The Board of Trustees announces the appointment of Lynne Thomas Gordon, MBA, RHIA, CAE, FACHE, FAHIMA, as executive director of the AAO, effective January 8, 2018.
“Lynne was the clear choice as the next leader of our organization due to her experience, energy, commitment to vision and ability to connect with AAO members and staff,” said Dr. Brent E. Larson, chair of the AAO search committee and the AAO president-elect. “We are delighted that her passion will be directed to benefit our members and the patients we serve.
A fixture within the healthcare industry, Ms. Gordon brings more than 30 years of healthcare and association leadership experience to the AAO. Most recently, she was the CEO of the Chicago-based American Health Information Management Association, a position she had held since 2011. She had previously served as the Associate Vice President of Operations and Director of Rush Children’s Hospital in Chicago, Administrator of Houston Medical Center in Warner Robins, Georgia, and COO of Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit.
“I have great respect for the orthodontist professional and the work they do to create healthy, beautiful smiles. It is with immense pleasure and pride that I accept this role,” said Ms. Gordon. “It will be an honor to work with such a dedicated Board of Trustees as well as the AAO staff.”
Ms. Gordon has been nominated several times by Modern Healthcare as one of the “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” and has provided numerous interviews and articles to publications such as The New York Times, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Modern Healthcare, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, Politico, Health Leaders and The New Yorker, among others. She holds an MBA and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE), board certified in healthcare management as an ACHE Fellow (FACHE), a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), and a Fellow of the American Health Information Management Association (FAHIMA).
Under Ms. Gordon’s leadership, the AAO will continue to educate the public about the benefits of orthodontic treatment by AAO orthodontists; improve the health of the public by promoting quality orthodontic care and the importance of overall oral healthcare; advocate for the public interest; promote the highest standards of excellence in orthodontic education and practice; and support AAO members in the practice of orthodontics. The AAO will continue to provide support to orthodontic education programs and orthodontic research through its charitable arm, the AAO Foundation, incorporated as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation.
About 88 percent of U.S. orthodontists are members of the AAO. For more information, visit www.aaoinfo.org.
