LEMMO RECOGNIZED FOR HIS WORK AS CHAIR OF THE ADA’S STRATEGIC FORECASTING COMMITTEE
Dr. Ron Lemmo receives and ADA Presidential Citation Award from then-ADA President Dr. George Shepley for his service as chair of the ADA’s new Strategic Forecasting Committee. Lemmo is a past ODA president and past ADA treasurer.
Last month, then-ADA President Dr. George Shepley paid a visit to a meeting of the ADA Seventh District Caucus (consisting of the ADA delegation from the Ohio Dental Association and the Indiana Dental Association) during the ADA House of Delegates meetings in Orlando, Florida, to present Dr. Ron Lemmo with an ADA Presidential Citation Award. Shepley recognized Lemmo, a general dentist from Cleveland and former ADA treasurer and ODA past president, for his service as chair of the ADA’s new Strategic Forecasting Committee (SFC).
In 2022, the ADA appointed a Task Force of the House of Delegates (HOD) to evaluate the ADA’s existing business model and assess how best to evolve its processes to improve member value and enable the ADA to be nimbler in its decision-making. The Task Force was also asked to consider the ADA’s annual budget development and approval cycle with a specific focus on ensuring that the budget priorities and the strategic plan priorities align.
The Task Force observed that a modernized business model for the ADA would require the support of a nimble governance process. In its report to the ADA Board, the Task Force recommended a strategic forecasting governance approach that allows the ADA to have a broader base of input for the strategic plan that is truly reflective of the membership’s guidance for the Association; be more nimble in responding to situational changes the Association might encounter; and maintain a strong link between the strategic plan and the budget, while respecting the fiduciary roles and responsibilities of the Board of Trustees and the HOD.
The 2022 ADA HOD adopted resolutions that established the SFC as a new standing committee of the HOD. The SFC is leading the ADA’s efforts to modernize its business model and evolve processes to help the ADA stay on track toward long-range goals while remaining flexible enough to ensure the ADA is enhancing value for the ADA, its members and its customers.
Shepley thanked Lemmo for his service as the initial chair of the SFC and his work to modernize the ADA and its processes. In addition to Lemmo, the SFC is made up of 13 other ADA member dentists, including four from the ADA Board of Trustees, eight from the ADA HOD and a new dentist nominated by the ADA New Dentist Committee. Dr. Tom Paumier, a general dentist from Canton and an ODA past president who serves as a member of the SFC, indicated that Lemmo’s recognition was well earned. According to Paumier, “Ron Lemmo’s leadership during this transition phase where we are shifting the ADA to a more nimble and responsive organization has been critical in enabling the ADA to be more agile in decision making and pivot quickly in the face of change in order to deliver value to members faster.” Paumier noted that the SFC will continue its work into the future, making sure the ADA continues on the right track.
ODA Executive Director David Owsiany said that he was not surprised that Ohio is providing leadership at the national level, specifically noting Lemmo and Paumier’s work on the SFC and Dr. Mark Bronson’s work as ADA vice president over the past two years (see page 9). Owsiany said, “Drs. Bronson, Lemmo and Paumier were all outstanding leaders at the ODA level so it is not surprising to see them help to transform the ADA into a more responsive organization.”
