R. Lamont (Monty) MacNeil
Senior Consultant
Dr. R. Lamont (Monty) MacNeil is Professor of Dental Medicine and Dean Emeritus at the University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Dental Medicine. He served in executive leadership for 20 years, first as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and then as Dean from 2007 to 2018. He holds a DDS degree from Dalhousie University, Canada, and a certificate of advanced education in Periodontics and a Master of Dental Science degree from the UConn. He has held academic positions at Dalhousie University, Indiana University, the University of Michigan, and UConn. Dr. MacNeil’s academic interests and publication record span the domains of education, research and service learning. A member of the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE) from 2001-2005, he oversaw several major changes in examination construct and delivery while serving as Commission Chair in 2004-05. Dr. MacNeil served on the Board of Directors of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), a 20,000-member organization representing U.S. and Canadian institutions with dental education programs from 2015-2018 and in 2018-2019 was elected Chair of the ADEA Board. He now serves on the Executive Committee of the Coalition for Modernizing Dental Licensure and several other ADEA and national committees. His current academic interests focus on the integration of dental and medical care services and the design of models within academic health centers to promote integrated oral and primary health care. He is recognized nationally and internationally for his knowledge of the field of dental education, his understanding of factors driving change and innovation in dental schools, and for his ability to interact creatively and collegially with both established and emerging leaders in dental medicine and other health professions.
During his time as dean at UConn, Dr. MacNeil recruited over 50 faculty members to varied positions in the School of Dental Medicine and participated in a host of primary and support committees involved in leadership searches for other university units, including the School of Medicine, John Dempsey University Hospital, UConn Health academic health center and UConn. These searches included the positions of University Provost, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice-President for Health Affairs, Chief Legal Counsel, President and CEO of the UConn Foundation, VP of Human Resources, Director of the Health Disparities Institute, EVP for Administration and Chief Financial Officer, and he chaired the search for the dean of the UConn School of Nursing. Most recently, Dr. MacNeil chaired the international search for President and CEO of the American Dental Education Association in 2018.
Dr. MacNeil will bring a deep understanding of the dynamics of dental dean and chair searches over the past twenty years and in particular trends in the cohort of new leaders emerging through the developmental pipeline of dental education. Dr. MacNeil is a senior experienced leader in dental education and is frequently consulted for opinions, recommendations, and institutional assistance. He understands that each academic institution and dental school is a unique entity with its own character, history, and aspirations and the need to respect that culture in the search and selection process.
