Delegation Chair Report - from AAO Annual Session
Dr. Kirt E. Simmons
As your SWSO Chief Delegate this year, I knew I had big shoes to fill, following in Hank Bussa’s footsteps. Being as it was also my first year as a “full” delegate, having been an alternate the previous two years, I was even further intimidated. Luckily, I had a great delegation behind me and Drs. Gayle Glenn and Vann Greer coaching me. The Chairs meeting was a very enlightening introduction to the AAO political process. You can be very proud of your SWSO delegation- they are a dedicated group of hard working volunteers, who choose to attend the annual meeting and forego most of the meeting activities, in order to represent you at the national level. So what did the AAO House of Delegates (HOD) decide this year?
To briefly recap some of the more significant actions, several resolutions were passed to support orthodontic academics; measures to shorten the HOD meeting were referred to the Board of Trustees; the Consumer Awareness Program was continued and will be reported on next year; military service members can now choose to join a constituency (I’m sure at least a few will be selecting SWSO!); recognizing the increasing globalization of the AAO, a new International Student membership classification was added; and, a resolution to modify the means by which the ABO Directors are chosen was referred to a joint committee of AAO and ABO members.
For more detailed descriptions of these resolutions, and a list of all the resolutions considered and their disposition, visit the AAO website and see some of the other reports in this newsletter, most notably our Board member, Dr. Glenn.
I want to thank all the SWSO delegates and Drs. Glenn and Greer for their support and encouragement this past year and their confidence in me. Remember, the SWSO delegates represent YOU- in order for them to do that well, you need to let them know how you feel about the issues under consideration. I know they will appreciate it.
Pictured (L to R): Trustee Gayle Glenn; Alternate Delegate Larry Tadlock; Delegate Stephen D. Robirds; Alternate Delegate Jeffrey J. Thompson; Delegate J. Mark Felton; and Delegate Clark D. Colville. Not pictured are Delegation Chair Kirt E. Simmons; Delegates Devek K. Frech and J. Dean Jensen; and Alternate Delegate E. Vann Greer