ATTORNEY ON LAW
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (and Greatness) As NYSDA moves to correct deficiencies in its makeup, it also pays homage to a fallen leader.
T
Lance Plunkett, J.D., LL.M.
his column was supposed to be about diversity, equity and inclusion, in keeping with the theme of the January edition of The Journal. However, sometimes tragic events intervene and history demands an initial focus on something else: greatness. In this case, it is the greatness of Dr. Mark Feldman. NYSDA lost this extraordinary, unique leader on Thanksgiving Day—a terrible irony, but a reminder of things for which to be thankful. And all of NYSDA can be truly thankful for Dr. Feldman. I have known many great NYSDA leaders over many years, and count a good number of them as dear friends, but Mark was a legend. His resume is unparalleled: treasurer and president at the local, state and national levels of the tripartite system; and executive director at both the state and national levels. No other person has ever served in all those capacities in the entire history of organized dentistry. What really set Mark apart among leaders was his continual mission to make things better for his profession. Mark never wavered from trying to do what was best, right and just for dentistry and patients. Even if some effort did not succeed as he had hoped, that desire to do the right thing always remained his goal. Coupled to his unmatched integrity and ever-present compassion and kindness for others, Mark was that rarest of things: a truly good man. As befitted his goodness, he cared deeply
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JANUARY 2022
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The New York State Dental Journal
about the subject matter of this Journal—diversity, equity and inclusion—something he so much wanted NYSDA to embrace and improve. And so, he helped make possible the launch of NYSDA’s first-ever Task Force on Diversity and Inclusiveness in 2021. Growing Impatience Diversity, equity and inclusion has become a major theme in law these days, as has the related topic of environmental, social and governance (ESG) corporate concerns. The concept of corporate responsiveness to larger social and ethical issues has been a matter of concern since corporations were first formed. However, there has been increasing attention to it lately, fueled by public impatience with the slow pace at which corporations have been moving on such matters and the confluence of perceived crises in climate, public health and racial/ethnic/gender equity. California has even enacted a law requiring that corporate boards provide seats for women and persons from underrepresented communities. New York State has not gone so far yet, requiring only that for-profit corporations report on the number of women on their boards, leading to a study of the inclusion issue but no mandatory board membership requirements yet. California often legislates like it is demented, not infrequently later regretting choices made, whereas New York often legislates at a glacial speed, not
