American Dental Assistants Association Adaa

Our Mission and History

We are the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). Our mission is to promote the public good by providing credentialing services to the dental community. We reach and measure the success of this mission through the creation of valid dental assisting exams; recertification requirement integrity; and valuable, visible and attainable DANB exams, certificates and certifications.

We accept a long and interesting history that traces back to 1948, when the American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA) identified the demand for dental assistant certification and founded the Certifying Board of the American Dental Assistants Clan. In 1978, the Certifying Board became a separately incorporated organization and, in 1980, inverse its name to the Dental Assisting National Lath.

Today, DANB is recognized by the American Dental Association as the national certification board for dental assistants. More than 36,000 dental assistants hold DANB certification, and each twelvemonth, DANB issues nearly 50,000 certificates to those who pass its national and state exams.

DANB founded the Dental Advancement through Learning and Education (DALE) Foundation in 2010 as its official pedagogy and research affiliate. The DALE Foundation offers interactive online educational courses and resource to advance the dental squad and help dental professionals prepare for DANB exams.

Learn more about the DALE Foundation.

Our Accreditation and Impartiality

DANB's CDA and COA certification programs are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). This demonstrates DANB'south compliance with the standards of excellence for professional person certification programs. The NCCA is a commission of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence and provides accreditation for credentialing programs. DANB is also a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence.

DANB understands the importance of impartiality and potential conflicts of interests in carrying out its certification activities. Being impartial, and beingness perceived to be impartial, is necessary for DANB to be able to deliver credible certification programs that provide confidence to our candidates and certificants, the dental community, and the public. In guild to obtain and maintain confidence, DANB volition, at all times, be able to demonstrate that our decisions are based on objective evidence and that our decisions have not been improperly influenced by other interests or by other parties.

Our Guiding Principles

DANB follows these guiding principles in all our relationships and interactions:

Trust. We are committed to quality, ethics and all-time practices in the development of DANB testing and credentialing-related services, including meeting all national exam development and credentialing standards.

Advice. Providing data to DANB stakeholders is a priority. Nosotros seek to provide full attention every bit active listeners and proactive trouble solvers while providing accurate and timely information in an easily accessible format.

Respect. We are committed to valuing each stakeholder with equal consideration of their needs or position, no matter how big or small.

Initiative. We are committed to continuously promoting the dental assisting profession past seeking to develop new solutions, services and resources for the oral healthcare community, as these relate to DANB'southward mission.

Teamwork. We are committed to working together with representatives of our communities of interest to develop and exchange ideas that promote the public expert and enhance the oral healthcare community every bit a whole.

Board of Directors

DANB'southward Board of Directors includes nine directors. Directors are nominated by the American Dental Assistants Clan (three directors), American Dental Association (2 directors), the American Association of Dental Boards (1 director), and American Dental Instruction Association (one director). There is also one managing director who is a DANB certificant and one director who is a member of the public.

Chair: Lois Bell

Lois Bell, CDA, CPFDA, CRFDA, CDIPC, MADAA, was elected to DANB's Board of Directors in August 2016 and is serving her second three-yr term. DANB'south Board elected Ms. Bong from a slate of qualified nominees provided past the American Dental Administration Association (ADAA).

Ms. Bong retired in August 2021 from dental assisting afterwards being a practicing dental assistant for over 40 years. During her career, she worked in a variety of settings, including both big and small private practices, too as in clinics for the U.S. Department of Defense and Section of Veterans Affairs. Ms. Bong earned DANB Certified Dental Banana (CDA) certification in 2003, followed past DANB Certified Preventive Functions Dental Assistant (CPFDA) in 2010 and DANB Certified Restorative Functions Dental Assistant (CRFDA) certification in 2013. In Dec 2021, she earned Certified in Dental Infection Prevention and Control (CDIPC) certification, developed by DANB in collaboration with the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention. Most recently, Ms. Bell worked every bit a dental assistant at the VA Greenville Customs Based Outpatient Clinic in Greenville, South Carolina.

