I came for the cause and stayed for the people.

My years on the WSDA board gave me a keen understanding of our association’s strategies for tackling some of the vexing challenges facing our profession. They also allowed me to develop wonderful professional and personal relationships with my fellow board members.

I’d had the opportunity to watch great leaders, dedicated dentists like Ashley Ulmer, John Gibbons and Nathan Russell, move WSDA forward. So, as I prepared to take the gavel, my expectation was that I would judge my own tenure primarily in terms of our continued progress on important issues like workforce development and dental benefits reform. But over the course of my presidency, after talking with other dentists during PNDC, the House of Delegates, and my 10 visits to local component societies around the state, my focus shifted a bit.

These conversations drew me back to personal relationships. They reinforced the fact that dentists have never needed each other more than we do right now. The stresses — economic and otherwise — on our profession have never been greater, and we simply must be there to offer advice and support to our peers.

WSDA is uniquely positioned to facilitate these conversations, to nurture these relationships, and to be the guiding light that many are missing. But the association can only do that to the extent that we actively engage. Now is the time to increase your commitment and involvement.

My emphasis on interpersonal relationships didn’t come at the expense of accomplishments in enhancing the value of WSDA for our members. In fact, just the opposite. Our accomplishments over the past year were a direct result of the amazing teamwork shown by our staff, my fellow officers, and a very diverse board of directors, who helped me better understand and advocate for all practice modalities.

Looking back not only on these achievements during my term as president, but also on the full range of what we’ve collectively accomplished during my tenure on the WSDA board, I feel fortunate to have been part of some really great progress on so many fronts. I am a little surprised by, but very proud of, the things I’ve been able to have a small hand in helping bring about, and I wish everyone could enjoy the opportunities I have been blessed with.

WSDA is making a real difference for our members. We have carefully laid the groundwork for unbelievable success in the coming years. I can’t wait to see the heights that Dr. Lisa Egbert and the next leaders of the organization will help WSDA reach.

Please, step up and lend a hand in helping them shape the future of dentistry for decades to come. Ten years from now, I hope you’ll be one of the ones who can say, “I did that,” rather than, “I wish I would have done that.” Don’t find yourself regretting having missed out on being part of what’s to come.

Tomorrow is being created right now. Be a part of it.