Committees

This committee is composed of three (3) members.  At each succeeding Annual Session, one (1) member is elected for a term of three (3) years.  The senior member serves as Chairperson in their last year on the committee.

The function of this Committee is the development and promotion of educational programs for the members and their staff.  The committee will encourage research by graduate orthodontic departments of institutions within MASO by recognizing outstanding research contributions with the William A. Kress Award.

The Education and Research Committee shall:

1. Assist with the spring Continuing Education program for orthodontists and/or staff members in an appropriate geographical location. Sponsorship monies should be solicited to cover the cost of the conference.
2. Review the thesis submissions and select, when appropriate, a recipient of the William A. Kress Award.  The award has been established to further the interests of orthodontic education by awarding a cash prize and certificate to a student of a graduate orthodontic program in MASO whose thesis or research project is judged the best for that year.  The award shall be made in the name of the William Kress Memorial Fund and so memorialize our Past President who had a major interest in orthodontic education under the following guidelines:

a. The Committee of Education and Research shall select the winner and present the award.
b. The Executive Director in conjunction with the committee chairperson shall contact the director of each graduate orthodontic program in MASO, advising them of the award, and requesting the submission of one thesis or research project to be considered for the award.
c. The Executive Director will insure that information about this award has been forwarded to each graduate orthodontic department for dissemination to their residents.
d. March 31^st of the year of a resident’s graduation is the deadline for submission of the appropriate applicant material.
e. The material will be distributed by the executive Director and reviewed by the Chairperson and committee members.  Committee members will grade each thesis on a 1 to 10 scale with the highest average determining the recipient of the award.
f. The Chairperson will then notify the Board of the decision of the Committee.  On behalf of the Chair, MASO’s Executive Director will then notify the winner and invite them to attend the general business meeting of the next Annual Session, where the Committee Chair will make the presentation.
g. The notification of the award will be published in the official program of the Annual Session.
h. The Award consists of a check for $1,000, complimentary registration to the conference, three night’s complimentary hotel room, thirty day advance coach roundtrip airfare, and two complimentary tickets to the Annual Session Gala.  The recipient should forward an abstract of the thesis to the Editor for publication in the Journal.

This committee is composed of five (5) members.  At each Annual Session, two (2) members are elected for a term of three (3) years.

The Government Affairs Committee shall:

1. Attend the annual AAO Advocacy meeting in Washington DC.
2. Review and forward for publication in the Journal information regarding any legislation affecting orthodontic care within the component jurisdictions of MASO.
3. Report on state and national legislative efforts of interest to orthodontics and dentistry.

This committee is composed of five (5) members.  At each succeeding Annual Session, one (1) member is elected for a term of five (5) years.  The senior member of the committee shall serve as Chairperson.

A. Membership Duties:

1. Call to welcome each new member of MASO.
2. Encourage new members to attend the spring CE event and Annual Session.
3. May organize a welcome activity for new members.  This is usually done at the Annual Session; however, if the Annual Session is out of the MASO area, it may occur at the MASO Spring Continuing Education event.
4. The Chair will review all membership activities forwarded from the AAO and prepare a report for publication in the Journal.
5. Contact MASO members who have dropped their AAO membership and encourage them to rejoin.

B. Practice Transition Duties:

Develop, implement and sustain programs that will help MASO’s orthodontic residents and MASO members with various aspects of both the transitions into and out of the practice of orthodontics.

This committee shall be composed of eight (8) members.  They shall be the Immediate Past President of MASO, the next most immediate Past President available, and six other members; one from each MASO component. The President of each MASO component, or a designee of the component President, should be given preference for this position.  If the immediate Past President of MASO and/or the next most immediate Past President cannot serve on the Nominating Committee for any reason, the MASO President shall appoint a former Past President of MASO to serve in their place.  The Past President and next most immediate Past President shall serve for a term of one year.  The Immediate Past President shall serve as Chairperson.  As respective terms expire, this committee shall submit the names of nominees for President-Elect, Directors to the Board, and committee vacancies of MASO; in addition, nominees for Trustee, Delegate and Alternate Delegate to the AAO, and a nominee for the Gerard A. Devlin Award.  This report shall be referred to the Board, shall be published thirty (30) days prior to the Annual Session, and shall be presented at the business meeting of the annual session.

The Nominating Committee shall:

1. Solicit from the component societies the names of those who have served well on a local level and who may be available to serve effectively in our Society.
2. Attempt to maintain a geographic balance in its nominations wherever feasible and possible.
3. Seek to place members in increasing levels of responsibility to develop their skills and experience.
4. Submit the name of a nominee for the Gerard A. Devlin award.
5. Inform all committee nominees of their approval by the Board, and help insure their presence for election at the Annual Session.

Guidelines for Nominee Selection for all MASO offices and committees

(Distribution of Member Responsibility):

1. A person currently serving as a MASO representative to an AAO Council is not required to resign the AAO position if they are elected to serve as a MASO Director.  However, they should select which of the two positions they will continue to serve, and resign the other, when their term as Director is up for renewal.
2. A current Director will not be proposed by the Nominating Committee, nor approved by the Board of Directors, for an AAO council position unless there are no other reasonably qualified members willing to accept the position. If a Director is elected as a council representative, they must select which of the two positions they will continue to serve, and resign the other, when their term as Director is up for renewal.
3. A current Director or Officer (except the President) will not serve as a Delegate or Alternate Delegate to the AAO unless no other reasonably qualified member is willing to accept the position.
4. An AAO Council representative should not serve as a MASO Delegate or Alternate Delegate, nor may a Delegate or Alternate Delegate serve as an AAO Council representative.
5. The Nominating Committee will make every effort to insure that each component of MASO is proportionately represented when nominating persons to serve as Officers, and Directors. They will make a similar effort when nominating persons to serve as AAO Delegates, Alternate Delegates and AAO Council representatives.
6. Report the slate of nominees to the Board, and present the list to the general membership of MASO at least thirty (30) days prior to the Annual Session.  The slate shall then be voted upon at the business meeting of the Annual Session.

Process:

1. Nominations may be received from any MASO member, and are due prior to March 1^st of each year.
2. The committee will select nominees, and forward its recommendations to the Board of Directors for approval at the June Board meeting.
3. Election will occur at the next MASO Annual Session.

Qualifications for nomination:

All candidates should have demonstrated at least one of the following:

1. A significant contribution to orthodontics, usually at the Component level, beyond the usual requirements for membership.
2. A significant contribution to orthodontics as a clinician, educator, or researcher.
3. A significant contribution to other areas of dentistry or science benefiting the dental health of the patients served by MASO orthodontists.