PAGD Keystone Explorer Spring 2021

Every PAGD Presidency seems to have a “theme.” Unfortunately, mine was COVID-19. Early on, I joked that COVID concerns would die down when my presidency ended, and yet, here we are. We already have a year of this behind us, our enhanced PPE is normal now, and we are finally able to see light at the end of the tunnel. This year has challenged us in many ways. It has also shown how resilient we are as people and as a profession. Surely, we can pick apart the situation in our reflections, but all in all, we are surviving, many are back to thriving, and that is not something that all can say after facing the pandemic. For many, COVID slowed life down. For me, it made life evermore chaotic, but for the good of those I have served, I am grateful for the opportunity to have acted as PAGD President during this time. As with any organization or activity, the more involved you are, the more aware you are, and quite often, the more benefit and satisfaction you gain. I can honestly say that I am proud of PAGD and AGD, their leaders, and of all we accomplished during this past year. We were thrown quite the curveball and somehow managed to stay in the game. As a firm believer in the importance and purpose of organized dentistry, only those directly involved can understand the true impact our organization had on dentistry during this time. To those who were involved, I thank you. To those who were not directly involved, but supported us, even if through kind words of encouragement, it helped to keep us going. To those who offered criticisms, know that we did our absolute best given the knowledge and influences that we had. We appreciate the motivation and considered the viewpoints of those other than ourselves on a regular basis. On social media, people tend to come down hard on organized dentistry and have done so particularly during this time. That said, I would like to point out that other than Steve, we are a volunteer-run organization. What many don’t realize is those involved and those volunteering their time and leadership are just like you. They lead busy lives, have families, and run practices, and yet, they dedicate a significant portion of The Theme of the Year Leigh Jacopetti-Kondraski, DMD “I am proud to have served the time with such a great group of volunteers and look forward to continuing to serve PAGD and AGD going forward. To everyone on the Executive Committee and to our Board of Directors, thank you. It’s often a thankless position, but I would like to acknowledge you and your efforts.” 2 www.pagd.org | president’s message

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