Leadership and Governance

Governance Structure

General Council

The General Council is the governing body of the ODA. It elects the Board of Directors and approves changes to the ODA’s By-laws. It is made up of representative dentists from the ODA’s 39 regional component societies. One student from each dental faculty (the University of Toronto and Western University) also sits on Council. Each recognized dental specialty sends one non-voting observer to meetings of the Council.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is a body of 15 dentists and is accountable to the General Council. There are four Elective Officers – President, Immediate Past President, President-Elect, and Vice-President.

The Board is responsible for the governance of the ODA on behalf of its members. The Board:

• Carries out the priorities and policies of the ODA
• Implements the ODA’s mission, vision and values
• Manages the Association’s finances

Committees and Task Forces

There are four primary, or advisory, committees at the ODA. They advise on the four functional areas of the ODA: economics; education; health policy and government affairs; and member services and programs. Other committees and task forces are responsible for implementing the ODA’s priorities and goals.

The Board of Directors sets all committee terms of reference and elects committee members. The advisory committees report through the CEO to the Board of Directors. All other committees and task forces report to the advisory committees.