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Association Activities
Suffolk County Oral Surgeon Set To Receive Distinguished Service Award
GUENTER J. JONKE, D.M.D., of East Setauket, Suffolk County, is this year’s recipient of NYSDA’s Mark J. Feldman Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Jonke, an oral surgeon, will receive his award during the opening meeting of the NYSDA House of Delegates on May 30 at the Long Island Marriott.
Dr. Jonke has had a distinguished career, spanning some 35 years, in dentistry, dental education and as a participant in organized dentistry. Engaged in private practice at Suffolk Oral Surgery Associates in Stony Brook, he has also provided his services to area hospitals, most recently serving on the staff of St. Catherine’s of Siena Hospital in Smithtown.
Dr. Jonke has stepped out of his office as well to engage and interact with dental students and residents. A clinical assistant professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Stony Brook University School Dental Medicine, Dr. Jonke focuses much of his attention on ethics in dentistry. The former member of the ADA Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs and chair of its Ethics Subcommittee is author of numerous articles and columns on all aspects of dental ethics. And he lectures before members of the Student Professionalism and Ethics Association in Dentistry, as well as senior Stony Brook Dental students.
Active at all levels of organized dentistry, Dr. Jonke currently serves as president of the New York State Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and on the American OMS Board Commission of Professional Conduct. His previous appointments have included NYSDA Trustee, Greater Long Island Meeting Chairman, Chair of American College of Dentists New York Chapter and ADA Delegate. He is a past president of the Suffolk County Dental Society and was chair of its Ethics Committee for eight years.
Council on Nominations Approves Officer Slate
THE NYSDA COUNCIL ON NOMINATIONS, meeting in March via Zoom, approved the following slate of officers, which if confirmed by the NYSDA House in May, will lead the Association in 2025-2026:
• Dr. Maurice L. Edwards of New York County, currently serving as president-elect, was advanced to the office of president.
• Dr. Amarilis Jacobo of Bronx County, currently serving as vice president, was nominated to the office of president-elect.
• Dr Lynn Stacy of the Fifth District was nominated to serve as vice president.
• Dr. Paul R. Leary of Suffolk County was nominated to continue in the office of secretary-treasurer.
In additional action, the council certified the candidacy of three individuals for the position of ADA Trustee. They are Dr. Maurice Edwards, Dr. Payam Goudarzi of the Sixth District and Dr. Prabha Krishnan of Queens County.
Maria Maranga Heads Dental Foundation Board
THE NEW YORK STATE DENTAL FOUNDATION, subsequent to approval by the NYSDA Board of Trustees, announced its leadership for 2025. Heading up the foundation are: Maria Maranga, chair; Ronald Bellohusen, vice chair; Lawrence Volland, treasurer; and Robert Peskin, secretary. All were approved to serve one-year terms.
The following trustees saw their terms on the NYSDF Board renewed for three years: Rory Ogden, Third District; Donald Tucker, Eighth District; Lawrence Volland, Eighth District; and Robert Peskin, Nassau County. Savitha Reddy of Queens County was approved to serve a one-year term on the Board.
NSS Board Members Named
NYSDA SUPPORT SERVICES will be led in 2025 by the following Board members, all of whom were approved by the NYSDA Board of Trustees: Dimitrous Kilimitzoglou, chairman; NYSDA Executive Director Michael Herrmann, president (EO); and Mark Weinberger, Third District, treasurer.
Also: Minerva Patel, Ninth District; Roxene Gascoigne, Nassau County; Tricia Quartey-Sagaille, Second District; Mina Kim, New York County; Mario Silvestri, Sixth District; and NYSDA Secretary-Treasurer Paul Leary, Suffolk County.
