Bland elected president of American Dental Assistants Association

Kim Bland, Manatee Technical Institute, has been elected president of the American Dental Assistants Association. Robin Chacon-Primous, a Manatee Tech graduate, was selected as student trustee of the national organization. Bland is the first person in the 90-year history of the association to have been elected to a second term as president. She is the program director of the Dental Assisting Technology and Management program, an Applied Technology Diploma program, at Manatee Tech. Chacon-Primous, a June 2014 graduate, was appointed by the outgoing ADAA president to be the student trustee. Only one student in the whole nation has this privilege. Both Bland and Chacon-Primous were installed at the American Dental Association/American Dental Assisting Association annual session in San Antonio, Texas on October 11. A 1983 graduate of Manatee Tech’s Dental Assisting program, Bland worked as an Expanded Functions Certified Dental Assistant in General Dentistry and Orthodontics for over 13 years before returning to Manatee Tech as an instructor and program director. Her first term as ADAA president was in 2007-08. Bland has a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial and Technical Education and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of South Florida. She also serves as chair of the Board of Directors for the Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center and for the Florida Chapter of HOSA, Future Healthcare Professionals. As a member of the Student ADAA Chapter last school year, Chacon-Primous was selected as trustee through an interview process, from which Bland recused herself. Bland will serve as president until the next annual meeting in November 2015.