From the Summer 2025 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association
By Jillian Stacey, D.D.S., CDA President
I am honored and humbled to serve as your next president of the Colorado Dental Association. The CDA has become an integral part of my life and provided me with a support system and an organized dentistry family that I am beyond grateful for. I am 29 years old, and the youngest CDA president to date (not to mention the youngest to serve as a state dental association president in the country), as well as the seventh woman to be president of the CDA out of 138 presidents, dating back to 1887.
My organized dentistry mentors and friends who have advocated for me and the welcoming and progressive culture of the CDA have allowed me to get where I am at this stage in my life so I can serve all of you. I believe the primary directive of the leader of any team is to respect the group’s wisdom and emulate servant leadership whenever possible. This is how I intend to lead the CDA this year, because when my priority is to help those around me be more successful, not only will the CDA succeed, but so will our dentists.
I’m a Colorado Springs native and work with my dad, Dr. Tim Stacey, in private practice. My mom, Marcia, is our business manager and boss. She homeschooled me and my younger brother Cameron through high school. My family is the most important thing in my life, and we see each other both at work and outside of it very frequently. Outside of work, my main hobby and passion is traveling. Although I do have to travel fairly frequently for CDA-related business, I take time for personal travel and have been grateful to spend time in many countries around the world like Greece, Japan, Singapore, Italy, England, Thailand, Indonesia, Norway, France, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Bahamas and more. Traveling the world gives me perspective on the bigger picture. It shows me what exists outside of my bubble, my state, and my country, and opens my eyes to other ways of life. It makes me a more well-rounded person and takes the pressure off my individual existence.
Organized dentistry does the same for us by elevating and lifting us out of our daily tasks and struggles as dentists. This community links us to the broader profession and connects us with our colleagues, friends, and patients, as a collective. Dentistry can be an extremely isolating and harrowing profession and plugging into the CDA in big or small ways can make a difference in our careers and our lives. I know that all dentists can find inspiration and support by getting involved in the CDA in any capacity, and I encourage you to share our mission, values, activities and accomplishments with your colleagues.
My dad always told me growing up that it’s better to participate in the process than complain about the outcome. With that in mind, I started volunteering in organized dentistry when I was in dental school at the University of Colorado. I eventually served as the Colorado ASDA President and led our chapter to win the esteemed national “Ideal ASDA” award. As a dental student, I served on the CDA Board of Trustees for two years and the Membership Council for four years. When I graduated, I became the chair of CDA’s Membership Council, a delegate to the ADA, and a member of dozens of councils, committees and task forces.
The CDA is an organization that has never shied away from important conversations or abdicated their seat at the table. We have crafted a legacy of bold innovation, always preferring to be at the leading edge of legislation, new initiatives and policy that benefit our Colorado dentists and patients. We consistently lead the rest of the country with an environment that makes us one of the most dentist-friendly states. We have become an organization that effectively works with legislators, third parties and key stakeholders. We always fight for the most ideal outcome possible for our members, and the effort that our CDA staff and volunteers put in is monumental.
Our most notable win this year was getting our version of the Dental Practice Act Sunset Review legislation passed through the Colorado Legislature. To have our version adopted is a testament to the trust, respect and working relationship we share with legislators at the state Capitol. The provisions put in place will protect our dentists and patients for the next 10 years. This is the power of organized dentistry and advocacy; it is what your membership dollars directly support.
We also continue to hold the line in ensuring that our Colorado patients have access to Medicaid, and that our dentists are reimbursed at rates that are fair and reasonable. This is no easy task with our state budget and an uncertain future for Medicaid programs at the federal level. The CDA’s advocacy efforts were rewarded once again this year when the Joint Budget Committee ruled that no cuts on Medicaid dental would be occurring, and another percentage increase for all rates would take place.
We will not have the dental profession we have now in three, five, or 10 years, without increasing our organized dentistry market share. A strong membership representation allows us to continue our legislative advocacy. Despite platitudes, social media groups, and organizations with separate missions, the tripartite is our profession’s primary defense and cheerleader.
The CDA is working to enact meaningful member dues reductions, especially for newer dentists. We want to make membership more accessible so dentists can utilize our many services and find their own unique value in our organization. This will be a major focus of my presidency, along with working more closely with each of our component societies to see how we can provide essential support for their operations. Our communities are the lifeblood of our organization, and our diverse component societies reflect our beautiful and unique state. We have made a lot of progress with component integration, and I want to encourage leaders from around the state to interact with each other, as well as increase their communication with the CDA so we can provide more specific assistance.
I look forward to continuing to defend our profession and contributing to the CDA’s legacy of bravery, compassion, and ambition.
