Senior Director, Allied Dental Education and Faculty Development, ADEA
Each year, the UMKC Alumni Association recognizes the achievements of outstanding alumni with an awards celebration. In 2019, UMKC School of Dentistry – Dental Hygiene is honoring Rebecca Stolberg (M.S. ’96) with their Alumni Achievement Award.
During her time as a professor, department chair and interim assistant dean at Eastern Washington University, Stolberg received $461,324 in grant funding and created a program that increased access to dental care for rural Washington state residents. Now, she serves as senior director of allied dental education and faculty development at the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) in Washington, D.C. She spoke with us about her new role.
Tell us about your typical workday in Washington, D.C.
I am surrounded by 70 other professionals who are all here to serve our members and be the voice of dental education. Members take priority in my day, followed by work with administrative boards, conference planning, speaker recruitment and advocacy on Capitol Hill. Instead of impacting a small group of students and faculty at a university, I get to impact large groups of health professionals in the U.S., Canada and parts of Europe.
What would you like to accomplish in your role?
ADEA was founded by dental schools. More recently, it saw the value of focusing on allied dental professionals — dental assisting, dental hygiene, dental laboratory technology and the newer field of dental therapy. I am the first full-time allied dental person based in the D.C. headquarters. My goals revolve around insuring allied dental professions are integrated into everything ADEA does.
What advice do you have for UMKC students who’d like to follow in your footsteps?
Keep in touch with your faculty — you never know when you’ll need a letter of recommendation or to pick their brain.
About the Alumni Awards
Stolberg will be honored at the 2019 UMKC Alumni Awards on March 15. Proceeds from the event will support student scholarships. In the last decade, the Alumni Awards events have raised more than $1 million in scholarships and immediate aid for students.