Faculty and Advisors

Dr. Haden is President and CEO of AAL.

Since AAL’s founding in 2005, Dr. Haden and AAL have worked with more than 150 U.S. and international higher education institutions, associations, and businesses through AAL’s professional development programs and consulting services.

Dr. Haden oversees ongoing leadership development initiatives for numerous organizations, including the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), the Dental Trade Alliance, and the Interprofessional Education Collaborative. His areas of expertise include leadership, organizational change, team building, strategic planning, curriculum development, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. From 1998 to 2005, Dr. Haden served as Associate Executive Director for Educational Policy and Research at ADEA. He has authored or coauthored more than 80 articles and monographs. Dr. Haden is the author, along with AAL Senior Fellow Rob Jenkins, of The 9 Virtues of Exceptional Leaders: Unlocking Your Leadership Potential (Deeds, 2015) and 31 Days with the Virtues (Deeds, 2020). Dr. Haden is a Fellow (Hon.) of the American College of Dentists and a Fellow of the Center for the Study of the Great Ideas.

In 2017, he was honored by the ADEAGies Foundation as recipient of the Gies Award for Achievement-Public or Private Partner. In 2019, he received the Professionalism and Ethics Award from the American College of Dentists.

Mr. Leeth is Chief Advocacy Officer at ADEA.

He spent almost 25 years working on Capitol Hill—five years working for a House member and 20 years on the professional staff of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. On the Appropriations Committee, he was a subcommittee staff director for 15 years and served both sides of the aisle in that capacity, always working in the majority. 

After leaving Capitol Hill, he spent five years as a lobbyist for the American Medical Association, was Vice President at the Jefferson Consulting Group, and has been an independent lobbyist as Principal in his own firm, Lincoln Capitol Consulting, LLC.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Dr. Ramsel is a Senior Consultant for AAL and works in the areas of executive coaching, leadership development, team building, strategic planning and organizational consultation. As a former senior executive in the federal government and leader of organizational health for Veterans Affairs, she brings extensive experience as a leader and facilitator to executives, teams and organizations that wish to improve their performance.

Dr. Ramsel’s credentials include a doctorate in clinical psychology and an MBA, as well as experience as a clinician, mental health executive, postdoctoral fellowship director, organization development consultant and medical college professor. She was a co-principal investigator in executive coaching outcomes and has published articles in peer-reviewed journals on several topics, including employee engagement, psychological safety and change management.

Dr. Ramsel stays active in professional societies and community organizations. She is the former president of both the Society of Psychologists in Management and the Society of Consulting Psychologists and served as an associate professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She has won multiple awards, including the highly competitive 2019 Meritorious Presidential Rank Award. Other recent accolades include the Leadership Worth Following Excellence in Developing Consulting Psychologists Award and the American Psychological Association Presidential Citation.

Dr. Tucker-Lively is the Vice President of AAL, an Atlanta-based company focused on providing professional development and consulting services to individuals, institutions, and organizations in health and higher education. She develops, oversees, and facilitates sessions for various professional development programs, both for AAL and for specific client projects. She has assisted faculty, residents, and administrators in cultivating their growth and development in a variety of settings.

Dr. Tucker-Lively holds a B.S. in Human Service Studies from Cornell University, an M.P.H. in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Mercer University. Her experience in administration, operational management, professional and organizational development, and program coordination at health professions schools and hospitals spans 23 years. Dr. Tucker-Lively maintains a variety of memberships and leadership positions in professional and community organizations.

She was recently appointed one of 12 nationwide faculty and independent researchers to the ADEA Collaborative on Dental Education Climate Assessment, charged with exploring issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and wellness throughout the United States and Canada. Her background involves working with executive leadership teams to solve challenges, develop alternatives, and create efficiencies for improving program quality.

Professor Wilder is a career academician, having served on the faculty at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC) for over three decades. She is currently the Adams Term Professor and Associate Dean for Professional Development and Faculty Affairs at the UNC Adams School of Dentistry. Previously, she served as Director of the Master of Science Degree Program in Dental Hygiene Education and as the inaugural Director of Faculty Development for the dental school. She is Editor Emeritus of the Journal of Dental Hygiene, where she served as editor for 14 years.

She is a recipient of several awards, including the Colgate/IADR Oral Health Research Award, the Pfizer/American Dental Hygienists’ Association Award for Excellence in Dental Hygiene and the Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Missouri -Kansas City. She was a Fellow in the 2007-08 ADEA Leadership Institute though the American Dental Education Association. In 2012, she was inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU), the dental honorary society. In 2014, she was selected to receive the inaugural UNC Adams School of Dentistry Faculty Mentoring Award. Rebecca has published approximately 200 articles, abstracts, book chapters and editorials. She speaks nationally and internationally on such topics as nonsurgical periodontal therapy and products, oral-systemic health and leadership and communication strategies for team success.