In addition to her chairside dental assisting piece of work, Ms. Bell has been an agile member of the ADAA at state and national levels since 1996. She served as ADAA secretary from 2012 to 2013, and is currently serving on the ADAA's Council on Didactics and Council on Mastership/Fellowship.

She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Section of Veterans Affairs Hands and Heart award and the Unsung Hero laurels, likewise every bit multiple awards from the Due south Carolina Dental Administration Association.

Steven-Holm

Vice Chair: Steven J. Holm

Steven J. Holm, D.D.South., of Portage, Indiana, was elected to DANB'due south Board of Directors in Baronial 2017 and is serving his 2nd iii-year term. DANB's Board selected Dr. Holm from a slate of qualified nominees provided by the American Dental Clan (ADA).

Dr. Holm has been a general dentistry practitioner and an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University Northwest for more than 30 years. Since 1998, he has served every bit a delegate to the ADA House of Delegates, as well every bit a fellow member of ADA'southward Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations (CAPIR) Quango–7th District and Council on Dental Education and Licensure. Since 2013, he has served as a member of ADA's Licensure Task Force.

Dr. Holm is a Fellow in the Pierre Fauchard Academy, American Higher of Dentists and International College of Dentists. He'south also active in the Indiana Dental Association (IDA), where he has held many leadership roles, including currently serving as the chair of government affairs. From 2014-2015, he served as president of IDA and in 2015 was recognized for his outstanding service.

In addition, Dr. Holm is active in the Academy of General Dentistry, Chicago Dental Society, Delta Sigma Delta Dental Fraternity, Northwest Indiana Dental Society and Porter County Dental Society.

Dr. Holm is a graduate of the University of South Dakota and Loyola Academy Schoolhouse of Dentistry.

Secretary-Treasurer: Constance Reed

Constance "Connie" Reed, CDA, EFDA, B.Southward., began serving on DANB's Board of Directors in August 2017. She was elected from a slate of qualified nominees provided by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and is serving her second three-year term.

Ms. Reed, of Tampa, Florida, is the manager of the dental assistant program at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida. She has been a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) certificant since 1984.

Ms. Reed has been a fellow member of the ADEA since 2001, and since 2013, she has served as chair of the ADEA's Dental Profitable Education Section. She is too a member of the Florida Allied Dental Educators, where she has held the positions of president and secretarial assistant. In add-on, Ms. Reed is a consultant with the W Declension District Dental Association Scholarship Commission and has served on the boards of the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, Florida Dental Wellness Foundation and Big Curve Area Health Educational activity Center.

Since 2013, Ms. Reed besides has served on the Florida Board of Dentistry's Dental Assisting Committee, and she has served every bit a site visitor for the American Dental Association Committee on Dental Accreditation for nine years.

Ms. Reed worked for 12 years at Gulf Declension State College in Panama City, Florida, as both dental assisting outreach coordinator and a dental assisting adjunct instructor. She served equally interim director of dental programs at the University of Florida College of Dentistry and Santa Fe Higher in Gainesville, Florida, and she has worked for well-nigh 17 years at Hillsborough Community College.

Prior to her experiences in education, Ms. Reed worked for 12 years as a dental assistant in Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts and Missouri. She has received honors from the Association of Florida Colleges (formerly the Florida Association of Community Colleges [FACC]), including the Excellence Award of FACC Curriculum of Education. She earned her Available of Scientific discipline degree in vocational instruction in 1991 from University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida.

Frank Maggio

Frank Maggio, D.D.Southward., was elected to DANB's Board of Directors in August 2021 and is serving the commencement of a possible two three-yr terms. DANB'due south Board selected Dr. Maggio from amongst qualified nominees provided by the American Association of Dental Boards (AADB).

Dr. Maggio is a periodontist with a practice in Elgin, Illinois; he is too a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois (UIC) Chicago College of Dentistry, Department of Periodontics. Additionally, Dr. Maggio currently serves on the UIC Dental Alumni Board of Directors, formerly serving equally its Past President, and is a dental profitable faculty member at Elgin Customs College.

