New ADA executive director emphasizes clarity, trust, and growth

For Nader A. Nadershahi, D.D.S., M.B.A., Ed.D., leadership in dentistry has always been rooted in service, collaboration and a commitment to strengthening the profession.

Now, as the American Dental Association’s newly appointed executive director, Dr. Nadershahi brings decades of experience across organized dentistry, academic leadership and institutional management to the role. This experience honed his leadership style, which is focused on listening, collaboration, trust and growth.

A career rooted in service to the profession

Dr. Nadershahi’s path to the ADA’s top staff role reflects a career-long commitment to advancing oral healthcare. His involvement began as a student leader and expanded to service at the local, state and national levels. His distinguished career also features leadership positions in academic dentistry, including the past nine years where he served as the dean of the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and Vice Provost of the San Francisco campus. He managed a nearly $100 million operational, clinical and academic budget with a consistent annual net reserve. He led more than 500 employees, more than 550 students and residents, and 8,000 graduates of the program. His tenure included leading major institutional initiatives focused on education, culture, and financial and organizational growth.

Dr. Nadershahi believes the roles he has held at allied organizations, the constituent level at the California Dental Association, the national level as a volunteer in ADA Councils, Commissions, and the House of Delegates, and as a senior vice president on the ADA professional team provides a unique experience of seeing the ADA through multiple lenses that allows him to better see the root causes of challenges as well as opportunities.

Answering the call

Dr. Nadershahi, once a private practice dentist in San Rafael and San Anselmo, California for 15 years, did not originally see his professional path leading to dental education, let alone executive-level leadership in organized dentistry.

His mother, an English teacher, nurtured his love for teaching and learning from a very young age. Meanwhile his brother Dr. Navid Nadershahi Knight, and his wife, Dr. Nilou Nadershahi, are also dentists. “My personal life and my professional life are deeply intertwined in a harmonious way. My mother ignited my passion for teaching and serving others, while my brother forged his path into dentistry, inspiring my own.”

After running his private practice for 15 years, Dr. Ron Borer, the former associate dean of clinical services at University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry came calling. “It was quite serendipitous,” Dr. Nadershahi said. “Someone taps you on the shoulder and it changes your life.” 

His path to the ADA was quite similar. Dr. Nadershahi said he was encouraged to pursue the ADA executive director opportunity by current and past leaders within the profession, prompting him to reflect on how he could serve at a national level.

“I had some existing leaders and past leaders reach out to me once this opportunity came up and encouraged me to think about doing this,” he said.

Dr. Nadershahi left his position in academia less than one year ago and was later named as the ADA’s senior vice president of education and professional affairs in June and officially joined the ADA staff in August 2025. He found himself welcomed into that role and was excited about the work he was doing. In the end, his decision to be considered for the executive director position came down to the people around him and the potential the new role offered to impact the future of the dental profession.

“I love our profession, and I want to continue making it stronger for future generations,” he said.

The ADA announced Dr. Nadershahi’s selection as Executive Director on March 10, and he officially assumed the role on March 23. He was selected following a robust search that began in 2025 and was managed by global leadership advisory firm Russell Reynolds & Associates with oversight from the Executive Director Search Committee, which is composed of a diverse group of ADA members.

More than 200 applicants expressed interest in the role, and 15 qualified candidates were considered by the Executive Director Search Committee, ultimately culminating in the selection of Dr. Nadershahi at the March meeting of the ADA Board of Trustees.  

“What excites me is the opportunity that's ahead to bring the profession together. Everyone that's related to dentistry -- there is great interest in how we can support each other to grow the profession,” he said.

Leadership grounded in listening and alignment

As he steps into the role, Dr. Nadershahi emphasizes a leadership philosophy rooted in listening, collaboration and shared purpose.

“My style is to really listen, to understand where folks are, and to bring everyone together as much as we possibly can for this broader shared purpose,” he said.

He aims to focus the organization’s energy on common ground while thoughtfully addressing areas of disagreement. He noted that central to this approach is creating stability and trust within the organization.

“I want to help people feel that we're on a stable landscape so they can lift their gaze forward and look into the future,” he said.

Dr. Nadershahi also underscored the importance of clarity in leadership, noting that organizations perform best when there is a shared understanding of priorities and direction.

Clarity, trust, and growth

Looking ahead, Dr. Nadershahi hopes his leadership will come to be associated with three guiding principles: clarity, trust, and growth.

He envisions an organization where members, volunteer leaders, and employees clearly understand their roles and how they contribute to a broader shared purpose. Building trust, both within the tripartite and externally, will depend on consistent actions and transparent leadership. At the same time, he wants the ADA to expand its relevance and impact.

“I want every member and every volunteer leader and every member of the professional team to feel like they're growing as individuals because of their connection with the ADA,” he said. “And I want the ADA itself to be growing in relevance and impact across the nation and globally.”

Addressing challenges facing the profession

Dr. Nadershahi assumes leadership at a time when dentistry faces a range of challenges, including financial pressures on dental education, changes in federal support of oral health, dental benefits, and workforce dynamics.

He pointed to student loan limitations, pressures on research funding and broader challenges affecting federal agencies tied to oral health as key concerns. He also emphasized the ADA’s critical role as the unified voice of the profession in addressing these issues through advocacy.

“What I would love to see is that whether it's on the Hill or on Wall Street or on Main Street, that people see the ADA as the trusted source and voice of dentistry in this country,” he said.

He highlighted the importance of strengthening shared understanding and commitment to the ADA’s mission across the tripartite and advancing governance and organizational health improvements, which are currently being studied by an outside firm per Resolution 521H-2025 with a report due to the House of Delegates. Dr. Nadershahi also noted the impact ADA President Dr. Richard Rosato’s initiative Oral Health 2050, once completed, can have on long-term ADA strategic directions.

A people-centered philosophy

Throughout his career, Dr. Nadershahi said his leadership philosophy has remained consistent: Leadership is fundamentally about serving others.

“In any leadership role, it's about the people that you serve,” he said. “For me, that's the big lesson: making sure that any decision that's made is about what's best for the organization and people that it serves. It's not about leaders getting credit; it's about impact.”

He often frames decision-making through a long-term values-based lens, emphasizing the responsibility today’s dental leadership owes to future generations of dentists. He said that his forward-facing leadership style involves thinking of alternatives and outcomes with a lasting impact and answering the questions, “What are we doing today that's going to make the lives of people that we may never meet better? How will we be good ancestors?”

That perspective aligns with his broader view of dentistry as a profession driven by a shared commitment to improving health and serving communities.

A call to engage

As he begins his tenure, Dr. Nadershahi is encouraging ADA members and the broader dental community to take an active role in shaping the profession’s future.

“I'd encourage every member and everyone that's involved to share their ideas and share their voice in whatever way that they can,” he said.

He emphasized that engagement through organized dentistry at the national, state and local society level, is essential to strengthening the profession.

“I can't do it by myself. The board and House of Delegates can't do it by themselves,” he said. “We need your voice, and we need your energy and talent.”