Monday, March 15, 2021
ACCESS, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
WE must, collectively and as individuals, work to address representation inequities at the leadership level.
Day three of #ADEA2021 features the ADEA Tapestry Table―an interactive, talk-show style panel with our guest, NFL icon and bestselling author, Emmitt Smith and the goal of fostering dialogue and broadening perspectives on diversity, equity and inclusion. We’ll continue this robust, in-depth discussion, specifically in the context of academic dentistry, during the ADEA Chair of the Board Symposium. Join the rich conversation and gather strategies and best practices to support your work and contribute to key diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
ADEA TAPESTRY TABLE WITH EMMITT SMITH
Monday, March 15 | Noon - 1:15 p.m. (Eastern Time)

Emmitt Smith
#1 Leading Rusher in NFL History
Three-time Super Bowl Champion
Bestselling Author
ADEA Tapestry Table℠ is a talk-show style panel with audience engagement and the goal of fostering dialogue and broadening perspectives on diversity, equity and inclusion in dental education. This presentation of ADEA Tapestry Table features National Football League (NFL) icon Emmitt Smith.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss obstacles overcome to achieve success and lessons learned.
- Examine the role athletes are playing in conversations around social justice issues.
- Describe what dental education can do to get more youth of color, particularly men of color, to consider oral health care careers.
Recognized as one of the greatest players in the NFL, Mr. Smith amassed many records that still stand today. This includes all-time leading rusher, with 18,355 career rushing yards, and all-time rushing touchdown record holder, with 164 touchdowns.
Mr. Smith’s impressive resume also includes three Super Bowl champion rings and being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2010. As a first-round pick in the 1990 NFL draft, he was the cornerstone of the Dallas Cowboys offense for 13 seasons. The eight-time Pro Bowler was the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons and, on October 27, 2002, he surpassed Walter Payton as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.
Mr. Smith led the NFL in rushing four times, and was the league MVP in 1993 and MVP of Super Bowl XXVIII. His 175 career touchdowns rank second in NFL history.
ADEA CHAIR OF THE BOARD SYMPOSIUM
Monday, March 15 | 1:45 - 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Missing at the Table: Exploring Administrative Pipeline Gaps and Solutions

Carlos S. Smith, D.D.S.; Tawana K. Lee-Ware, D.D.S.; Herminio Perez, D.M.D., M.B.A.; Kim Perry, D.D.S., M.S.C.S., FACD; Kelton Stewart, D.D.S., M.S.; Janet Southerland, D.D.S., Ph.D., M.P.H.
In 2004, the Sullivan Commission released “Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions, A Report on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce.”
In 2020, ADEA released the ADEA Faculty Diversity Toolkit, providing evidence-based resources to assist dental education with diversifying faculty recruitment/retention initiatives. Research speaks to the underrepresented and marginalized (URM) student experience being improved by the presence of URM faculty. As was in 2004, however, these faculty are largely still missing, and are critically absent from administrative positions. This session will explore varying narratives of academic leadership, describe barriers to success and present best practices for overcoming those barriers.
Learning Objectives:
- Using panel participant narratives, discuss successful pathways to academic leadership.
- Review barriers that remain for inclusion of underrepresented and marginalized faculty and women in dental school and academic leadership.
- Suggest solutions and best practices for overcoming existing barriers by creating pathways to academic leadership for underrepresented and marginalized faculty and women.