 Good afternoon. Welcome to the ACD 2023 annual meeting. I am Robert Lamb, President of the College. Please stand for the presentation of the colors by the University of Central Florida Reserve Officers Training Corps and remain standing for the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance by Colonel Pete Guevara, Regency 2 Regent, and afterwards Dr. Cecile Feldman will deliver the invocation. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Eternal God, Master of the Universe, look with favor upon our fellows, their families, their friends, and all who serve the great profession of dentistry. Enrich our hearts with compassion and guide the college and its work to serve mankind. Bless all who teach, all who learn, all who serve. Bless this nation and the American College of Dentists. Amen. You may be seated. Thank you Colonel Guevara and Dr. Feldman and thanks to the young men and women of the UCF ROTC Color Guard for your service to our country and your service to us here today. The official business meeting of the American College of Dentists will now come to order. I am privileged to introduce the officers and Regents of the American College of Dentists. The officers of the college are President Teresa Dolan, Vice President Robert Fiella, Treasurer Carol Haines, ACD Foundation President Richard Jones. Our Regents are Senior Regent and Large Cecile Feldman, at Large Regent Joseph Crowley, at Large Regent Christopher Jones, at Large Regent Pamela Alston. Making her grand appearance. Thank you Pamela. Perfect timing. Regent Regency 1, Julie Conley, Regent Regency 2, Peter Guevara, Regent Regency 3, Robert Plage, Senior Regent Regency 4, Terry Norris, Regent Regency 5, Thomas Raymond, Regent Regency 6, Christy Swallow, Regent Regency 7, Ned Nix, and Senior Regent Regency 8, Lance Rucker. Our liaison to the board from the American Society of Dental Ethics is Pamela Zorkowski. Our liaison from the Student Professionalism and Ethics Association is Eric Clint Mom, and our Regent intern Joshua Boussard. Dr. Stuart Segalnik, who was not able to be with us this afternoon, is liaison from the board of the American Association of Dental Editors and Journalists. Your board has served you well in 2023. I know they will continue to guide the college on a productive course in the years ahead. My many thanks to you for all your hard work and support. I would also like to introduce to you our staff. Our administrative assistants are Tyler Davis. I don't know what Tyler is doing. And Jan Remesong. Steven Frohlich is our office manager. Matthew Sheriff is our design director. Susan Pittman is our managing director. And Nanette Elster is the editor of the journal. It is always a pleasure to present awards and to recognize contributions of our sections and fellows. The first award is to be presented is the section newsletter award. The communications committee chair, Dr. Lance Rucker, will present this award. Thank you, Mr. President. Effective communication is a prerequisite for a healthy section. The section newsletter award is presented to an ACD section in recognition of outstanding achievement in the publication of a section newsletter. The award is based on overall quality, design, relevance, content, and technical excellence of the newsletter. This year, the winner of the section newsletter award for 2023 goes to Accalade, the Southern California section newsletter edited by Dr. Harriet Sullivan. The second group of recognition are for those sections that have achieved the model section requirements. Dr. Terry Norse, chair of the sections committee, will award these designations. Model section awards are based on a number of criteria including the percentage or number of fellows who are nominated each year, gifts to the foundation through the silent auction, holding annual meetings and business meetings, and also your lack of forfeiture rate keeping fellows as a part of your section. I am proud to announce today that we have six sections, seven sections, who have made model section status. Model section status is achieved every three years, so it's not a one-time award. You have to keep working for it to keep your section strong and the college strong. I would like to introduce to you the chair of the Atlantic province, Deborah Matthews, to receive model section award. I might add if anyone is here from any of these sections, feel free to come forward, take pictures, and afterwards we will do likewise if you so choose. Next we have the chair of the Illinois section, Larry Williams, to receive the award for model section for Illinois. I would now like to call Ansley Depp, chair of the Kentucky section, to receive model section award. I took a little freedom there of being Kentucky is my section. Next we have Barry Cohen from Maryland, to receive model section award. Barry Cohen, chair of Maryland. Anybody here from Maryland? Next we have Sonia Slaluta from Ontario, to receive model section award. Sonia Slaluta. And receiving this, I will ask Brenda Thompson and Paul Romanson, past chairs of Ontario, if they would come and receive this on her behalf. And he's handed off the cameras, so come on up, come on up. Brenda Thompson is the incoming Regent for Regency 4, and she is out of Ontario. Next we have the chair of the Virginia section, Michael Handley, to receive model section award. And receiving the award for Wisconsin is Tom Raymond, past chair of the Wisconsin section, and Regent for Regency 5, Tom Raymond. Last year I believe we had three model sections. This year we have