The Washington State Dental Association has been the voice of dentistry in Washington since its inception in 1887. With over 4,400 member dentists, WSDA is dedicated to empowering members to advocate for and provide optimal oral health care.
With the support of its members, WSDA is the strongest and most influential organization advocating on behalf of Washington dentists. The Association’s top priorities include addressing third-party payer issues affecting dentists’ ability to provide optimal oral health care to their patients, advancing solutions to address Washington’s dental workforce shortage of hygienists and assistants, and advancing solutions to legislative and regulatory issues affecting the dental profession.
In addition to robust advocacy, WSDA provides its members with a variety of benefits and services designed to help them thrive in clinical practice, business ownership and more throughout their careers. Washington Dentists’ Insurance Agency (WDIA) is a WSDA owned company that serves the unique insurance needs of dentists. The Pacific Northwest Dental Conference (PNDC) is WSDA’s annual continuing education and is the largest dental meeting in the region. WSDA Retro provides excellent support for workplace injuries and claims.
The Association is in the midst of introducing innovative new services to increase membership value and decrease the cost of membership. WSDA is increasing sources of non-dues revenue to fully fund our mission, political advocacy, and charitable efforts.
WSDA strives to have a membership and leadership that reflects the diversity of the dental profession as well as a profession that reflects the diversity of Washington. The Association seeks partnerships with institutions like PNWU that help us reach out this strategic priority as well as our mission and vision more broadly.
WSDA members are also members of the American Dental Association (ADA) and one of 17 local dental societies across Washington state.
Bracken Killpack has been the executive director of WSDA since January 2015 and a WSDA employee for over 16 years. As executive director, Bracken has overseen several successful advocacy efforts related to dental benefits, workforce and dental practice ownership, the creation of several member benefits, and growth in membership. Bracken has an MBA from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business and a BA in Politics from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He is also a Certified Association Executive and served in the United States Peace Corps in Panama.
“WSDA was proud to be an early and active supporter of PNWU’s vision to create a new and innovative dental school in Yakima, Tri-Cities, and Tacoma. WSDA was a strong advocate for state support for PNWU and the WSDA Foundation will also be a strong supporter of the school.
We are excited to meet with the school’s inaugural class next year, and each class thereafter. WSDA looks forward to engaging students in organized dentistry and connecting them with valuable support and resources from their first year of school to their first year of practice and beyond. We know these future dentists will go on to serve patients across our state, especially in rural communities.” – Bracken Killpack, WSDA Executive Director
