American Academy of Implant Dentistry selects new Executive Director

CHICAGO (May 2, 2017) — The Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry unanimously selected Cheryl Parker, CAE, to be the new Executive Director of the Academy effective May 1, 2017.

Ms. Parker has a very strong background in the dental world having most recently served for over ten years as Director, Academics, Regulatory Affairs and Advocacy for the American Academy of Periodontology. She previously worked for nearly seven years for the American Dental Association. She was Manager, Tripartite Grassroots Membership Initiative and Manager, Allied Dental Program Reviews/Dental Laboratory Technology Education (CODA). She has also earned the Certified Association Executive designation from the American Society of Association Executives.

“I’m excited to become Executive Director of an organization that I have admired for years,” Ms. Parker said. “We will continue to offer a variety of benefits and services that assist members in providing high quality patient care and tools to enhance practice management.”

Dr. Shankar Iyer, president of the AAID speaking on behalf the leadership of the Academy said, “By almost every measure, the AAID is the most successful organization in implant dentistry. We are very lucky that Cheryl was available at the time we decided to seek new leadership to help guide the Academy to even greater heights.”

A graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Ms. Parker is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Public Services at DePaul University. When weather permits, she enjoys biking along the beautiful lake front bike path. In her spare time, she is researching her family tree. She has discovered that one great-grandmother was a Civil War nurse and her great-grandfather, a member of the Union Army, was wounded in the battle of Antietam. “I’m trying to confirm my suspicion that they met while my grandfather was recuperating from his wound,” Parker said.

Established in 1951, the AAID is the only dental implant organization that offers credentials recognized by state and federal courts as being bona fide. Its membership, which exceeds 6,000, includes general dentists, oral surgeons, periodontists and prosthodontists from across the United States and in more than 60 other countries.