Summer 2018: Message from the President and Executive Director

So much of PCSO’s work throughout the year is truly a collaborative effort between the organi -zation’s volunteer leadership and its executive director. As such, we thought it fitting to provide you with a combined report for this issue of the Bulletin. Once again, we find ourselves busy with the work of many committees and task forces, and the delegation. It is with great pride that we observe and participate as these groups strive to enhance the PCSO member experience. A strategic plan is a crucial governing document for any association; it helps to guide leadership in making decisions with a long-term vision and goals in mind. The Strategic Planning Committee, led by Dr. Kurt Stormberg and with the assistance of a consultant, has been hard at work to estab-lish a clear vision for moving PCSO forward in a purposeful way. The final product will be pre-sented for the approval of the PCSO Board of Directors in October.

Improving our App and Website
Work is moving ahead on a new and improved PCSO website and mobile app; these committees are led by Drs. Todd Walkow and Kelly Giannetti, respectively. Our goal is to ensure that both of these tools are easy to navigate, esthetically pleasing, and functional, in order to provide a more fulfilling member experience. The new website and mobile app should be ready for their debut in October. If you do not already follow PCSO on Facebook or Instagram, make sure to find us. There is even a page dedicated to new and younger members. Our social media committee led by Dr. Christian Solem is working to enhance our presence on these platforms. It is our goal to make sure that our social media posts provide you with the most timely and relevant information possible.

Women orthodontists are a large and fast-growing demographic within PCSO membership, and we are committed to serving the needs of this group. A PCSO task force led by Dr. Marie Lathrop is cur-rently investigating ways that we can make our leadership and events more diverse and open.

PCSO at AAO House of Delegates
The PCSO delegation to the AAO House of Dele-gates (HOD) incorporated several new faces this year. We were pleased to have Drs. Kelly Giannetti (California), John Griffiths (Nevada), and John Wachtel (Arizona) as delegates and Drs. Trista Felty (British Columbia) and Jahnavi Rao (Nevada) as alternate delegates. Dr. Ron Wolk (Alberta) served once again as our steadfast delegation chair (make sure to read Dr. Wolk’s article in this issue). In total, 13 delegates were from PCSO, with 9 of the 11 components represented. Our mem-bers also served on AAO HOD committees, including two reference committees (Drs. Marie Lathrop and Kurt Stormberg).

Your PCSO delegation put forward several pro-gressive concepts to the HOD this year, including resolutions to have a voting new and younger member trustee on the AAO Board of Trustees, to create a task force to look at a possible council addressing practice needs specific to women orthodontists, and to review the HOD schedule in an effort to consolidate activities and require less out-of-office time for delegates.

Continuing Education Opportunities
Continuing education is at the core of PCSO’s member offerings. As such, we have numerous planning committees working simultaneously throughout the year to plan programs and social events. The 2019 Annual Session Planning Com-mittee is working to put together an exciting meeting in Honolulu; committee members include Drs. Kurt Stormberg (president-elect), Frank Beglin (general chair), Andrew Harner (doc-tor program chair), John Wachtel (staff program co-chair), Trista Felty (new and younger member), and Lili Horton (local arrangements chair), as well as Ms. Carol Eaton (staff program co-chair) and Mr. Jesse Howard (allied member representing Ortho2). A select group of planning committee members will conduct a site visit this summer to finalize locations for the great events the PCSO Annual Session will offer.

The 2019 Spring Meeting Planning Committee is also determined to provide state-of-the-art train-ing at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas next spring. The committee includes Drs. Kurt Stormberg (president-elect), John Griffiths (general chair), Alan Curtis (doctor program chair), and Marie Lathrop (staff program chair). Details are coming soon; suffice it to say, you will not want to miss what they have in store. Save the date: March 1–2, 2019.

The 2018 Annual Session Planning Committee is in the final stages of planning a phenomenal conference for you in Monterey, CA from October 11–14, and we look forward to welcoming you there. We are proud to offer high-quality lectures with exceptional faculty for doctors and staff. The Welcome Party is a family event this year and will be held at the Monterey Bay Aquarium; the whole family/team is invited to dress in their best pirate attire for an unforgettable evening full of music, dancing, a costume contest, food, friends, and fish! Continuing with the family theme, this year’s PCSO Annual Session will offer childcare during lectures on Friday and Saturday. Come together to interact with thought leaders and colleagues and enjoy all the beauty of Mon-terey. Register yourself, your team, and your family online today.

Your comments and suggestions regarding the work of any of our committees, or how PCSO can make your membership more valuable, are wel-come at any time. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us via e-mail.

Lastly, know that we are very fortunate in PCSO to have a robust membership, willing and able volunteers, and engaged leadership. As president and executive director, we would not be success-ful without all of you. PCSO has accomplished so much in the last few months, and we can’t wait to see what we’re able to achieve together going forward. As Henry Ford said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; work-ing together is success.”

Enjoy your summer, and we hope to see you in Monterey this fall.