Newly Elected ADA Officers

Dr. Cesar R. Sabates Installed as ADA President

ADA President Cesar R. Sabates, D.D.S., addresses the House of Delegates during the American Dental Association meeting in Las Vegas.

Cesar R. Sabates, D.D.S., of Coral Gables, Florida, took office Oct. 16 as the 158th president of the ADA — becoming the Association’s first Cuban-American president. Dr. Sabates and the new and returning officers were installed in their offices before proceedings of the ADA House of Delegates during SmileCon in Las Vegas. During his address to the House of Delegates, Dr. Sabates told members that he stood before them as an example of the American Dream.

“As you may know, I was a child of Castroera Cuba,” he said. “At seven years old my family boarded a freedom flight to the United States. My parents sacrificed everything to ensure that their children would have the chance to be free and educated here in the land of opportunities.” And as ADA president, Dr. Sabates said he pledges to give the Association his best to help it succeed. “You can count on me to represent dentistry and to be steadfast in my advocacy, support, and defense of our profession,” he said. “I want to unite the ADA in protecting dentistry from excessive regulations and other outside influences that threaten the very principles of our work. I also want to unify the ADA for the sake of strengthening our professional family and our future.” Dr. Sabates received his dental degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. He has been actively involved at the ADA for many years, previously serving as the 17th District trustee for the ADA Board of Trustees from 2016-20 and as a delegate in the ADA House of Delegates from 2000 to 2016. He is past president of the Florida Dental Association and South Florida District Dental Association.

Dr. Sabates is a member of the Academy of General Dentistry, Hispanic Dental Association, American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists and Pierre Fauchard Academy.

Dr. George R. Shepley elected ADA President-elect

Dr. Shepley is the immediate past trustee of the ADA’s 4th District. He previously served as president of the Maryland State Dental Association from 2013-14, and chaired the ADA Budget and Finance Committee, Standing Committee on International Accreditation and the ADA Council on Communications. He is a member of the Academy of General Dentistry, American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists and Pierre Fauchard Academy. Dr. Shepley received his dental degree from West Virginia University School of Dentistry, and has been a member of the ADA for 41 years.

Second Vice President, Dr. Mark Bronson

Dr. Bronson previously served as president of the Ohio Dental Association and chair of the ADA Council on Government Affairs and ADA State Public Affairs Committee. He received his dental degree from the Ohio State University College of Dentistry and is a member of Pierre Fauchard Academy, American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists and the National Dental Association.

Visit ada.org/publications/ada-news for a complete recap of the ADA meeting and information on all the new and returning officers.