In addition to her academic degrees, Professor Wilder holds a certificate in coaching from Georgetown University’s Executive Leadership Coaching Program and is ACC certified by the International Coaching Federation. She coaches and mentors academicians, healthcare providers and corporate leaders in the areas of executive presence, leading during change, communication as a tool to drive change, new leader coaching, stress management, conflict dynamics and team facilitation.

Prof. Zarkowski is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs of University of Detroit Mercy. She is Chief Academic Officer for the university, which includes a School of Architecture, College of Business Administration, College of Engineering & Science, College of Liberal Arts & Education, School of Dentistry, School of Law and College of Health Professions. In addition to academic oversight, Provost Zarkowski supervises key student and institutional support offices, including Libraries and Instructional Technology, Student Success Center, Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, Office of Sponsored Research Activities, Institute for Leadership and Service, Title IX and Equity and Compliance, Trio and Upward Bound programs, Women’s and Gender Studies, the Honors Program, Student Fellowships and Catholic Studies.

An educator for 40 years, she has served in various administrative and leadership roles at the university, including chairperson of two departments, Associate Dean for academic administration, curriculum, dental admissions and community relations, and Executive Associate Dean in the School of Dentistry. She also has held various leadership roles in national organizations, including President of the American Dental Education Association, 2001-2002; Society for Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine, 2007-2008; and the American Society for Dental Ethics, 2003-2006 and 2016-2018. She was also chairperson of the ADEAGies Foundation from 2002-2007.

Provost Zarkowski is a nationally and internationally recognized speaker who has provided over 250 presentations, workshops and seminars. Her scholarly activity and research is focused on professional, legal and ethical issues for dental and health professionals, leadership, women’s health, cultural competence and sensitivity and health literacy. She has more than 60 publications and abstracts. She is a contributor to dental, dental hygiene and dental assisting textbooks.

She received a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Public Health in Dental Public Health and a Teaching Certificate for Special Purpose Program for Teachers of Community Dentistry from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University. She has a certificate from the Wayne State University Geriatric Institute Program and a certificate in ethics education from Kennedy Institute for Ethics. She was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1989 and holds an active law license.

Dr. Garcia joined the University of Florida College of Dentistry as Dean on Feb. 16, 2015, after retiring from the U.S. Public Health Service in 2014 as a rear admiral lower half. Dr. Garcia's career spans 34 years in public health, clinical practice, research, teaching and administration at the local, state and national levels.

Dr. Garcia joined the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research in 1995 and held multiple leadership roles during her time there. She led NIDCR's science transfer efforts, directed the lnstitute's Office of Science Policy and Analysis, and served as acting NIDCR director from 2010-2011. Dr. Garcia also served as the institute's coordinator for global health and took over as director of NIDCR's Residency in Dental Public Health program in 2005. As deputy director of the NIDCR, she shared responsibility for the oversight and management of programs and functions within the institute - which included a staff of more than 400 scientists and administrators dedicated to research, training, science policy, health education, communications and financial management.

Dr. Garcia received a doctorate in dental surgery in 1980 from Virginia Commonwealth University and a master's degree in public health from the University of Michigan in 1988. She subsequently completed a residency in dental public health at the University of Michigan and a fellowship in primary care policy from the U.S. Public Health Service.

While pursuing her master's, Dr. Garcia was a lecturer and adjunct assistant professor in the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. She later served as an adjunct assistant professor in the College of Dentistry at The Ohio State University. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, Dr. Garcia has received the NIH Director's Award for Mentoring, the American Association for Dental Research's Jack Hein Public Service Award, and the U.S. Public Health Service Jack D. Robertson Award for outstanding long-term dedication and service to improve the oral health of the nation.

A fellow of the American College of Dentists, Dr. Garcia is a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health, one of the nine specialties recognized by the American Dental Association, and is an active member of the American Dental Education Association, the International Association for Dental Research and the American Dental Association.

Dr. Panagakos received his D.M.D. from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) Dental School (now Rutgers School of Dental Medicine) and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UMDNJ-Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (now the Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences) in 1992. In 1999, he received his Master’s in Education from Seton Hall University and in 2007 he received his Master’s in Business Administration from Lehigh University. He was commissioned in 1986 as a Second Lieutenant and served for 13 years in the New Jersey Army National Guard and Army Reserve, departing as a Major in 1999.