seven, so congratulations to all of the sections. Throughout the year, we have attempted to keep the fellowship informed of the college business. We'll take a few minutes this afternoon to present some key information. The 2023 election for new Regents from Regencies 4 and 8, along with the national election for officers, was held this spring. Please welcome Dr. Brenda Thompson, who is just up here for Ontario's. The incoming Regent for Regency 4, and Dr. Robin Henderson. The incoming Regent for Regency 8. I would also like to welcome Dr. Terry Norris, incoming Vice President, Dr. Robert Fiella, incoming President-Elect, and Dr. Terry Norris, incoming President of the ACD. Dr. Tony Rucum was appointed by the Board to serve as an at-large Regent. Our new Board members will be installed at the beginning of the gala tomorrow evening, and will begin their service to the college in their roles immediately following the gala. Our ballots were counted and results certified by the auditing firm. More information about elections for Regents and officers can be found on our website, acd.org, or by contacting the National Office. On behalf of the college, we would thank you to the members of the Board who will be serving the college in other ways after this meeting. Dr. Lance Rucker, Regent for Regency 8, Dr. Cecile Feldman, at-large Regent, and Dr. Richard Jones, President of the ACD Foundation, will rotate off the Board. The ACD, ACDF, and the profession owe you our deepest appreciation for your work and devotion. I would also like to thank you personally for your hard work and support. The state of the college is strong. Since the 2022 meeting in Houston, we have completed strategic planning process, and that will help channel the energy and momentum of the ACD and the ACDF into a positive future, building on our successes and recognizing and acting on our opportunities. We have relaunched our websites, both acd.org and dentalethics.org, released a meeting app which I hope you're using because that will tell you what room numbers are, the different activities are on. On the back of your badge, it just tells the times, but the app is really great. We are gaining ground with our social media and electronic communications platform. Our Board committees have started the rewrite of our bylaws to better address the needs of a 21st century organization, reviewed and worked with our staff on updating our processes and activities, and undertaken a complete overhaul of the ethics handbook for dentists. Bringing this cornerstone project into a more contemporary tone and look while remaining true to our virtues and mission. Most importantly, we have undertaken a formal search process for our new Executive Director, partnering with Kittleman, to identify a leader who can build on the past success while driving us forward into visionary ways we might not yet have imagined. To share the details of the financial status of the ACD and the ACDF, I would like to recognize Treasurer of the College, Dr. Carol Haynes. Thank you, Dr. Lam. Good afternoon. I am pleased to inform you that the financial base of the college is strong. We continue to carefully plan and evaluate our programs, revenues, and expenses. It is important to note that the college and foundation are audited annually by an independent accounting firm. One of our essential charges is to develop meaningful, sustainable programs that are consistent with our mission of advancing excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership. Most importantly, we are required to uphold the strictest standards regarding our fiduciary duty and to be unquestionably good stewards of our fellow's resources. The focus of our financial process activities this year has been the implementation of financial best practice guidelines passed by the Board of Regents in 2022. The result is a new internal controls process that has been implemented by the board and staff ensuring greater transparency and oversight of operations. We have also made a serious effort to streamline our operations with an eye on sustainability as well as fiscal responsibility. From the continued reduction of paper and single-use supply usage to the realignment of staffing at the national office, we have worked hard this year to examine and rethink our business operations, reducing unnecessary costs. The practices and procedures of the ACD foundation have been reviewed in parallel to the college and the same updates have been applied. The foundation accounts are strong and growing thanks to your generosity and skillful financial management. A special note this year, a fund for the section leadership development has been started by former regent Paula Friedman. In the eight months since it began, the fund has raised over $75,000 earmarked for the development of our local leaders. The president of our foundation, Richard Jones, will share more details about current foundation projects in his report. We have also restructured internal procedures for both entities to streamline reporting and better track expense and revenue categories. This will save our staff time and better inform the board of our financial status each quarter. We acknowledge that things seemed slow at times this year as we worked with the staff to do a top to bottom review of our finances and make these updates. Your patience and support have been noted and much appreciated. Thank you. Thank you Dr. Haynes. Dr. Richard Jones, president of the American College of Dentist Foundation will now share an update. Thank you