relationships with members, companies and students—often times, just with her smile. She also is a leader inspiring and serving others, and challenging the status quo to achieve more.” We also would describe Jerri as fun! She (along with Stacey on the MDA team) are the masterminds behind many enjoyable staff events like Secret Santa in June, the annual Christmas Party and Cornhole Tournaments. Congratulations!
25 Years of Service to MDIS
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