By Christine Mortham, FDA Membership Concierge
My journey with the Florida Dental Association (FDA) began a little over nine years ago when I joined the Governmental Affairs Office as the receptionist for an outstanding crew of lobbyists. Fast-forward to 2011 — I had the honor of being promoted to our headquarters office as the receptionist where I learned even more of what the FDA does for the dental profession. In 2013, the FDA went through a major transformation. The FDA welcomed Drew Eason as our new executive director (hooray for Drew!) who brought about a lot of opportunities for many. This is where the life of the membership concierge began.
The initial purpose of implementing the concierge benefit was to make sure that applicants felt welcome and began to experience the benefits of membership immediately. We also were in great need of making changes to how we interacted with our current members. Oftentimes, a constituent will call for details about membership before submitting an application. I’m always happy to speak to future members to explain why they need to be a member of the FDA. After the applicant becomes a member, the concierge personally welcomes the new member by mailing a welcome kit to them. Our welcome kit contains various brochures and publications that explain their member benefits as well as programs and opportunities that are available exclusively for members. The benefit of having a membership concierge has been so well-received that other state dental associations have inquired about implementing their own membership concierge!
FDA members are the best and we believe that you should be recognized! I’m always keeping an eye out for FDA members that are featured in local newspapers or online media for representing dentistry in a positive way — we are proud to have you as part of our family.
If you’re not sure of what benefits are available to you or need help accessing your benefits, you can count on me for assistance. Not only do I provide a warm welcome, I also assist in processing membership applications, provide dues quotations and take dues payment, as well as providing our privileged members with the necessary information as they begin their retirement. I’m also tasked with other projects that require the member’s perspective of the FDA and are based on your questions, comments and suggestions, so please feel free to let me know how we are doing — I’m all ears!
I enjoy every moment of being here at the FDA and look forward to speaking with many of you. I’m always glad to help wherever I can!
Have a question about your membership? Contact Christine at 850.350.7136 or cmortham@floridadental.org.
Beyond the Bite 