Dr. Robert Rada, DDS, MBA is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Science at the University of Illinois College of Dentistry. He also maintains a private practice in La Grange, Illinois focusing on patients with special needs. Individuals with IDD of all ages are cared or in his practice. Advanced behavior management, anesthesia care and hospital dentistry are all part of his practice. Dr. Rada has facilitated many live patient courses to assist dentists and dental students in their learning to care for the patients with special needs. He teaches in the Group Practice Clinics and currently has dental students rotate through his private practice and directs the Special Care Dental Track at UIC.

Ben is the CEO and Co-Founder of Sensory Health, a company focused on reducing barriers to healthcare for patients with sensory needs. Sensory Health works directly with healthcare providers, delivering both environmental interventions and custom training programs which support provider in providing quality care to neurodiverse patients.

Dr. David Itzkoff has been the Supervising Dentist at Shapiro Center, a 500-bed residential facility for adults with IDD operated by the State of Illinois in Kankakee for over 30 years. He now is retired and pursuing other areas of Special Oral HealthCare. He is a graduate of NYU School of Dentistry.  He is a senior fellow of National Academies of Practice where he serves as Chair of the Dental Academy and is a Diplomate and immediate past president of the American Board of Special Care Dentistry.   He has been a proud member of SAID for 30 years, where he served as President, committee chair, and remains in a leadership role for program planning and other SAID projects. He hasn’t missed a meeting yet.

Gaylene Baker graduated from the University of Iowa with her BSDH. She worked clinically in private practice for 27 years and then began working for various dental manufacturers. The primary focus of her post clinical career has always been infection prevention, team building, and product training. Gaylene earned her MBA from Aurora University, is a licensed RDH and certified PHDH in Illinois, and has earned a DISIPC certificate.

Melissa is a Registered Nurse Care Consultant with the Office of Integrated Health Supports Network at the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Her educational experience includes a bachelor’s in organizational management and a degree in nursing. Her previous nursing experience of 18 years includes Southwest Virginia Mental Health Institute, working with severe mental illness and as the Medical Support RN for a community service board working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disability. Melissa also has 10 years of experience working in a rural dental clinic in an underserved area. She serves as a community board member for the local community college nursing program. She is currently working on her DD certificate through Rutgers University.

Jessa Sprouse, BSN, MSN, RN is a Registered Nurse who is committed to ensuring the best possible care to citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. After spending nearly a decade as a bedside Registered Nurse working on medical-surgical and inpatient psychiatric units, Jessa has a firm foundation on the principals of institutional evidence-based nursing practice. Additionally, Jessa has worked nearly a decade in community based residential services for individuals with developmental disabilities by helping to build bridges between institutional care and community care, implement data collection and quality assurance initiatives, and connect individuals with needed services across the commonwealth. With this experience, Jessa is well equipped to help individuals and agencies navigate a complex and ever-changing healthcare system. Jessa believes that a holistic and 'safety first' perspective is an essential component to providing effective care. In addition to working as a Direct Support Professional prior to entering nursing, Jessa has held numerous formal and informal leadership positions. She has served as the Director of Medical Quality Assurance for a community-based residential provider. Her quality assurance, risk management, and project management experience is an integral part component of her experience that translates well to healthcare administration students since she serves as Adjunct Faculty in Liberty University's School of Business. Currently, Jessa serves as a Registered Nurse Care Consultant for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Additionally, Jessa has been a Medication Aide trainer for Virginia since 2007. She hold certifications in Basic Life Support and is a member of the American Nurses Association and Virginia Nurses Association. Jessa holds a Bachelors of Science in Nursing and a Master's of Science in Nursing Administration from Liberty University where she graduated with distinction.

Since 2019, Dr. Holli Seabury has been the Executive Director of the Delta Dental Foundation, which is dedicated to oral health equity and advancing dental science through education and research. Dr. Seabury has over 25 years of experience in the non-profit field. Previous to working in the philanthropic sector, she was CEO of McMillen Health where her work focused on health literacy and developing educational materials for the Medicaid insured population. Currently, a focus of her work is improving the payer system and access to care, especially for those with I/DD. Dr. Seabury holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Defiance College. In 2015 she earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction with a specialty in educational technology from the University of Florida.

Ms. Mary E. Foley is the Executive Director of the Medicaid|Medicare|CHIP Services Dental Association (MSDA). MSDA is the national non-profit organization that works with government agencies, health plans, providers and other industry supports to advance oral health equity for America’s most vulnerable individuals. She received her bachelor’s degree in health science from Worcester State University, and a master’s degree in public health, with a concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Massachusetts, School of Public Health, and Health Policy. In 1977, she received her license to practice dental hygiene in Massachusetts and worked for many years in dental offices across Worcester County while raising her family. After twenty years in clinical practice, Ms. Foley moved into the public health arena serving as the Director of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), Office of Oral Health. In 2005 she moved to Washington DC to lead a national campaign focused on Improving oral health for low-income pregnant women and infants. During this time, she served as an advisor to the Office of Head Start, the CDC, and other federal agencies in Washington DC. In 2007, she became the Dean of the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, where she expanded enrollment by 25%, and launched a master’s program in Dental Public Health for dental hygienists. In 2009, she moved back to Washington DC to focus on healthcare policy, working with federal and state government agencies and their constituencies to advance dental coverage for Medicaid and Medicare enrollees. Among the many projects she has been involved in, Ms. Foley is most grateful for having had the opportunity to work with the National Council on Disability to advance oral healthcare for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her work with NCD in 2023 generated a report to Congress and President Biden with key policy recommendations that not only gave a voice to vulnerable individuals and their families; but also provided the impetus for sweeping changes in healthcare for people with disabilities.