President's Message
Dr. Dean Jensen
I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to serve the SWSO as President this year. The position has been a humbling learning experience for me, as I’ve learned how much our membership contributes to our profession. The most obvious example is Mel DeSoto, who has represented us for eight years as our Trustee and now has reached the pinnacle of our organization as President of the AAO. The amount of time he puts in for the association would be a full time job for most people and he still maintains his private practice. I know I speak for the entire SWSO when I say “Thank you Mel for all of the time and effort you’ve put in to make the AAO what it is today.” Stepping in behind him as our Trustee, Gayle Glen continues to impress all of us with her knowledge and organizational abilities. She has proven to be an exceptional orthodontist and long ago showed everyone she has the same aptitude for leadership.
During the last four years of serving on the Executive Committee, I have had a chance to work closely with your Board of Directors. They have all continued to impress me with their dedication, vision, ethics, and willingness to do what’s best for the SWSO membership. As I complete my term, it’s a great feeling to know that our association is in the hands of these great men and women whom you have elected to serve you.
Last winter the SWSO sent a delegation to St. Louis, Missouri for the AAO leadership conference. We were asked to send future leaders in the SWSO, and we were represented well. At the conference they learned about volunteer leadership qualities, and why they are important to the future of the AAO and to our members’ practices. I would like to carry this forward by taking a moment to encourage all of our new and younger members to get involved. You all represent the future of our profession. If you have an interest, please let one of your state or SWSO board members know. They would love to give you ideas on how to get involved.
I’m pleased to say that during the past year, the SWSO has continued to take the lead in support of education. To his credit, Mark Felton made education his top priority last year as our President. There is a crisis in education which will not be solved with a simple solution but, as Mark says, every dollar we can give to education will help. I’m pleased to report that through the efforts of Van Greer, we are limiting the amount of funds that can be kept in reserves, and will be distributing the funds annually to the SWSO schools through the recommendations of the Faculty Support/Competitive Research Award Committee. At the meeting in Austin, Texas, we will be giving $30,000 to educators in the SWSO!
An area high on my list of priorities has been making it easier to join the AAO. In the past, we have had problems with members who could not, for one reason or another, attend the orientation lunch which we required for membership. Because of that, we have occasionally had a problem with new members being told they could not be a part of the AAO until the next SWSO Annual Session. One of the greatest strengths of the AAO has been that it is recognized by outside entities as the voice for orthodontists. With over 96% of the orthodontists in America as members, we gain strength in numbers. I believe all of our efforts should be directed at making the application process as easy as possible. I am therefore pleased to announce that applicants can now join by reading and then completing the required paperwork within a year from the 31st of December after graduation from their residency. Additionally, there is a provision to ask for an additional year to get the application completed, through a requested extension. I should point out that we still believe the orientation lunch is an invaluable way to educate our new active members on how the AAO helps them and, just as importantly, how they can get involved and help the AAO.
I want to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to attend our annual session in Austin. We have chosen the theme of “The Stars are Bright…Deep in the Heart of Texas.” It seems appropriate because our 2005 planning committee, lead by Dr. Steve Robirds, has put together a great program of Stars. There is definitely a “Texas feel” to the meeting, as it begins with an opening breakfast on Friday highlighted by a talk from the state’s Agricultural Commissioner, Susan Combs. The big event of the meeting will be on Saturday night, when we have an opportunity to have dinner and a party at the beautiful new Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History. If you haven’t had a chance to visit the Bullock Museum, we believe Saturday night alone will be reason enough to attend the meeting. Please plan to join my wife, Diane, and me in Austin October 13-16.
I would like to conclude by thanking Brian Smith for his years of service to the SWSO by serving as the Editor of this newsletter. He has taken this periodical and expanded it to include a web site, to serve as great communication tools for our membership. Dr. Smith’s dedication and skills have been a valuable asset to our society and something we all greatly appreciate. On the same subject, the SWSO Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Dr. Kirt Simmons and his wife have agreed to take over the positions of Editor and Associate Editor, respectively. Brian is working closely with the Simmons’ to make the transition seamless.
Remember, the Stars will be Bright in Austin in October! I hope to see you all there.