ADA Elections 2024

President-elect candidate

Chad R. Leighty, D.D.S.

Campaign statement

My campaign slogan is “Leight the Way for the ADA.” What I mean by this is that to meet the challenges we face, we must be open to finding creative and innovative paths forward that demonstrate value for all dentists.

In exploring these new paths, we must remember what has made our profession so special and our ADA so effective. We got here by upholding our core values of putting patients first, promoting quality oral health care and demonstrating professional ethics in all we do.

Our path forward will build on this strong foundation. Together, we can address the important issues we face including dental insurance reform and workforce challenges.

Moving forward, we must be more transparent in our member communications, so we truly have a shared vision for the ADA. The ADA must also continue to enhance its business model, including leveraging technology, exploring new membership models and engaging in strategic forecasting, so that we better meet the needs of all dentists, regardless of demographic background or practice type. My goal is to “Leight the Way” for every member dentist to succeed and to a brighter future for the ADA.

Profile

Current residence: Marion, Indiana

Dental school attended: Indiana University School of Dentistry

Year received dental degree: 1993

Postgraduate education/specialty: None

Years of ADA membership: 31

Other professional memberships:

Pierre Fauchard Academy.
International College of Dentists.
Dental Lifeline Network.
Mission of Mercy triage lead volunteer.
ADPAC lifelong giving member.

Volunteer posts/elective offices held in organized dentistry:

Chair of ADA Budget & Finance Committee.
Board liaison to ADA New Dentist Committee.
Board liaison to ASDA.
Board liaison to ADA Council on Dental Practice.
Chair of ADA Committee on Annual Meetings.

What are your main qualifications for the office you seek?

I have a long history of visionary and inclusive leadership that challenges the status quo and pushes innovation. I also bring the unique ability to engage a broad cross-section of dentists. I owned and operated a private general dental office for more than 20 years. Today, I am a member of a multi-site group practice. Over the course of my career, my patient base has included people with private dental benefits, people without any dental coverage and people on government assistance (Medicaid). So, I understand the challenges of practicing in a single-office private practice and in a multi-site group practice, and the challenges of providing care to a diverse patient base. Because of these experiences I will work to ensure the ADA is relevant to all dentists, regardless of practice type.

Why do you want to be an ADA officer?

Our profession has reached a transformative time. The ADA needs a leader that is relevant, bold and can inspire innovation. I am a leader that will challenge those around me while building collaborative bridges among all generations, demographic backgrounds, and practice models. The ADA is engaging in an enterprising new strategy by fine-tuning our strategic forecasting process, exploring new membership models and leveraging technology platforms like Fonteva and Salesforce. I possess the leadership skills to carry out this vision in a way that is both bold yet collaborative, so our members know the ADA is on their side. Change can be difficult, but without change, there can be no progress. I know that together we can build an ADA that truly helps every member succeed.