The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), a Chicago-based organization serving as the premier educational resource
for general dentists committed to providing quality patient care, promoted three staffers who will help enhance the quality and value of services the AGD provides to its 35,000 members.
Daniel Buksa, JD, has been promoted to Vice President, Advocacy and Administration; Salithia Graham has been promoted to
Editorial/Advertising Coordinator, and Christie Tarantino, CAE, has been promoted to AGD's first Deputy Executive Director.
"These promotions reflect our commitment to building leaders," says AGD Executive Director Gerald "Jay" Donohue, Jr., CAE, CMP. "We have a high quality team at the AGD and these promotions recognize the significant accomplishments and contributions these individuals have made to our continued success. I am pleased to recognize their talents with these well-deserved promotions."
Daniel Buksa, JD, Vice President, Advocacy and Administration: The AGD promoted Daniel Buksa, JD, the AGD's former Director of Advocacy and Representation, to a new position as Vice President, Advocacy and Administration. Through his efforts, Buksa, a resident of Highland, Ind., has helped to position the AGD as the eyes, ears, and voice of the general dentist by informing federal and state legislators and regulators about the general practitioner's positions. The AGD is the only organization that solely represents and provides benefits for the role of the general dentist.
In his new role, Buksa will continue to oversee the AGD's advocacy department and is taking on the responsibility of overseeing the human resources and office services departments. Buksa also has previously served as the AGD's advocacy manager. Buksa, who is a 1993 graduate of Valparaiso University School of Law, also serves as staff liaison for the AGD's Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S Department of Health and Human Services.
Salithia Graham, Coordinator, Editorial/Advertising: Salithia Graham, a resident of Chicago, has been promoted from
Administrative Assistant to Coordinator, Editorial/Advertising for the AGD's communications department. Over the past year, Graham has taken on many new responsibilities, including acting as a liaison between the communications and finance departments and AGD's advertising firm, The Townsend Group. In her new role, Graham will become even more involved in the AGD's day-to-day editorial and advertising needs for the communications department.
Prior to joining the AGD, Graham worked at Talcott Communications for two years serving as a coordinator for reader service, where she was responsible for gathering survey information for the company's magazines, as well as processing sales leads for one of the company's United Kingdom magazines. She also provided assistance to the ad reps and production teams.
Christie Tarantino, CAE, Deputy Executive Director: Christie Tarantino, CAE, has been promoted from Vice President of Operations to serve in a new position as the AGD's first Deputy Executive Director since the association was founded in 1952. In her new role, Tarantino, an area resident of Chicago and formerly from Birmingham, Ala., will oversee the membership, constituent services, information technology, public relations, organizational marketing, and product development, as well as the publishing/editorial departments. Tarantino also will be responsible for the AGD's volunteer management system and will serve as the interim Executive Director when Donohue is out of the office.
Tarantino began her career with the Alabama State Bar Association in 1993 working in membership services. She joined the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) in 1997 serving as the Manager of Membership Marketing and Services. During her seven-year tenure with PCMA, she took on additional responsibility, including oversight of the membership, chapter relations, volunteerism and leadership development, community services, and communications departments.
Tarantino holds a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in human resources management from Auburn University. In 2002, she earned the designation as a Certified Association Executive (CAE) from the American Society of Association Executives.