ADAA Journal Editorial Director Anna Nelson dies

Anna Nelson, a past national president and pioneering member of the American Dental Assistants Association died suddenly at her home in San Francisco on Jan. 18, 2010. Ms. Nelson was the 2000-2001 national president of the ADAA and currently was serving as the editorial director for The Dental Assistant Journal, ADAA’s official publication. A life member of the ADAA, Ms. Nelson had held every office in the ADAA’s local, state, and national components. Recipient of numerous awards and citations, she received the first Kay Mosley Award presented by the ADAA Foundation in recognition of achievements on behalf of the profession, the ADAA, and the Foundation. She was also serving as secretary of the ADAA Foundation at the time of her death. She was currently a commissioner of the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and chaired CODA’s Dental Assistant Review Committee (DARC). She was a member of Colgate Oral Systemic Advisory Board and active with the California Association of Dental Assisting Teachers. Until last fall, Ms. Nelson was program director for dental assisting at the City Colleges of San Francisco, but had revised her status to continue exclusively as a teacher with the colleges and devote additional time to ancillary professional activities and family matters. The ADAA is America's oldest and largest dental assisting association serving an estimated 300,000 dental assistants in the United States. It is dedicated to the development and recognition of professionalism through education, membership services, and public awareness programs.