{ association insights } Executive Office Updates


Dr. Jon Copeland Installed as 155th MDA President


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ongratulations to Dr. Jon Copeland, a general dentist in Wildwood, who was installed as the 155th MDA president


on June 22, 2024 at the MDA House of Delegates. Dr. Copeland will preside over each quarterly Board of Trustees meeting, but also represent the MDA at various component meetings and at events of other dental stakeholder groups, at the state, regional and national levels. The MDA president also serves as an ex-officio member on the Missouri Dental Insur- ance Services board (the MDA’s wholly- owned insurance agency) and as a voting member on the MDA Foundation board (the MDA’s charitable subsidiary).


Dr. Copeland is the owner of Town Center Dental in Wildwood, Mo., where he has practiced since 2013. He is a 2009 graduate of the UMKC School of Dentistry and in 2010 completed a General Practice Residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Neb. Since then, he has been an active member in the ADA, MDA and Greater St. Louis Dental Society. Prior to this MDA office, Dr. Copeland served as President-Elect and Treasurer.


Dr. Copeland is a trainer for the MDA Expanded Function Dental Assistant program, which offers upskilling education courses and certification to dental auxiliaries. He is a provider of Donated Dental Ser- vices through the Dental Lifeline Network and serves on its Missouri Dental Leader- ship Council. Additionally, he is an active member of West St. Louis County Rotary and St. Alban Roe Parish. He is a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry and will receive his master’s this year. He has also achieved fellowship in the American Col-


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with a BS in Biology, BA in Psychology and minor in Chemistry. I went to UMKC SOD after that and met my wife Stepha- nie there, also a Mizzou grad, and we were married shortly after she graduated. Following dental school, I completed a GPR at University of Nebraska Medi- cal Center in Omaha. After training, we moved back to Wildwood where Stepha- nie is from and began our careers. We have three children and work together at our office in Wildwood.


lege of Dentists, International College of Dentists and Pierre Fauchard Academy, all of which are honor dental organizations based upon invitation and/or meritorious recogni- tion. Other recent awards and recognitions include the 2019 UMKC School of Dentistry Young Alumnus of the Year; the 2018 ADA 10 Under 10 Award; and, the 2018 MDA Outstanding New Dental Leader Award.


As is tradition, Dr. Copeland has answered a set of interview questions to help you get to know him better.


Please give a biographical overview — where you grew up, went to school, live now, fam- ily, etc. I grew up in Union, outside of St. Louis. My father was the chief deputy of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, and my mother was the head nurse of the ICU at Mercy Hospital in Washington. I have a younger sister who is a nurse practitioner in Washington. I went to Mizzou for undergrad


Tell us about a person who has greatly in- fluenced your life or has been a role model. My dad was, is, and always will be my role model. I learned so many things from him as many children do from their parents. Anyone who has grown up the child of a law enforcement officer has a bit of a different childhood. He was the head of


the SWAT team for most of my childhood, so there were some sleepless nights growing up. The main traits that described him were an extreme sense of fairness and integrity, and a strong sense of duty. Those traits have stuck with me, and I continually strive to fulfill his legacy.


What motivated you to decide on a career in dentistry—what was your career path? Early on, I knew I wanted to have a career in the medical field. I went to Honduras with my family doctor when I was a senior in high school to get hands-on experience. After a few days working with the medical team, I started helping the dental team. Soon, they let me start extracting teeth. I was able to extract about 100 teeth as an 18-year-old. I started shadowing dentists and didn’t look back.


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