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Dental board awards Powell River layperson for service

College of Dental Surgeons of BC recognizes Dan De Vita for contributions over eight years with board of directors
Dan De Vita
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE: Dan De Vita [centre] was recently presented with an award from College of Dental Surgeons of BC registrar Jerome Marburg [left] and college president Don Anderson. De Vita was recognized for outstanding contributions to the college’s board between 2008 and 2017. Contributed photo

Many in the community recognize the name Dan De Vita, who has been a local realtor for more than 35 years. Not many know he spent the last eight years serving as a layperson on the board of directors of the College of Dental Surgeons of BC (CDSBC).

De Vita’s fourth two-year term ended recently, and he was  recognized by the college for his years of outstanding service and contribution at a ceremony in Vancouver.

“Our public members bring an important perspective and expertise to the board table,” said CDSBC president Don Anderson. “We are grateful to Dan for his commitment to serving and protecting the public in this way.”

According to De Vita, he entered into the role through his long associations with local and provincial chambers of commerce and Rotary International.

“I've been a Rotarian for 25 years, and a lot of what we do in Rotary is around board of directors, governance and projects,” said De Vita.

About nine years ago, local dentist, fellow Rotarian and college board member Doctor Ashok Varma was looking for people to sit on the board. He contacted De Vita, who said he was interested in becoming involved.

There are 26 different colleges in BC, everything from surgeons to chiropractors, which fall under the Health Professions Act, an umbrella legislation that provides a common regulatory framework for health professions in BC. Each of these college boards require representation from members of the public. The majority of boards have one third of their representation coming from the public, according to De Vita.

“You're appointed by the minister of health and you are a full-fledged board member,” said De Vita. “We're there to protect the public interest and the composition of the board guarantees that happens.”

Board members meet four times per year and are appointed for an initial two-year term, at which time their performance is reviewed by the government and the college. It is common for individuals to serve one or two terms, according to De Vita.  “Two terms is quite common, three is not, four is unheard of,” he added.

Although his fourth term has come to an end, De Vita still sits on the college’s finance and audit committee and represents as a layperson on that board.

Over the years, De Vita said he witnessed many changes in the industry and was party to many high level discussions. The experience, he said, was extremely educating and having members of the public involved is vital to the industry’s continued integrity and transparency.

“It's something the average person doesn't get to see but we need to understand,” he said. “In order for there to be decent governance, lay people need to be involved. We're the eyes and ears of the public.”