Dr. Maggio has been a member of the ADA since 1971, and has served on numerous ADA committees, councils and task forces. He was an ADA Foundation Board member and was Chairman of the ADA Council on Dental Teaching and Licensure, along with existence an ADA Trustee. He also has been President of the Illinois State Dental Society, Fob River Valley Dental Society and McHenry County Dental Order.

Beyond this, Dr. Maggio's professional affiliations include involvement in the Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) Dental Honor Club. He also is a Boyfriend in the American Higher of Dentists, International Higher of Dentists, Pierre Fauchard Academy, and Odontographic Order of Chicago; and he recently served as Immediate Past President of the Lath of Trustees for the DALE Foundation, the official DANB chapter.

Additionally, Dr. Maggio is an active member of the AADB, American Dental Educational activity Association and American Academy of Periodontology. Among other activities, he is Chairman of the Dental Lifeline Network and a former Board member of the Illinois Board of Professional person Regulation.

Dr. Maggio graduated from Loyola University School of Dentistry with a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree; subsequently completing military service in the U.S. Army, he earned his Document in Periodontics from the Academy of Illinois at Chicago Higher of Dentistry.

Meagan Morton

Meagan Morton, CDA, B.South., was elected to DANB's Lath of Directors in Baronial 2018, and is serving the second of a possible two three-year terms. DANB's Lath elected Ms. Morton from a slate of qualified nominees provided by the American Dental Assistants Clan (ADAA).

Ms. Morton currently works every bit a surgical dental assistant with Oral Surgery Group in Evansville, Indiana, where she has been employed since 2014.

Ms. Morton is a by president of the Evansville Dental Assistants Order and the Indiana Dental Assistants Association. Previously, from 2016-2017, she served as president-elect for these organizations; she also served as the Evansville Dental Assistants Society's vice president from 2015-2016.

She holds a Bachelor of Scientific discipline caste from the Academy of Southern Indiana (USI). In 2015, Ms. Morton graduated from USI with an associate degree with a focus on dental assisting. Likewise in 2015, she earned DANB'southward Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) certification.

Ms. Morton is qualified in Indiana to perform coronal polishing and expanded functions, and she successfully completed the Dental Anesthesia Assistant National Certification Examination offered through the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Barbara Mousel

Barbara Mousel, D.D.Southward., CDA, RDH, of Chicago, was elected to DANB's Board of Directors in Baronial 2022 and is serving her offset iii-year term. DANB's Board selected Dr. Mousel from a slate of qualified nominees provided past the American Dental Association (ADA). Dr. Mousel has owned a private practice in full general dentistry since 1984. Dr. Mousel too worked as an educator at the Sanford-Brown Higher Dental Hygiene program from 2013-2014 and previously has held the roles of dental hygienist and dental assistant.

Dr. Mousel holds Fellowship in the University of General Dentistry, International Higher of Dentists, Academy of Dentistry International, American College of Dentists, and Pierre Fauchard University. She is a member of the ADA and currently serves on the Council on Dental Education and Licensure and the Dental Educational activity Commission. Dr. Mousel is a past president of the Illinois State Dental Guild, American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD), Central Regional Dental Testing Service, and Chicago Dental Social club Foundation, among other professional affiliations. In her career, Dr. Mousel has received numerous awards, including the 2000 Lucy Hobbs Taylor Laurels from the AAWD.

Dr. Mousel earned a Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1984 from Loyola Academy School of Dentistry and a Available of Science in dental hygiene in 1979 from Loyola Academy of Chicago. She graduated in 1975 from City Colleges of Chicago with an associate of arts degree, with highest honors, and has held DANB's Certified Dental Assistant certification since 1975.

Kimberly Plate

Kimberly Plate, CDA, CPFDA, CRFDA, B.Due south., was elected to DANB's Board of Directors in August 2021 and is serving the first of a possible ii three-year terms. DANB's Board elected Ms. Plate from among qualified nominees provided by the American Dental Assistants Clan (ADAA).

