{ association insights } Executive Office Updates


Dr. Emily Mattingly Installed as 157th MDA President


D


r. Emily Mattingly, a general dentist prac- ticing in Chillicothe, Mo. was installed as


the 157th president of the MDA during the Association’s annual House of Delegates meeting at Margaritaville Lake Resort on June 27, 2026. As MDA president, she will advocate for the prac- tice of dentistry in Missouri and help advance the MDA mission, “Helping All Dental Professionals Succeed.” In addition to presiding over quarterly Board of Trustees meetings, she will represent the MDA at local, state, regional and national meetings, as well as with other oral health stakeholder groups. She also serves on the boards of Missouri Dental Insurance Services and the MDA Foundation.


Dr. Mattingly has been active in the ADA, MDA and Northwest Dental Society. Prior to becoming MDA president, she served its on Board as President-Elect, Northwest Trustee and New Dentist Committee representative. At the ADA, she currently serves as Chair of the ADA Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention and previously chaired the ADA New Dentist Committee. Since 2018, she has also served as a Missouri Action Team Leader for ADA Lobby Day, advocating on behalf of dentistry and her colleagues in the nation’s capital. In addition to her leadership roles, Dr. Mattingly has spoke at the MDA Food For Thought program and is a trainer for the MDA Expanded Function Dental As- sistant (EFDA) program. Her honors include the ADA 10 Under 10 Award, the MDA Outstanding New Dental Leader Award and the UMKC Young Alum of the Year Award. She is also a member of the American College


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College—which later became the UMKC School of Dentistry—in 1923 and practiced dentistry in Albany, Mo. For the past 14 years, I have practiced in Chillicothe, Brookfield and Hamilton. David and I are raising our three chil- dren in the same community that helped shape me, and I am grate- ful to continue serving the area that has always felt like home.


of Dentists, International College of Den- tists, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy.


As is tradition, Dr. Mattingly has answered a set of interview questions to help members get to know her better.


Give us a biographical overview—where you grew up, went to school, live now, family, etc. I grew up in Chillicothe and graduated from Chillicothe High School in 2005. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, cum laude, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. I was accepted into the UMKC School of Dentistry reserved admissions program during my junior year of high school and had previously participated in the Mis- souri AHEC/ACES program, which mentors students interested in healthcare careers. I entered UMKC School of Dentistry in 2008 and graduated in 2012. After dental school, I returned home to practice dentistry along- side my husband, Dr. David Mattingly, and my father, Dr. Rolfe McCoy, in the practice my grandfather, Dr. Chad McCoy, started in 1954. This made me a fourth-generation dentist. My great grandfather, Dr. Howard McCoy, graduated from Western Dental


Tell us about a person who has greatly influenced your life or has been a role model. My mother has been one of the greatest influences in my life. She showed me that it is possible to work hard, pursue meaningful professional goals, and still be fully present for your family. As a CPA and vice president of a manufacturing company, she often worked long days, yet she never missed the activities, sports, and im- portant moments in our lives. Her example taught me the value of work ethic, resilience, and balance, and those lessons continue to guide me both professionally and personally.


What motivated you to decide on a career in dentistry?My father and grandfather were tremendous role models and had a major influence on my decision to pursue dentistry. My father encouraged me to explore health- care opportunities early and helped me apply to programs such as Missouri AHEC/ACES and PRIMO. He also trained me as a dental assistant, and I spent many hours assisting both him and my grandfather while I was still in high school. In truth, I grew up in our hometown dental office. Long before I was assisting, I was filing charts, helping confirm appointments after school, and seeing first- hand the relationships my family built with patients over generations. Because of those


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