Dr. Lam. The American College of Dentist Foundation is the collaborative partner of the college providing support for mission-based programs and initiatives. The foundation is an active force in our efforts to improve oral health care and elevate the standards of dentistry. In 2023, the ACD Foundation provided support for ethics learning opportunities to several notable partners including the Academy of General Dentistry and the National Dental Association. Scholarships to fellows to pursue advanced education and leadership were also provided through our partnerships with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Education Association. Two of our major ongoing projects are providing funds and certificates for the Outstanding Student Leader Award for each section in providing the ethics handbook for dentists to dental students in other interested parties. In 2023, the foundation provided $8,500 in awards and 5,000 ethics handbooks and wallet cards. We also funded a much needed overhaul of the ethics handbook which should be ready for distribution by the spring. By the end of 2023, the foundation will have provided $60,000 in funding for SPIA at the national levels and even more at the local levels through our section activity program grant and the new SPIA travel assistance grant which is a new project just this year that has provided funding for dental students from the U.S. and Canada to attend the SPIA annual session. I'm excited to announce two new initiatives for the coming year. The first is a partnership with Career Designs and Dentistry. It's an organization that provides leadership training through their renowned FLIP future leaders and prosthenotics in shift shaping the future. Those programs are going to be used they're well tested. CDC will provide a leadership program for local ACD leaders committed to furthering the mission of the college through implementing local leadership training. Funding for this initiative will be through the Paula K. Friedman Fund for Section Leadership Development. The second program I'm excited about is the restoration of the Ethics Summit. The foundation established a fund for hosting Ethics Summits on a variety of topics of common interest to bring together like-minded organizations interested in addressing the issues and challenges facing dentistry. This program has been dormant since the early 2000s. It will be reestablished in 2024 with the first summit plan to focus on medical dental integration. Donations to the foundation are always welcome. When you support the projects of the foundation you're supporting the future of dentistry. I'd like to take this opportunity to also encourage you to contribute by getting involved in your local sections. Leadership is important. Local projects advance the mission of the college at the grassroots level. SPIA students are mentored. Ethics and leadership lectures are provided. An outreach is often best conducted at the local level. Your gift also includes the time and energy you give to the betterment of the organization and the profession. Thank you. Thank you Dr. Jones. At this time our Vice President Dr. Albrecht Fiella will pay tribute to our deceased members. Thank you Dr. Lamb. Let's take a moment to recognize friends and colleagues who contributed so much to the college and to the profession and whose loss we feel deeply. Between early 2020 and the end of 2021 none of us remained unscathed by the COVID-19 pandemic and between the time of 2020 and 2022 we've been made aware of the loss of more than 200 fellows leaving a distinct void in our lives and especially the lives of their loved ones. Our meeting is a time to look hopefully toward the future of our fellowship with the induction of new fellows and it is also a time to honor our past by remembering that our departed friends and colleagues. Please stand and share a moment of silence and contemplation in memory of those we have lost. As is our custom I place this single rose with the others as a symbol of our colleagues that they remain forever in our hearts and in our fellowship. Thank you and please be seated. Thank you Dr. Fiella. Our President-elect Dr. Terry Dolan will introduce the orientation video for our new fellows. Thank you Dr. Lamb and good afternoon everyone. It's my pleasure to say thank you for everything you do for the American College of Dentists and especially congratulations to all our new inductees. So one of the most essential responsibilities of fellowship is not only to accept your recognition and your acknowledgement but also to extend that to others and your colleagues. When we welcome new fellows we also welcome their perspectives, their skill sets, their fresh commitment to our ideals and our values and so to our new fellows we're truly glad that you're here and we know that your contributions will strengthen the fellowship and our profession and we encourage you to extend that same gratitude and recognition to your colleagues in the future. So my second assignment is to introduce an orientation video that's been specifically produced for our new fellows to give you a nice introduction to the college and we hope that you'll stay and view this helpful presentation and then that's the only thing between us and our welcome reception. So we do invite you to stay for the video, attend the Regency breakout sessions and then join us for a celebration right around the corner from this ballroom. And so thank you for your attention to the video. Enjoy your breakouts and enjoy us for the meet and greet