President's Statement

Hello, My name is Tasha Wendel. I have been in the dental field since 2005. I began as a dental assistant and then decided to further my career. I received my dental hygiene license in 2009 at the USD. In 2017, I finished my MPH and began my career teaching in the Dept of Dental Hygiene at USD. Like many of you, I consider myself a lifelong learner. 

My role in SDDHA is new. This will be my 3rd year as a member of the Executive Board. While I still feel uncertain at times if I am the right person for this position, I am certain that the SDDHA Board will help guide me and mentor me along the way. Being a part of SDDHA has provided many opportunities for me and has helped me grow as a professional. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve you all as President this year.

The theme I chose for this year is Empowering Hygienists

These last few years I have been able to experience working with both students and professionals. And what I have learned is that everyone is capable of something, but progress happens best when we work together and believe in each other. 

The 4 Goals I decided to focus on this year as president are: 

  1. To support dental hygienists in a variety of roles and pursue opportunities to advance the profession. 

  2. To promote the recognition, awareness and importance of dental hygienists. 

  3. To provide an engaging, inviting, and supportive space for dental hygienists and to increase membership and participation in SDDHA. We cannot do this without you. 

  4. To be a leader in developing and delivering dynamic, high quality learning opportunities. We know there are many options out there available for CE, but we hope to provide you with some enriching learning opportunities. 

I also ask that whether you are a member or not, please let us know what we can do to make the dental hygiene profession better. Your feedback is important for our success. I look forward to working with you all.

Tasha Wendel, RDH, MPH

SDDHA President 2021 - 2022