CHICAGO – Gary L. Roberts, D.D.S., a general dentist based in Shreveport, Louisiana, is the new president-elect of the American Dental Association (ADA). Dr. Roberts was recently elected during a meeting of the ADA House of Delegates in Washington, D.C. He will assume the role of president of the ADA in October 2016, when he will lead the 158,000-member organization, America’s leading advocate for oral health.

Dr. Roberts, an ADA member for 41 years, served as the Twelfth District trustee to the ADA House of Delegates. He served on the ADA Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs, Council on Government Affairs and was chair of the Committee on Budget and Finance. He served as a trustee liaison to the Council on Dental Practice, Council on Annual Sessions and the Council on Dental Education and Licensure.

Dr. Roberts is a past-president of both the Louisiana Dental Association (LDA) and the Northwest Louisiana Dental Association. He was speaker of the LDA House of Delegates for six years and editor of the Journal of the Louisiana Dental Association for eight years. In addition, he served on numerous committees at the LDA including the Council on Government Affairs, the Louisiana Dental Association Political Action Committee and served on the Board of Directors of Louisiana Dental Services. In 2007, he received the Louisiana Dental Association’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Roberts is a member of numerous other professional dental organizations, including the Academy of General Dentistry and Ark-La-Tex Academy of Dentistry. He is a fellow of the American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists and the Pierre Fauchard Academy.

Dr. Roberts earned his dental degree from Baylor College of Dentistry in 1977. He and his wife, Teresa, live in Shreveport, Louisiana, and have two children, Zachary and Joshua, and one grandson, Caleb.