Recruitment Still Underway for Many States and Provinces
The AAO is pleased to announce the inaugural leaders for the AAO National Advocacy Network (NAN) Component Advocacy Liaison (CAL) and AAO Political Action Committee (AAOPAC) Captain roles.
Each Component Advocacy Liaison (CAL) will serve as a chief advocacy contact for his or her component within the United States (including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia) and Canadian provinces to support AAO priorities, including policy action for items with potential to impact orthodontists and patients.
The AAOPAC Captains will lead state-level AAOPAC fund-raising in their U.S. states and help recruit other leaders to help build this important committee.
From the NAN’s inception in the fall of 2022, the AAO Council on Government Advocacy (COGA), the AAOPAC Board, and the AAO Advocacy team have worked tirelessly to interview a list of outstanding candidates for these leadership positions, compiled from self-nomination, AAO eBulletin promotion, AAO leadership outreach and referrals, and other nominations.
We are thrilled to announce our confirmed Component Advocacy Liaisons, members of state CAL teams, and AAOPAC Captains (see list below). These volunteer leaders will help lead the advocacy work of the AAO today and into the future. We would also like to congratulate the new NAN volunteer leadership in the state of North Dakota, the first state to have NAN representation in both the CAL and AAOPAC Captain roles (followed soon after by Utah filling both roles).
View A Map of Filled/Open CAL and AAOPAC Captain Positions
Additionally, we celebrate Dr. Ernest Goodson of North Carolina, who is the first State Regulatory Captain for any state within the National Advocacy Network – and will be helping specifically to monitor state dental board action and other regulations in coordination with North Carolina’s CAL, Dr. Kelly Mitchell.
Recruitment and interviewing continue with volunteer leadership candidates for both roles. Where a NAN volunteer leader has been confirmed, we will look to continue to build teams across the state (or province, for CALs) to fully support advocacy and AAOPAC work.
Anyone interested in learning more is invited to text the word “NAN” to the number 52886, or email [email protected].
“We are thrilled to welcome the inaugural class of Component Advocacy Liaisons within the AAO’s National Advocacy Network (NAN), leaders that will immensely help direct state advocacy work and ensure that the future of regulation and legislation in US and Canadian provinces have a positive impact on the profession of Orthodontics,” said COGA Chair Dr. Philip Mansour. “With this premier group of CALs, we will be in lockstep with state and provincial dental boards and ensure the voice of AAO membership is resoundingly represented. Thank you to these leaders for stepping up to serve, and we are excited to welcome you to the ranks of AAO volunteer advocacy leadership.”
“Congratulations to the inaugural class of AAOPAC Captains, whose work toward raising funds and growing AAOPAC contributions will go incredibly far in protecting the profession, and advancing our visibility in federal and state policy work,” said Dr. Deb Lien, incoming Chair of AAOPAC. “This new class of AAOPAC volunteer leaders will continue to support our vital work, including supporting political candidates who will work to protect our specialty, and ensure our profession as well as patient health and safety are always considered. We welcome you and thank you for your service in this new role to the AAO NAN.”
UPDATE: View a feature on three NAN volunteers and their reasons for joining the program in the Orthodontic Advocate (pages 14-15). Also, view our listing of current NAN participants below.
NATIONAL ADVOCACY NETWORK COMPONENT ADVOCACY LIAISONS
| Name | State | Role |
| Dr. Dane Lenaker | Alaska | CAL |
| Dr. Mariela Anderson | Ontario, Canada | CAL |
| Dr. Anthony Rossi | Quebec, Canada | CAL |
| Dr. Anil Idiculla | Colorado | CAL |
| Dr. Eddy Sedeno | Florida | CAL |
| Dr. Sean Holliday | Hawaii | CAL |
| Dr. Ben Youel | Illinois | CAL |
| Dr. Andrew Chase | Massachusetts | CAL |
| Dr. Matthews Evers | Massachusetts | ADA & Dental Specialty State Liaison |
| Dr. John Monticello | Michigan | CAL |
| Dr. Zachary Slama | Minnesota | CAL |
| Dr. Andrew Larkin | Missouri | CAL |
| Dr. So Hee Kim | Missouri | Digital Advocacy Captain |
| Dr. Kurt Bray | Montana | CAL |
| Dr. Christina Aponte | New York | CAL |
| Dr. Alison Fallgatter | North Dakota | CAL |
| Dr. Kelly Mitchell | North Carolina | CAL |
| Dr. Ernest Goodson | North Carolina | State Regulatory Captain |
| Dr. Shannon Schober | Oregon | CAL |
| Dr. Jeffery Stoker | Utah | CAL |
| Dr. Jenna Schneider | West Virginia | CAL |
| Dr. Sunny Lee | Wisconsin | CAL |
AAOPAC CAPTAINS
| Name | State | Role |
| Dr. Paul Sproul | Alabama | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. John Beattie | Florida | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. Daron Stevens | Hawaii | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. Tasha Hall | Indiana | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. Ty Saini | Maryland | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. Amy Schulte | Missouri | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. Chris Baker | North Carolina | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. Dennis Sommers | North Dakota | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. Dale Anne Featheringham | Ohio | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. Candace Coleman | Tennessee | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. Dean Jensen | Texas | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. Bart Goldsberry | Utah | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. George Sabol | Virginia | AAOPAC Captain |
| Dr. Lance Pittman | West Virginia | AAOPAC Captain |
Note: bolded font indicates the confirmation of both a CAL, and an AAOPAC Captain for the state. We will continue to build teams for both positions in every state.
AAOPAC helps fuel advocacy success not only in Washington, D.C. but in states throughout the country. To make your contribution now, visit aaopac.org.
