The year in review: membership.

The year 2004 has been a very busy year for ADAA and, since our Annual Conference in Anaheim, a very busy time for me. Let me share some highlights at this time.

The ADAA has achieved financial stability by expanding our sources of nondues revenue and ensuring responsible fiscal management. The ADAA Foundation has exceeded set goals for 2004 and has begun an endowment to help educate dental assistants now and in the future. We have initiated an outreach program to ADAA states and locals with an important emphasis on membership that has already prompted me to travel to Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Virginia for an exchange of ideas.

The ADAA continues to cultivate relationships with dental and dental-related organizations by enhancing our efforts to collaborate on major initiatives beneficial to ADAA as well as these various organizations. As you know, our Annual Conference was held in conjunction with the Academy of General Dentistry and the American Association of Women Dentists, and we will meet with them again next year in Washington, DC.

In July I attended a VIP reception and the opening ceremonies of the 91st Annual Conference of the National Dental Association in Century City, CA. I met the Executive Director, Robert Johns, and the President, Dr. Joy Jordan. Currently they do not provide education at their annual meeting that is specifically geared towards dental assistants. I mentioned that the ADAA could help them out in that area. Also, I met Rosemary Fetter and Kristin Foster from the National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore, MD, and was invited to visit the museum. While in Virginia in September, I accepted their invitation. This is a must-see museum for everyone in the dental profession. Anyone planning to travel to Washington, DC, for our next Annual Conference should consider a side trip to the museum.

In August I attended the Dental Assisting National Board meeting in Chicago and I spoke with the ADAA representatives to the DANB board. I also had an opportunity to speak with many DANB board members. The ADAA and DANB continue to work together to ultimately raise the standards of dental assisting across the United States.

My September travels included a trip to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, for the annual meeting of the Canadian Dental Assistants' Association. Here I gave greetings and attended their educational programs. I also met with Sherry Sikora, CDA, President, and Michael Brennan, the CDAA Executive Director, and several members to discuss the similarities and differences of our associations. I feel that with continued communication we may be able to share ideas and help each other in the areas of recruitment and retention.

Also in September I flew to Florida for the American Dental Association annual conference. While there I gave greetings at an annual Team Building Seminar, attended the ADAAF Board of Directors meeting, American Dental Association Foundation reception, American Association of Women Dentists installation of officers, and a National Museum of Dentistry breakfast meeting. Covering the convention floor with Executive Director Larry Sepin and Education Director Jennifer Blake, we approached new and existing contributors to the ADAAF. Many contributors commented on the "Thank You" notes they received from our members after our annual conference and were very appreciative.

In October I was a guest at the annual conference of the Hispanic Dental Association in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At a meeting with its President-Elect, Dr. Mario Ramos, we agreed to explore the possibilities of our organizations collaborating on volunteer efforts in underserved areas in the United States at the state and local levels. We will also discuss providing education for assistants employed by HDA dentists and we have already been asked to provide education at their annual meeting next year in San Antonio, Texas. We will have an excellent opportunity to explore the various avenues for increasing membership in both organizations.

Other dental organizations with which we are collaborating are the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American College of Prosthodontists.

A special Committee on Volunteerism has been implemented by the ADAA for dental assistants. We will supply information to our membership via The Dental Assistant and our website on the possibilities for dental volunteerism both at home and abroad. We are looking forward to partnering on this very important initiative with other organizations to help address the access to care issue.

The ADAA's commitment to education continues to produce strong educational programs as we meet and fulfill the educational and professional needs of members and non-members. We have introduced educational roundtables at many major dental meetings, and our home study courses are currently being provided as a source of education for U.S. Army dental assistants worldwide. We continue to expand our educational Home Study Library for dental assistants with eight new courses. This issue of the Journal includes our complete home study catalog. Please take a moment to review what we have to offer.

And so as we close this busy year, we're glad to have had the opportunity to look inward and continue to do the work needed to serve our members and tend to the health of the organization itself and to look outward and expand our horizons and the scope of our professional recognition. Thank you for helping to make this productive, successful year possible.

Kristy S. Borquez, CDA, RDAEF, FADAA ADAA President 2004-2005