February 24, 2024 - The American Student Dental Association (ASDA) elected its 2024-25 national president, vice presidents and speaker of the house at Annual Session on February 24 in Denver, Colorado. The national leaders were chosen by the House of Delegates, which represents 70 U.S. dental schools.

Samarth Setru, Pennsylvania ’25, will serve as ASDA's president. The president chairs the board of trustees, which oversees the development and implementation of the association's strategic plan and approves the annual budget. As chair of the executive committee, he is also responsible for managing association business between meetings of the board. The two vice presidents and the speaker serve alongside him as members of the board and the executive committee.

Setru most recently served as ASDA's District 3 trustee. Through this role, he sits on the ASDA Board of Trustees (BoT), Committee on Sessions that blueprints ASDA Annual Session, and the American Dental Political Action Committee (ADPAC).

“As a leader, I aim to provide value to my team by inspiring individuals to bring the best out of each other while working towards clear, communal goals.”

Claudia Larochelle, Detroit Mercy ‘25, and Tareina Rogers, Tufts ‘25 were elected as ASDA vice presidents.

Larochelle serves as Detroit Mercy’s Chapter President.

“A sense of unity and shared purpose defines an incredible team, and this may only be achieved by leading by example with transparency and integrity.”

Rogers recently served as ASDA’s District 1 trustee.

“Ultimately, effective leadership is about creating an environment where everyone feels heard, valued, and motivated to contribute their best.”

Parker Norman, Pennsylvania ’25, was elected ASDA's speaker of the house. The speaker presides over all House of Delegates meetings, instructs delegates on rules and procedures, and informs delegates and members about the resolution process. Norman currently serves as Vice-President of ASDA at Penn and recently served on ASDA’s National Council on Advocacy as Legislative Coordinator for Districts 1-3.

“While there are many issues that are important to dental students and/or the position of speaker, three that stand out to me are dental licensure, work-life balance, and student debt."

Board of Trustees

The 2024-25 Board of Trustees were also elected at Annual Session. The Board of Trustees is responsible for administration and management of the association. Each trustee represents one of 11 ASDA districts.

District 1
Jake Cantrell, Harvard ’25

District 2
Kristen Johnson, New York ’25

District 3
Simona Loshi, Temple ’25

District 4
Allison Tempel, East Carolina ‘25

District 5
John Russo, Nova Southeastern ‘25

District 6
Mollie Falchook, Michigan ’25

District 7
Darius Warner, Indiana ’26

District 8
Tyler Jenness, Iowa ‘26

District 9
Seth Hartman, El Paso ‘25

District 10
Payal Patel, Arizona ’26

District 11
Michelle Chiang, Los Angeles ’25