From 1993 until 2005, he served as a full-time faculty member at UMDNJ Dental School in a number of administrative and academic positions, and maintained a private dental practice. From June 2005 until November 2017, Dr. Panagakos served in several roles with increasing responsibility at the Colgate-Palmolive Company, where he focused on clinical research, scientific affairs, key thought leader management and interfacing with the external professional and consumer communities. In November 2017, he joined Geistlich Pharma, North America, as Vice President, Scientific and Clinical Affairs, based in Princeton, NJ.

He joined the West Virginia University School of Dentistry in August 2018 as the Associate Dean for Research. From July 2020 until May 2021, Dr. Panagakos served as the Interim Dean. In January 2022, he assumed responsibility and oversight of the postdoctoral programs at the school. In March 2022, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences School of Dental Medicine named Dr. Panagakos its Founding Dean.

Dr. Panagakos is the co-author of over 88 peer-reviewed scientific research articles and is the co-editor of three dental science textbooks. His areas of interest include the role of inflammation in oral and overall health, the impact of nutrition on oral health and wellness, and the effects of enhanced oral health benefits through Medicaid and Medicare on wellness and socioeconomic measures among rural and underserved adults.

Michelle Robinson, D.M.D., M.A., is the Senior Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is the first and only person on her campus to have served in leadership roles in both a health and a non-health school, having been interim dean for the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry (UAB SOD) from 2018 to 2019 and interim dean for the School of Education from 2020 to 2022. This shaped her core belief that leadership skills are transferable across roles, disciplines and cultures, and that everyone can hone their abilities to be an effective leader.

Within UAB SOD, Dr. Robinson has also served as Senior Associate Dean and led the areas of information technology and informatics, billing and patient finance operations, strategic planning and institutional effectiveness, clinical affairs, faculty development, compliance/executive risk assessment and diversity and equity and inclusion. She has mentored faculty, staff and students at all levels—starting at middle and high school—and continues to teach in health informatics and health administration. Her areas of research and publication include informatics, gamification and organizational climate and culture. She has continually been funded and most recently served as an Associate Editor for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 2021 report, “Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges,” and as a member of the NIH Advisory Council for Research on Women’s Health.

Dr. Robinson is a graduate of Rutgers School of Dental Medicine and the General Practice Residency program at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. She has a biomedical informatics degree from Columbia University and certifications that include Special Patient Care, Information Technology Project Management and Online Education. She has held multiple leadership roles at the national level, including Chair of the Dental Informatics Working Group of American Medical Informatics Association and ADEA Chair of the Dental Informatics Section.

Dr. Robinson is the recipient of several awards in the areas of teaching, research, service and mentorship. She has given lectures and continuing education courses, and has served as a consultant for various universities, associations and study clubs throughout the United States and Europe.

Robert Spears, Ph.D., M.S., is the Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs and Professor in the Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences at the UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry (UTHealth Houston SOD). He came to the UTHealth Houston SOD, in 2015, after serving as the Director of Curriculum and Director of Student Research and Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University School of Dentistry. In his current role as the Academic Dean, he oversees educational programs for dental hygiene, dental and advanced education. His major roles also include oversight of curriculum management and assessment, admissions and daily student life issues. Within UTHealth, he is actively involved in interprofessional education and student wellness.

Dr. Spears participated in the AAL Leadership Institute in 2012, the Chairs and Academic Administrators Management Program (CAAMP) in 2015 and served as a facilitator for CAAMP in 2018. He is a fellow of the Harvard Macy Institute’s program for educators, a Commission on Dental Accreditation site visitor and a participant on the Joint Commission National Dental Examination Committee. Dr. Spears has performed several roles for ADEA—having been active on the Council of Faculties, a member of the Annual Session Planning Committee and a new addition to the Policy and Research Advisory Committee; he also received a Presidential Citation. He has also been active throughout his career with American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research, having served on several committees.

Dr. Spears is also the Primary Investigator for the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) for UTHealth. This is a national program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with direction and technical assistance provided by ADEA and the Association of American Medical Colleges. SHPEP’s goal is to strengthen the academic proficiency and career development of students underrepresented in the health professions and prepare them for a successful application to and matriculation at health professions schools.

Robert M. Trombly, D.D.S., J.D., is Dean and Professor at A.T. Still University Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH). He received his B.S. and D.D.S. from the University of Michigan, completed his General Practice Residency at Hennepin County Medical Center and his J.D. at the University of Denver.

His background includes private practice in general dentistry, practice/risk management consulting and academic/administrative appointments in dental schools at the University of Colorado, Western University of Health Sciences and University of Detroit-Mercy.

Dr. Trombly is an active member of American Dental Association and ADEA. He also serves as site visitor for the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation. He is a Fellow in the American College of Dentists and International College of Dentists, Pierre Fauchard Academy and a member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society. His scholarly interests include educational research, community-based education, law and ethics.