Academy of Laser Dentistry

J O U R N A L O F L A S E R D E N T I S T R Y | 2 011 V O L . 19 , N O . 3
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E X E C U T I V E D I R E C TO R ’ S M E S S A G E
ALD – A History of Values
Gail S. Siminovsky, CAE, Executive Director
J Laser Dent 2011;19(3):256-257
As we begin 2012, my sights are set
12 months from now when we will
be commemorating the Academy of
Laser Dentistry’s 20th Anniversary
during our 2013 Annual Conference
and Exhibition. As I think about
how we will celebrate, I pause to
reflect upon ALD’s journey as an
organization over the years under
the leadership of our past and
current Boards of Directors, and
through my own tenure as
Executive Director and the guidance
of my predecessors.
Our organizational values firmly
set the role of the Academy of
Laser Dentistry to serve dentistry
as the professional standardsetting
society that we are. These
values are the basis of our work
with state regulatory agencies,
dental associations, dental schools,
the professional community, and
our members.
Back in August 2002, ALD’s core
Siminovsky
values were set to guide our future
direction and policymaking. With
the help of the many voices of our
constituents, we identified a beginning
set of core values:
1. Care
2. Professional Happiness
3. Professional Community
4. Dental Family
5. Research and Education, and
6. Professional Values. 1-2
In 2004 during the development
of the Academy’s 2005-2010
Strategic Plan, key leaders of our
organization summarized those six
values into three general values:
Integrity, Innovation, and
Professional Community.
In 2010 our leadership developed
our current 2010-2013
Strategic Plan that we named
‘Governing in Uncertain Times.’ In
it we address the changing needs of
professional environment, changes
within our own leadership, and
THE ACADEMY OF LASER DENTISTRY
Core Values
ALD is committed to the organizational values of:
Integrity:
Being trustworthy and reliable; transparent and accountable;
objective and impartial
Innovation:
Being a knowledgeable and competent authority open to
new ideas; actively and courageously leading the evolution
of the body of knowledge
Professional Community:
Being an inclusive forum for dialogue among a variety of
interests and perspectives; supporting and encouraging
continuous participation in professional development
Gail S. Siminovsky, CAE, Executive Director
your needs as members, all the
while upholding our 3 general
values of Integrity, Innovation, and
Professional Community.
Our Academy’s values are essential
to our being. They help us to
achieve our mission and organizational
purpose, provide
fundamental policies, and determine
our future direction. They are
central to developing and fulfilling
our strategic plans. 3 These core
values are an integral part of who
we are as an organization and
remain so as we begin planning our
20th Anniversary celebrations.
As any organization evolves and
grows and matures, many changes
occur. Our biggest challenges
include addressing strategies to
fulfill our mission, vision, and goals
while keeping our core values everpresent.
Revisiting programs,
sun-setting what may no longer
work well, and developing new
ways to achieve our mission is challenging,
to say the least. It is part
of every organization’s life cycle. As
the economy has changed, ALD’s
financial position has changed, and
the years since 2009 have been
challenging for our small organization.
Our current strengthening
financial standing has not come
without sacrifice. It’s tough to
make tough decisions, especially
under such circumstances. Evolving
and addressing needed change is
courageous and hard to do well.
The real success is in adapting and
navigating through the difficult
times to brighter times. As is the
case with most organizations, not
everyone always agrees. Different
opinions are voiced. Building