“It gives me great pleasure to announce April Kates-Ellison’s advancement to Chief Client Services & Tripartite Relations Officer,” stated Raymond Cohlmia, D.D.S, Executive Director of ADA. “A committed veteran of the ADA, April has impressively had the pulse on membership recruitment, retention and outreach across the national, state and local ADA and she will continue to advance business agility and usher in a culture of change, innovation, collaboration and accountability in this new role.”
Kates-Ellison currently serves as Vice President, Member & Client Services, overseeing the ADA's member services and client services, driving member growth strategies that leverage the collective ADA (national, state, and local) to increase dues revenue. An employee of the ADA for more than two decades, Kates-Ellison has advanced through several roles and successfully led various teams within the Membership Division with a keen eye on opportunities for growth.
“My longtime experience with the ADA, coupled with my commitment to continuous learning, leadership development and overall self-growth, has positioned me well to lead in this new role,” said Kates-Ellison. “I am excited to work alongside my talented and dedicated team to lead the organization into the future. We will do great things together.”
A native of Summit-Argo, Il., she holds a Master of Science in Public Service Management from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Illinois. In addition, Kates-Ellison holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential through the American Society of Association Executives and is a current nominee for the Certified Diversity Executive Credential through the Institute for Diversity Certification. She is also the recipient of many distinguished industry awards, including: the Workforce Diversity Scholar Leadership Program through the Association Forum of Chicagoland; the Women of Excellence Award through the Chicago Defender and the 2021 Women Worth Watching in Leadership Award through Profiles in Diversity Journal.
