ADHA Appoints Association’s 2003-2004 Leadership

Chicago—July 7, 2003 - Tammi O. Byrd, RDH, of Columbia, S.C., was appointed the 2003-2004 president of the Chicago-based American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) July 1, 2003, at the association’s 80th annual session held in New York City.

“It’s an honor to be appointed president of ADHA,” said Byrd. “I’m looking forward to using my leadership position to advance the key public health messages of dental hygienists across the United States.”

Byrd, an active ADHA member since 1977, has served nationally as president-elect, vice president and district trustee, and has held numerous positions on councils and committees. She succeeds Kimberly Benkert, RDH, MPH, COM, as president.

Other top ADHA officials installed at the association’s convention include: Helena Gallant Tripp, RDH, Malden, Mass., as president-elect; Katie Dawson, RDH, BS, Oakland, Calif., as vice president; and Carol Jahn, RDH, MS, Warrenville, Ill., as treasurer.

Newly installed district trustees for 2003-2004 are as follows: Lynn Ramer, LDH, of Logansport, Ind., District V (Ind., Ky., Mich. and Ohio); S. Kaye Adams, GDH, of Bloomington, Minn., District VII (Minn., N.D., S.D. and Texas); Esperanza “Hope” Garza, RDH, of Houston, Texas, District IX (Okla., N.M. and Texas); and Sharon Zastrow, RDH, of Scottsdale, Ariz., District XI (Ariz. and Calif.).

ADHA is the largest national organization representing the professional interests of the more than 120,000 dental hygienists across the country. Dental hygienists are preventive oral health professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, who provide educational, clinical and therapeutic services that support total health through the promotion of optimal oral health.

For more information about ADHA, dental hygiene or the link between oral health and general health, visit ADHA at http://www.adha.org.

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