WDA trustee candidate lineup

Treasurer – Dr. John R. Moser (Milwaukee)

1. If elected treasurer, what do you believe would be your unique contributions to the WDA Board?
   If elected treasurer, using my talents in finance and accounting, along with spreadsheet and PowerPoint skills, I will continue keeping the board informed of the financial condition of the organization, as well as financial implications of board actions. Providing oversight to our investments, working with Mary Ellen Stanek, and reporting on their results in an understandable format, along with overseeing the annual budget are abilities I have refined over the years. Serving as treasurer of the WDAISC and Chair of WDAISC, Ltd. (our insurance captive) gives me insight into the financial big picture of the WDA.
2. What talents and experience do you feel qualify you to serve as the WDA’s treasurer?
   Being born to a very shrewd businessman father and growing up with the mentoring influence of a best friend’s father who served as president of Miller Brewing Company, taking college courses in accounting, finance and computers, doing all of my practice accounting, along with 12 years serving as your treasurer give me a strong foundation. Having a very keen eye for detail, I truly enjoy my job as treasurer. It would be an honor to serve a fifth term as your treasurer.

 

Northwest Region 1 – Dr. Jon Nelson (Superior)

1. Why would you like to be a WDA trustee?
   I come from a small component society. We have been very fortunate to have a long list of past trustees from this area who have made significant contributions. I hope that I can continue that. I think all types of practices, small town and large city, need representation. This helps, in my opinion, to get my different thoughts and ideas back to the board and the WDA.
2. What issues do you believe will shape the future of this organization?
   As far as the future of the WDA, I have been privileged to see an organization that is proactive instead of reactive. My main concerns are as follows:

• We need to keep the WDA viable and effective to be a strong voice for all dentists. The best way to continue this is through strong membership retention and recruitment.
• We need to have cost-effective ways to access to care. The legislation needs to sit at the table with the WDA to help figure this out.

We are part of an ADA pilot project for practice transitions. Marquette and the WDA have already been working on this. It will help us all in the near future.

 

Northeast Region 2 – Dr. Tim Harper (Fond du Lac)

1. Why would you like to be a WDA trustee?
   After having served as a delegate for several years, I have enjoyed working with and learning from the other Board of Trustees’ members as well as the talented and dedicated WDA staff. I feel, with the first term’s experience, that I can be a more effective contributor to the WDA’s mission of meeting the ever-evolving challenges facing our profession and communicating with our component members about these issues.
2. What issues do you believe will shape the future of this organization?
   I think the primary part of the WDA’s mission is to be a leading advocate for our profession and the oral health of the community we serve. In order to accomplish this, we must maintain a high level of membership in the face of demographic change. As outside groups, from insurance companies to access to care advocates, seek to influence how care is delivered, we must continue to have a strong voice in the political and legislative arena. Technology is affecting the way in which we practice and how we connect with one another. The WDA has been an innovative resource for tools to help manage a practice. We must continue to effectively communicate this value to current and prospective members.

Greater Milwaukee Region 3 –Dr. Angela Lueck (Milwaukee)

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Why would you like to be a WDA trustee?
               I have participated in organized dentistry for the last 10 years as a board member of my local component, and for many years as a delegate at the WDA House of Delegates.  I was President of the Greater Milwaukee Dental Association in 2017 and it was a privilege to lead the largest component in the state.  After many years of mentorship from wonderful leaders in our area, I am ready to take on a new role as trustee for Region 3. I am passionate about dentistry and want to remain involved so that I can continue to make a difference for those dentists in my region and hopefully be a voice that can communicate between the local and state levels.
            2. What issues do you believe will shape the future of this organization? The business of dentistry is shifting from the small-business owner to the large corporate model, which makes me deeply concerned for the ability of the owners of small practices to compete with the dental service organizations of today. For this reason, I am excited that Wisconsin is part of the ADA’s pilot program for practice transitions. It would be nice to have a model that would allow retiring dentists the ability to find the perfect candidate to take over their practice and the support to make a smooth transition. Decreasing membership numbers throughout the country is also an issue. We are lucky in Wisconsin to have such great participation, but the employees of the larger corporate dental practices also need to be active in organized dentistry to make appropriate decisions that affect us all. I also believe that the ever-changing environment surrounding dental insurance companies will continue to cause frustration with our members. How do we navigate and protect ourselves from these large corporate entities that can alter the way we practice, the patients we can see and the treatment that we can offer?

Southeast Region 4
Dr. Laura Lux (Lake Geneva)

1. Why would you like to be a WDA trustee?

If elected to the board I believe that I have a great deal to offer as a representative of the dentists in my area.  My experience blends both the classic models of dentistry as I am part owner of a private practice.  I limit myself to what I’m good at (prosthetics) and try to use the other specialists around me.  My office is fee for service and I navigate everyday to keep our practice relevant in a very corporately driven dental economy.   I have close working relationships with the other dentists in my area and feel that I can relate to the needs/concerns that they face.  I am also a recent graduate who has significant concerns about student loans, running a business for the first time, and transitioning/modernizing a practice.  Regardless of my specialty degree, I rely on skilled mentors to help me grow professionally and hope to connect with the dentists in my area and represent them on a state level.

2. What issues do you believe will shape the future of this organization?

I think the board needs to focus on graduating student debt – finding a way to make sure that new dentists have the knowledge/opportunities to purchase a practice if they want.  Keeping dentistry independent of external influence to me is one of the best things we have going but new grads are finding it hard do realize that dream when they are so limited financially. I also hope to support the board in getting its message out to its constituents as I believe the WDA is doing a lot of good for our profession, but the membership (for whatever reason) is not hearing that as clearly or as profoundly as it could.

Southwest Region 5
Dr. Tom Reid (Madison)

1. Why would you like to be a WDA trustee?
   I would like to be considered for a second term as a WDA trustee to continue working for the betterment of our esteemed profession. My first term representing Region 5 has been a fantastic experience and WDA members are represented well by its trustees, officers, executive team and staff.  I try to bring a certain pragmatism and voice to the board which, first and foremost, always advocates for the practicing dentist and small-business owner. Daily, our profession is being challenged by forces and people who could not or would not do what we do as dentists – they neither have the clinical skills nor intellectual aptitude. Regardless, these outside forces exist and continue to influence how we practice dentistry, how we are reimbursed and how we manage our offices. I enjoy tackling these challenges as a member of the Board of Trustees.
2. What issues do you believe will shape the future of this organization?
   I see the biggest challenge for the WDA is to be juggling all of the issues currently barraging the practice of dentistry. Third party payers, governmental regulation and policies, do-it-yourself dentistry, DEB appointments, access to care issues, student debt and changing practice models – each in and of itself is complicated, but these are some of the issues we must manage. If we as a unified WDA voice don’t advocate for our member dentists and ultimately the dental health of the citizens of Wisconsin, others will.