The National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards (National Commission) seeks two public members:
- one to serve as a Commissioner
- one to serve on the National Commission Appeal Board
Both positions are a four-year term beginning October 2026 and concluding in the fall of 2030. The application for submitting nominations is now available, and self-nominations are welcome. The deadline for submission is September 25, 2026. The National Commission will review candidates in September of 2026, with a decision announced in early October 2026.
The National Commission's mission is to protect the public and the profession through objective and transparent review of the recognized and prospective dental specialty sponsoring organizations and certifying boards based on the Requirements for Recognition of Dental Specialties and National Certifying Boards for Dental Specialists.
Public members play a vital role in bringing the public/consumer perspective to the deliberations of Board of Commissioners and Appeal Board Hearing Panel. This perspective allows the public member to function as the Board member with the least amount of inherent bias, nor are they subject to potential undue influence from an appointing organization. Candidates should have an interest in, or knowledge of, health professions related to education matters but must not have a formal or informal connection to the profession of dentistry.
The representative of the public should not have any formal or informal connection to the profession of dentistry. To serve, the public member must not be a:
- Dentist or member of an allied dental discipline
- Dental educator or allied dental educator
- An employee of the American Dental Association
- An employee or member of a governing board of any dentally related corporation, business, organization, or association
- An employee of a state dental board
- A patient of record of a past or current commissioner or past or current officer of a group petitioning for recognition; or
- A spouse, parent, child, or sibling of an individual identified above (a through f)
Nominees interested in being considered can submit a completed nomination form (link below) to NationalCommission@ada.org no later than September 25, 2026. For questions, contact Nick Salerno, national Commission director, at salernon@ada.org.
We invite you to share this information with individuals who meet the qualifications and encourage them to apply! Your assistance is critical in helping the National Commission identify an individual who will be committed to the mission and vision of protecting public health and the dental profession.