CDS introduces new executive director
The Chicago Dental Society is pleased to welcome Heather Nash, a veteran in association management, as the next executive director of the 158-year-old society. She is the seventh executive to lead CDS and the first woman to hold the position.
Ms. Nash’s appointment came March 29 following a five-month search to find a successor to Randy Grove, who is stepping down May 31 after 33 years. Ms. Nash comes to CDS from Schaumburg-based Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), where she held the role of Chief Member and Event Engagement Officer, representing more than 52,000 emergency nursing professionals. Her work there focused on membership and event growth, new organizational initiatives to grow revenue, development of new educational offerings and strategic planning. She will start May 16.
“We couldn’t be happier to have found Heather. With her extensive work in membership, strategic planning and events, she will be a great fit for CDS,” said CDS President Michael Durbin.
“It is a great honor to have been selected as the next Executive Director of the Chicago Dental Society,” Ms. Nash said. “I am looking forward to leading the team of this premier organization and advancing the mission of CDS and its members.”
She will lead the 14-member staff and oversee management of the annual CDS Midwinter Meeting, one of the largest dental meetings in the country, among many other duties. She will report to the 15-member Board of Directors.
Prior to her time at ENA, Ms. Nash held top leadership positions with the American College of Chest Physicians. She is also a Certified Association Executive and a Certified Meeting Professional. Early in her career, she worked among dental professionals as director of meetings for the Academy of General Dentistry.