receptions. Appetizers will be served and they'll be a no-host bar. Thank you and enjoy the presentation and the rest of the meeting. On behalf of the American College of Dentists welcome to our new fellows. I'm Dick Jones president and it's my privilege to give you a brief overview of this prestigious organization. One with a distinguished past and an equally exciting future. Fellowship in the college is an honor and more importantly it's an opportunity to serve the profession and society. Fellowship is more than a ward or recognition it's a call to leverage generations of experience dedication passion and motivation to advance our common mission. To advance excellence ethics professionalism and leadership and dentistry. So what is the college? You were not chosen by accident. You were invited to join the college because you have demonstrated excellence. You've made significant contributions to the profession and society and your good work has already embodied the mission. This is a special organization made so by the commitment and dedication of the fellows. The basic principles that gave rise to the college have endured for more than a hundred years. That is to elevate the standards of dentistry, to encourage graduate study, and to grant fellowship to those who have done meritorious work. Those ideals represent it rather bold measures for the times. They also provided the basis for the college's pivotal role in transforming dentistry from a trade into a profession through the creation and promotion of the highest standards in practice, education, research, and industry. The college continues to hold the profession to its highest ideals through meaningful programs and projects at both the local and national level. We champion initiatives in leadership, education, research, professional development, ethical conduct, and more. We seek the best for society by seeking the best for dentistry. How's the college organized? The college is rooted in one primary element, you, the fellows. The fellowship is divided into local sections which elect local leaders. The sections are grouped into eight regencies led by elected regents. The regents serve on the board of regents and represent the sections and fellows at the national level. The organization is also served by appointed at-large regents who provide perspectives on organized dentistry, federal services, dental industry, and academia. National officers are nominated by their peers and evaluated and elected by past presidents of the college. Also represented are our affiliate groups. The American Society for Dental Ethics appoints a member who is also a fellow to serve on the board for four years. The Student Professionalism and Ethics Association, SPIA, also appoints a liaison who is a fellow. A unique aspect of the board is that every two years its members select a resident or young dentist with fewer than five years of practice experience to serve as regent intern. A geographical structure was introduced in the early stages of the college to facilitate interaction and communication among fellows and to encourage grassroots involvement. The fellowship is a large body of excellence which represents the greatest potential for achieving college initiatives. That potential is unleashed when you, our fellows, are empowered and connected to your local section leadership, the staff, and the board of regents. This connectional structure is the functional strength of the college. We have an interesting history. The college has been continuously immersed in the most critical and complicated professional issues beginning in the early 20th century when the Carnegie Foundation commissioned William Geis to report on dental education in North America. That stimulated our founders to reshape dental education. From the beginning the college has emphasized efforts in education and has successfully worked as a direct catalyst for careful study and change in this area. The college was the only organization of the time stressing what we would today call continuing education. That legacy continues through our partnerships with ASDI, ADIA, AAPD, through which we offer meaningful continuing education and scholarships for advanced studies and leadership and ethics. The college was instrumental in the formation of the American Association of Dental Editors, now the American Association of Dental Editors and Journalists, or AADEJ. The ACD and the AADEJ have entered into an affiliation agreement and are once again working closely with one another. This important affiliation will provide additional continuing education to our fellows in communications. Our fellows are strongly encouraged to join ASDI, AADEJ, or both as their second section. Most dental students in the United States and Canada are given the ACD ethics handbook for dentists, a guide to ethics, professionalism, and ethical decision-making. Dental educators also now have access to a growing compilation of dental ethics modules and video facilitation guides for our ethical dilemmas video series, recorded through a partnership with Indiana University School of Dentistry. How do you fit in? You probably already know many fellows of the college. One common thread that really stands out, all fellows are leaders who have committed to excellence, ethics, and professionalism. This high level of commitment allows the college to serve uniquely as both an authority and an influencer. We empower and engage our colleagues, students, and the entire community of oral health care professionals to serve our common