Ms. Plate, of Pingree Grove, Illinois, currently works as director of the dental assisting programme at Elgin Community College (ECC). Ms. Plate previously worked every bit an ECC adjunct dental assisting faculty fellow member from 1998 until assuming her director role there in 2004.

Additionally, Ms. Plate serves every bit an Accreditation Site Visitor/Consultant for the Commission on Dental Accreditation. She has nearly twoscore years of dental profitable experience, specifically with working chairside, coordinating office infection prevention and control, and cross-training to fulfill office-management duties.

A longtime DANB certificant and ADAA fellow member, Ms. Plate currently serves every bit a board member of the Illinois Dental Administration Association, having previously served as its president-elect and past president. She has provided instrument sterilization oversight at past Illinois Country Dental Society Mission of Mercy (MOM) dental events, and has held past roles as executive director, secretary, and treasurer of a local Lutheran church in Elgin, Illinois. She currently sits on the advisory committee of both the Visiting Nurse Association and Well Child Center in Elgin, and has volunteered with MOM, Cub Scouts, and school parent-teacher associations.

Ms. Plate holds a Bachelor of Science degree in healthcare leadership from National Louis University, plus an Acquaintance of Arts degree besides as a vocational certificate in Clinical Dental Assisting from ECC.

Robynn Rixse

Robynn Rixse, CDA, CDIPC, MADAA, FAADOM, EFDA, B.S., of Thornton, Colorado, was elected to DANB's Board of Directors in August 2022 and is serving her get-go 3-year term. DANB's Board elected Ms. Rixse from a slate of qualified nominees provided by the American Dental Assistants Clan (ADAA). Ms. Rixse currently works as Exercise Administrator for Precision Oral Surgery in Thornton, Colorado. In her more than than thirty years as a dental assisting professional, she has held clinical and authoritative positions in both the nonprofit and private sectors.

Ms. Rixse has been a member of the ADAA since 2005. She served every bit ADAA president from 2019–2020 and firsthand past president from 2020–2021. She holds ADAA Fellowship and Mastership and in 2012 received the ADAA's President'southward Award of Excellence. She also has held leadership positions with the Professional person Dental Assistants Education Foundation, the Pennsylvania Dental Assistants Association, and the Lancaster County Dental Administration Social club. Ms. Rixse is a member of the American Association of Dental Part Management (AADOM) and was inducted every bit an AADOM Fellow in September 2021. Amongst other professional affiliations, Ms. Rixse is an international fellow member of the Lodge of British Dental Nurses (SBDN) and serves on the SBDN board as their international representative.

A passionate advocate for continued learning, Ms. Rixse earned DANB'due south Certified in Dental Infection Prevention and Command (CDIPC) certification in 2021, and she has held CDA certification since 2011. In 2011, she also passed the Pennsylvania Expanded Functions Dental Assistant exam. She graduated summa cum laude in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in healthcare administration from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania.

Esther R. Scherb

Esther R. Scherb, D.M.D., J.D., was elected as the public member on DANB'due south Lath of Directors in 2020 and is serving the showtime of two possible three-year terms. Dr. Scherb previously served every bit public member on DANB's Lath of Directors from 1999 to 2005.

The founder and current managing member of Scherb Constabulary Firm PLLC in Washington, D.C., Dr. Scherb focuses her legal practice on healthcare and regulatory matters, with an emphasis on Medicare, Medicaid and other authorities programs administered by the U.S. Section of Health and Human being Services. She regularly counsels clients on the myriad complex and dynamic reimbursement and compliance problems facing today's healthcare and life sciences industries.

Prior to founding Scherb Law Firm, Dr. Scherb served as counsel for over 20 years at two leading global law firms. She has authored numerous manufactures and client alerts and has been a featured speaker on reimbursement and regulatory developments for the Practicing Law Institute, the American Bar Association, AdvaMed, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, the American Briefing Institute and the Drug Information Association.

