CHICAGO, October 30, 2025 — Debra Schmit Peters, D.D.S., a general dentist in Michigan, is the new Speaker of the American Dental Association (ADA). Dr. Peters was recently elected at the ADA House of Delegates Meeting at ADA SmileCon™ in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 27.
Dr. Peters has been an engaged member of the ADA for more than 30 years. She has served multiple terms as a Delegate to the ADA House of Delegates. Dr. Peters has also served as Chair of the ADA Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs and the ADA Council on Membership. She also served on the House of Delegates Standing Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, was the Governance Forecaster of the Strategic Forecasting Task Force, was part of the Task Force for the House of Delegates Restructure in 2017 and was a member of the Governance Reference Committee.
“This position requires more than a command of standing rules and parliamentary procedure – it calls for the ability to listen with intention, foster mutual understanding, and lead with a spirit of service,” said Dr. Peters, Speaker of the ADA for the 2025-2026 term. “Whether presiding over meetings of the House of Delegates, advising the Board of Trustees as parliamentarian or supporting our constituent and component societies, my goal is to ensure that every voice is heard, and every decision is informed and thoughtful.”
Dr. Peters is the current Speaker of the Michigan Dental Association (MDA) where she also served as President-Elect and President from 2017-2019. She is also a member of the MDA Committee on Government and Insurance Affairs and co-leader of the MDA Women in Dentistry program. Dr. Peters has also served on the MDA Committee on Peer Review/Ethics, the House Communications Committee, the Special Committee for the New Dentist, where she served as Chair, and the Task Force on Women in Dentistry. For the West Michigan District Dental Society (WMDDS), she served as Treasurer, Vice-President, President-Elect and President. She is also currently on the WMDDS Distinguished Service Committee and has served on numerous other committees.
Dr. Peters has been involved with numerous other dental organizations, including the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, the Pierre Fauchard Academy, the Chicago Dental Society and the American Institute of Parliamentarians. She was awarded the Distinguished Service Award in 2022 from WMDDS, the Distinguished Dentist Citation in 2020 from the Pierre Fauchard Academy and the New Dentist Leadership Award in 2002 from MDA.
Dr. Peters received her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and is a general dentist who had her own private practice alongside her husband, Dan, in Grand Rapids, Mich. up until 2021. In her free time, she enjoys paddleboarding, yoga and sewing.