mission to advance excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership. For nearly a century, our fellows have courageously advocated for, shaped, and led the profession. You might be wondering about how you were selected for fellowship. Fostering a committed fellowship requires the utmost care when selecting fellows. The ACD nomination process is rigorous. Your accomplishments were first recognized by two fellows in good standing who prepared a nomination packet on your behalf. Your nomination was submitted to the college's executive office and it was then reviewed by a committee of five distinguished fellows who considered your nomination without knowing the identity of your nominator or seconder. What this means is you did not get into the college because of any special connections between established ACD leaders. The confidential blind peer review process is described in our bylaws and continues to be in utmost importance to our college. What does the convocation mean? When you're officially inducted as a fellow of the American College of Dentist you experience a ceremony steeped in tradition. Among the symbols included in the convocation are the college torch and mace. The torch symbolizes the vision and guiding light of the founders. The mace, a symbol of authority, includes the engraved names of 20 of the earliest and most imminent contributors to the dental profession. During the convocation ceremony names are called but no rank, title or position is announced for any participant. Thus the educator, the scientist, the general practitioner, the specialist, whether from a small town or a large city will receive fellowship in the same manner. Your fellowship certificate is engraved only with your name. Although we may contribute in different ways our fellowship is equal. An important part of fellowship received by inductees at the convocation is a golden enamel pin that is a replica of the college seal. We hope you will wear this pin with pride for years to come as it represents your commitment to a strong and vital organization. Also available is a lilac and rose rosette lapel pin that's appropriate to wear at college functions. Lilac and American Rose are the official college colors. What are your responsibilities as a fellow? Fellowship has all the rights and responsibilities associated with significant achievements. Honoring dentists for their meritorious achievements is only a part of what the college is about. Fellowship carries with it responsibilities that you affirm when you accept the invitation to join. It is expected that you will be active in the college and participate in college events, especially with your local section serving your community. We also have an expectation that you will nominate qualified colleagues for fellowship. There is no better way to start your involvement with the college than through the nomination process. Fellowship in the college is a significant career milestone that was shared with you by two other dentists. It is now your turn to lift up worthy peers. Expectations go two ways. I hope you have an expectation that the college will continue to build on its proud history and record of accomplishment. I hope you will also have an expectation that the college as an organization will continue to develop activities and projects that further our mission and are worthy of your time and attention. We want you to be as proud of the college as we are of you. Another important aspect of our organization is the foundation. With our commitment to ongoing projects that sustain our mission comes requirements for financial and volunteer resources. The college has an organizational partner, the American College of Dentists Foundation, which is devoted to both fundraising and fundraising for the college. The foundation was established in 1972 to enable the college to raise funds through tax deductible gifts which in turn could be used to support projects and initiatives of the college. All college projects are supported by the foundation through activities that will sustain our mission far into the future. Thank you for your commitment to advancing excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership in dentistry and for your time today. A few things I hope you will take into your first year as a fellow are the mission of the ACD is to advance excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership in dentistry. The college has more than a word fellowships. The college makes a difference in dentistry actively working to improve our profession. The college is not a political organization. The college is known as the conscience of dentistry. Excellence, quality leadership, the highest ethical standards, and exceptional professionalism are characteristics shared by our fellows. And lastly, you are exceptional people joining an extraordinary organization. I challenge you to continue your service and contributions. The strength and vitality of the college, its proud history, and its promising future provide a guiding light for the profession. And you are now one of those carrying the flame. The most predictable future is the one that you create and the most promising future is the one we create together. Congratulations to each of you. We are honored to have you in our ranks. Thank you for attending the 2023 annual business meeting of the American College of Dentist. Please consider going to your emergency breakout sessions and we hope to see you tonight. The meeting is great. The 2023 annual business meeting is adjourned.