Faculty and Staff

Williams Elected to ADEA Board of Directors

UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry Dean John N. Williams was elected a vice president of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) at the organization’s recent 85th Annual Session and Exhibition in Dallas.

the 11 members of the ADEA Board of Directors: Cheryl Westphal, vice president for allied dental program directors; Dr. Charles N. Bertolami, president; Dr. Lily Garcia, newly elected vice president for sections; and Dr. Diane C. Hoelscher, vice president for faculties; Rishi Popat, newly elected vice president for students; Dr. Ronald L. Rupp, vice president for the corporate council; Dr. Richard W. Valachovic, executive director; Dr. John N. Williams, newly elected vice president for deans; Dr. Ronald J. Hunt, president-elect; Dr. James Q. Swift, immediate past president; and Dr. Todd E. Thierer, newly elected vice president for hospitals and advanced education programs.

Williams joined the 11-member ADEA Board of Directors with his election to a three-year term as vice president for deans. Williams is a long-time member of ADEA and has served in numerous leadership positions within the organization: a member of the Clinical Simulation, Practice Administration and Academic Affairs sections and vice president of the Council of Sections (1996-99). Williams also has been involved with the ADEA Leadership Institute, serving as a mentor to incoming classes.

Before becoming dean of the School of Dentistry in May 2005, Williams was dean of the University of Louisville School of Dentistry (1999-2005).
Also elected to the board of directors were:

  • Dr. Todd E. Thierer, associate professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center and director of its General Practice Residency program. Thierer was elected to a three-year term as ADEA’s vice president for hospitals and advanced education programs.
  • Dr. Lily T. Garcia, professor and chair of the Department of Prosthodontics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School. Garcia was elected to a three-year term as ADEA’s vice president for sections.
  • Rishi Popat, fourth-year student at the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health and previous chair of the ADEA Council of Students. Popat was elected to a one-year term as ADEA’s vice president for students.

ADEA is the leading national organization for dental education. For a full list of the organization’s Board of Directors, visit
http://www.adea.org/about_adea/governance/Pages/ADEABoardofDirectors.aspx