Leadership Forum
Lead … Support … Inspire
Speakers from the 2024 MDA Leadership Forum have made additional information available to attendees in this resource library, which include articles, videos, and other resources. Speakers are listed below in the order they presented at the Leadership Forum. NOTE: Not all speakers have provided additional information.
Morning Keynote | FÜNderstruck for Great Leadership
Pat Dwyer
Additional Resources
Bio
For more than 20 years Pat Dwyer has inspired and entertained hundreds of audiences around the world. He has worked, toured, and performed with comedic institutions The Second City, iO Theater, ComedySportz, and a great number of other storied improv and sketch comedy mainstays. Dwyer joins these experiences with the entrepreneurial and corporate growth mindset he earned during his tenure as a leader within the Chicago tech startup community. You can now find Dwyer bringing his energetic, hilarious, seasoned, and people-driven approach to innovation and change.
UNDERSTANDING LEADERSHIP #1
Burn Bright, Not Out: Sustainable Leadership Practices
Juliette Daniels, EdD, MA
Additional Resources
Bio
Juliette C. Daniels serves as the associate dean of student services and enrollment management at the University Of Detroit Mercy School Of Dentistry, where she is the senior student affairs officer overseeing all students enrolled in the dental, dental hygiene, and graduate specialty programs. She is a certified QPR Suicide Prevention Protocol trainer since 2009 and a Deputy Title IX Coordinator. Dr. Daniels’ expertise includes impostor syndrome, suicide prevention, mental health advocacy, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and fostering student success in higher education. In addition to her role at Detroit Mercy, she is actively researching mindfulness and impostor phenomenon in collaboration with Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.
LEADERSHIP SKILLS #1
FÜNderstruck for Wildly Effective Teams
Pat Dwyer
Additional Resources
Bio
For more than 20 years Pat Dwyer has inspired and entertained hundreds of audiences around the world. He has worked, toured, and performed with comedic institutions The Second City, iO Theater, ComedySportz, and a great number of other storied improv and sketch comedy mainstays. Dwyer joins these experiences with the entrepreneurial and corporate growth mindset he earned during his tenure as a leader within the Chicago tech startup community. You can now find Dwyer bringing his energetic, hilarious, seasoned, and people-driven approach to innovation and change.
COMPONENT ENGAGEMENT #1
Mastering Effective Meetings: Strategies for Boards and Committees to Grow in Leadership
Debra Peters, DDS
Additional Resources
- Mastering Effective Meetings: Strategies for Board and Committees to Grow in Leadership
- Mastering Effective Meetings | Powerpoint Slides
Bio
When anticipating the transition of her 35-year clinical career within dentistry, Dr. Deb Peters turned to her passions of leadership development and personal growth. She became a Maxwell Leadership certified team member in 2020 and entered a new entrepreneurial opportunity with her coaching/training company, Rise2Thrive. Dr. Peters is someone who works with others to assist with their creative thinking to develop solutions or strategies for growing themselves to their full leadership potential. Within her profession, Dr. Peters has held various leadership roles at the local, state, and national level. In 2019, she completed her term as president of the Michigan Dental Association. She returned to the podium as speaker of the MDA House of Delegates in May 2023. Currently, she represents the states of Michigan and Wisconsin as a member of the American Dental Association Council of Ethics, Bylaws, and Judicial Affairs and will serve as its chair starting in October. She is enthusiastic about the principle that “if you want to keep giving, you have to keep growing.”
UNDERSTANDING LEADERSHIP #2
Speak to Lead: Mastering Effective Communication Strategies for Dental Leaders
Rich Evans
MDA Director of Marketing and Communications
Additional Resources
Bio
Rich Evans is a digital growth ninja. His work has been nationally recognized with a 2019 National eHealthCare Leadership Award for best digital growth campaign. He drives revenue and engagement by developing omni- and multi-channel marketing campaigns built upon consumer personas, psychographics, personalized email journey-mapping, and engaging ad content to ensure the right message is reaching the right consumer at the right time.
LEADERSHIP SKILLS #2
From Position to Pinnacle: Navigating the Five Levels of Leadership
Todd Christy, DDS
Additional Resources
Bio
As the president of the Michigan Dental Association, Dr. Todd Christy is passionate about the mission of our Association and humbled by the opportunity to serve in a variety of roles over his 27 years in all levels of the tripartite. The roles have allowed him to channel his inner parliamentarian, mentor other dentists, and help the MDA and its’ members improve dentistry in the state of Michigan and beyond. Dr. Christy practices general dentistry with offices in Saint Joseph and Berrien Springs Michigan.
COMPONENT ENGAGEMENT #2
Creating Culture at the Component Level
Amy Schaeffer
MDA Human Resources Specialist
Angie Kanazeh, MS, CMP
MDA Director of Membership
Mieke Stoub
Membership Manager
Additional Resources
Bios
Amy Schaeffer is passionate about her role as the MDA’s human resources specialist, drawing on over 22 years of experience as a Registered and Certified Dental Assistant. She completed the dental assisting program at Lansing Community College and later earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northwood University. In May 2024, Schaeffer obtained her DiSC certification, allowing her to facilitate training and travel across the state, teaching dental professionals valuable insights through this program.
Angie Kanazeh has been in association management for over 22 years and has been the MDA director of membership for more than seven years. She works collaboratively with staff and MDA leadership to ensure a positive member experience for MDA members, and to achieve membership growth goals through membership recruitment/retention initiatives and leadership development. Besides her extensive association experience, Kanazeh has a Master of Science degree in management, strategy and leadership from Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University and is a graduate of Adrian College.
Mieke Stoub is a program creator, community builder, and brand ambassador. She brings over 10 years of membership engagement strategy to the Michigan Dental Association and is a newly trained facilitator. As membership manager, she builds and fosters relationships with dental students and early career dentists to support them in their professional journey. Working closely with dental school leaders and local societies, she helps students and dentists take advantage of the MDA’s numerous resources while translating their new and unique challenges to solutions the MDA can provide. Stoub is the staff liaison for the New Dentist Committee, whose role is to develop initiatives for members in their first 10 years of practice and nurture the pipeline of future leaders in dentistry.
Team Talk: Meeting Your MDA Support System
Dr. Todd Christy
Moderator
Additional Resources
Bio
As the president of the Michigan Dental Association, Dr. Todd Christy is passionate about the mission of our Association and humbled by the opportunity to serve in a variety of roles over his 27 years in all levels of the tripartite. The roles have allowed him to channel his inner parliamentarian, mentor other dentists, and help the MDA and its’ members improve dentistry in the state of Michigan and beyond. Dr. Christy practices general dentistry with offices in Saint Joseph and Berrien Springs Michigan.
