acific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Summer 2018 - 10

Trustee Report

Trustee Report, Summer 2018
Dr. Norman Nagel
PCSO Trustee

"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of
many things: of shoes and ships - and sealing
wax - of cabbages and kings."
- Lewis Carroll, "The Walrus and the Carpenter"
So. . . let us talk about many things. The AAO
Annual Session in Washington, D.C., was, by all
accounts, very successful. President Nahid Maleki
passed the gavel to President-Elect Brent Larson,
and Richard Williams from the Southern Association joined the board as a trustee, while Michael
Foy passed the speaker's gavel to Jeff Rickabaugh,
also from Southern, who is the new speaker of
the House of Delegates. The 64 members of the
House of Delegates tackled 34 resolutions. Dr.
Ron Wolk, PCSO delegation chair, did an excellent
job of leading the PCSO delegation.
Following the Annual Session, 159 members
stayed behind, along with residents, to attend the
Annual Advocacy Conference. Members from 44
states participated in over 200 meetings with
congressional offices, meeting with representatives or legislative aides. This conference is usually held in the winter; this year, the timing of the
AAO Annual Session made it convenient to tack
on extra time and stay for a day on the Hill with
the U.S. Congress. AAO members and residents
visited members of Congress to discuss the RAISE
Health Benefits Act, student debt, the medical
device tax, and tax reform for small businesses.
While we were visiting Congress, we received
word that Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) introduced
the RAISE Act in the Senate. Since then, Senator
Roger Wicker (R-MS) has joined Senator Blunt to
sponsor the RAISE Act (H.R. 1204/S.S. 2802).
The House of Delegates (HOD) discussed many
issues, but diversity, strategy, and informationgathering seemed to be the focus of the meeting.
Diversity
Many resolutions were concerned with diversifying AAO governance. We are now a less maledominated organization; we have welcomed
more women into the profession and therefore

the governance of the organization. Although Dr.
Nahid Maleki, the lone female member of the
BOT, "termed" off the board (and there are currently no women on the BOT), more women are
involved at the component and constituent levels
and in the HOD. Currently, there are 5,711 males
counted as active members of the AAO; there are
2,545 females. This compares to 731 male student
members and 710 female student members. The
gender profile of this organization will change
dramatically within the next 20 years.
From the AAO HOD: 19-18 GLAO Diversity Policy
RESOLVED, that the AAO House of Delegates recognizes that orthodontists are increasingly diverse in
terms of age, gender, race, and ethnicity and in
how they practice. The House of Delegates of the
AAO strives to reflect this diversity throughout
AAO leadership.
The top three officers of the California Association of Orthodontists are women, and the PCSO
Nominating Committee and Board of Directors
has selected Dr. Marie Lathrop of Oregon as the
incoming secretary-treasurer for 2018-2019. At
the PCSO Annual Session in Monterey, her name
will be placed before the membership for election.
Strategy
The AAO adopted a new strategic plan at this
year's HOD. The five-sentence mission statement
adopted in 2016 was shortened to one sentence:
"To advance our members' success through education, advocacy, and research that drive excellence in patient care." The vision: "All orthodontic
care is provided by qualified specialists who successfully address patient needs."
What are our core values?

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Our members come first.
We are inclusive.
We are data-driven.
We seek active engagement.
We are ethical.

PCSO Bulletin  Summer 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of acific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Summer 2018