Previously in her career, Dr. Scherb served as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Health and Man Services, Part of the General Counsel, as well as a dental officeholder for the U.S. Navy Dental Corps, providing full general dental intendance to active-duty and retired armed services personnel, among other roles. Dr. Scherb retired from dental practice to focus solely on her legal practice in 1988.

Dr. Scherb is a fellow member of the American Wellness Lawyers Association, American Bar Association (for which she also served as the Health Law Department vice chair), District of Columbia Bar, and Virginia State Bar. She is likewise the founder and president of the Scherb Family unit Foundation.

Dr. Scherb holds a Juris Dr. degree from the Academy of Richmond School of Police force, a Physician of Dental Medicine degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, and a Bachelor of Science degree from City University of New York Brooklyn College.

Janée Tamayo

Janée Tamayo, CDA, CPFDA, B.S., was elected to DANB's Board of Directors in Baronial 2021 equally the Certificant-at-Large. She is serving the first of a possible 2 three-yr terms.

Ms. Tamayo, of Honolulu, Hawaii, has worked every bit a dental assistant with the U.South. Air Strength for nearly 10 years. She has worked as an Air Force dental assistant in Tampa, Florida; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Fayetteville, North Carolina. Her roles have included Dental Flying Chief at Schriever Dental Clinic at Schriever Air Strength Base (with responsibilities including managing the daily clinical operations and logistics), Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of Records and Reception, Clinical Flight Main, Executive Assistant to the Commander of the 21st Medical Group, and Dental Technician.

Ms. Tamayo earned an Associate of Engineering science caste in dental assisting from the Community College of the Air Force, and a Bachelor of Scientific discipline degree in sports and do science from American Military University. She is currently working toward a Main of Public Administration from American Military University.

She likewise has received extensive professional person recognition. In August 2020, Ms. Tamayo earned the Humanitarian Service Medal from the 21st Medical Squadron. She besides has received the Distinguished Graduate and Academic Accomplishment Award from the Vosler Not-Commissioned Officeholder University (2019) and the Distinguished Graduate and Commandant's Leadership Honor from Peterson Airman Leadership School (2015).

Additionally, in 2014, Ms. Tamayo was named Dental Airman of the Year by Air Force Dental Service, and in 2013, Airman of the Year past the 21st Space Fly.

Laura Skarnulis

Ms. Skarnulis became the Chief Executive Officeholder of DANB and the DALE Foundation on Aug. 16, 2021.

Ms. Skarnulis came to DANB and the DALE Foundation subsequently serving for more than eight years every bit the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), an organisation that establishes the certification and continuing certification standards for its 24 Member Boards, certifying more than than 920,000 physicians in i or more of the 40 specialties and 87 subspecialties offered.

As ABMS COO, Ms. Skarnulis was responsible for the oversight of the organization's information technology services and database management arrangement, marketing and communications, finance and inspect, besides every bit new product evolution and international programs. Nether her leadership, ABMS successfully created and launched an innovative longitudinal cess platform that both transformed the user feel and delivered infrequent customer satisfaction. Ms. Skarnulis also created ABMS'southward first Diverseness, Equity and Inclusion initiative focused on addressing systemic biases driving inequities of healthcare delivery, while concurrently serving as the leader of the arrangement'south pandemic response to COVID-xix ensuring the safety and well-being of staff while continuing to meet key strategic objectives and milestones.

Prior to her tenure at ABMS, Ms. Skarnulis served as Primary Operating and Financial Officer for the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago. She joined United Way afterward more than nine years as the Main Financial Officeholder and Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration for the Arena Football League and its affiliate af2.

Ms. Skarnulis received a Available of Science in Accountancy from Northern Illinois Academy and became a Certified Public Auditor. She was named a 2019 Notable Woman in Healthcare past Crain's Chicago Business and was a finalist for the Financial Executives International'south CFO of the Year award in 2012.