The AAO’s new executive director, Lynne Thomas Gordon, CAE, began her official duties on January 8, 2018, following her appointment to the position late last year. She began her orientation to the AAO by participating as an observer in the recent Global Strategic Planning Committee meeting in St. Louis.
Bringing more than 30 years of healthcare and association leadership experience to the AAO, Ms. Gordon succeeds Dr. DeWayne McCamish, who served as interim executive director during 2017 while the Board of Trustees conducted a national search for a permanent appointee. Most recently, Ms. Gordon 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,” said Ms. Gordon. “It is with immense pleasure and pride that I accept this role. 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, 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.
