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SEKIGUCHI'S CAMPAIGN BEGINS IN
EARNEST
After reviewing Eugene Sekiguchi’s resume, one would think that a man who has accomplished so much, both educationally and professionally, was a born leader. You might suspect he had always been at the forefront of everything he was doing, one of those people others looked upon with admiration and envy. He insists it wasn’t so. “I wasn’t a very good Boy Scout. Back when I was a Scout, they made you do push-ups if you didn’t do stuff right. Well, I never made Eagle Scout, but I could do fifty push-ups, no sweat!” said Sekiguchi with a chuckle.
Sekiguchi has come a long way. This month, he formally begins his campaign for president of the American Dental Association, the culmination of over thirty years of active involvement in service to the profession of dentistry. Sekiguchi approaches his campaign effort with his usual zest and aplomb. The campaign trail will start, like the U.S. presidential primaries, in New England. From there, Sekiguchi will criss-cross the country several times, speaking in as many as four states in a given weekend. The campaign will come to a close at the campaign reception party on October 21 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The ADA House of Delegates elects the new president the following day.
Sekiguchi has held professional appointments with the ADA since 1986. He has served as trustee of California district 13 since 1998 and also serves on numerous committees and boards. Sekiguchi decided to run for president because he was concerned with the direction of the organization. “I think the ADA has gotten away from its principle mission, service to its members. As a result, there has been a good deal of attrition in recent years. Currently, about 70 percent of dentists are members, and if it falls much below that, the ADA will begin to lose its effectiveness,” said Sekiguchi. If elected president, he hopes to refocus the organization’s commitment to its members. “We need to learn to be more responsive. Our information gathering has to utilize 21st century technology, and we need to anticipate change and be pro-active in creating the future of dentistry,” stated Sekiguchi.
A man of many talents, Sekiguchi received his M.S. in electrical engineering from USC in 1967 before deciding to enroll in dental school. He served as both president and executive director of the California Dental Association and is a member of over fifteen professional organizations. While he isn’t looking for an apartment in the Chicago area quite yet, Sekiguchi certainly has the attributes to be an effective leader for the ADA.
“In the paradigm of the ADA, a leader has to have vision, a plan and, probably most importantly, he has to have begun executing his plan before
he begins. You have two years to accomplish your goals, so you really have to hit the ground running. It’s also important to have continuity. Your ideas must be connected to your predecessor’s and to your successors,” said Sekiguchi.
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