MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Blake Strickland, the Alabama Board of Dental Examiners’ executive director since 2022, resigned Friday morning amid growing scrutiny directed at the board for its noncompliance with state statutes.
“Executive Director Blake Strickland has resigned as executive director, and we thank him for his years of service and wish him all the best in his next chapter,” Melodie Jones, board president, told Alabama Daily News on Friday.
“As we prepare to write the next chapter of the Board of Dental Examiners, we reaffirm our dedication to protecting the public and providing fair and efficient regulation of the dental profession.”
The board is responsible for regulating dental practice in the state, and has the sole authority to issue licenses and fees in the profession, similar to the state’s dozens of other regulatory boards.
Also similar to some of the state’s other regulatory boards, the Board of Dental Examiners was found in a recent audit to have frequently acted outside its authority, doing things like waiving fees it didn’t have the authority to forgo, purchasing vehicles without following open bidding guidelines and not properly documenting public meetings.
Some Alabama Dentists have also criticized the board for its conduct, with some, such as Sarah Withrow, a dentist in North Alabama near Huntsville, calling the board “predatory” and “secretive” for its fines and failure to livestream its meetings online.
When asked if Strickland’s resignation came as a surprise to the board, Jones said it had not.
“It’s something that the board has been reflecting on,” Jones said. “And after reflection and evaluation, decided that this was something that needed to be addressed.”
Jones did not expand on why Strickland had resigned, nor did Strickland respond to requests for comment from ADN.
In late August, some members of the Board of Dental Examiners, speaking before a panel of state lawmakers, attributed the repeated instance of noncompliance to short staffing and a “difficult” rule-making process. Strickland said at the time he was working to rectify the issues, and admitted that “we need to do a better job.”
As to the now vacant role of executive director, Jones told ADN that the board will work to confirm an interim executive director, and later, a long-term executive director, a process she estimated to take no longer than 60 to 90 days.
“Hopefully it will be as soon as possible,” Jones said.