Sherri Lukes, RDH, MS, FAADH

Sherri Lukes, RDH, MS, FAADH, describes her 4 decades in dentistry as "like three careers." After spending 5 years in private practice, Lukes taught at Southern Illinois University for 28 years, and since her retirement from teaching in 2014 she has dedicated her time to speaking and consulting—as well as serving on Inside Dental Hygiene's Editorial Advisory Board. "All of these roles have been rewarding in their own way," she says.

Throughout her career, Lukes has also given back through charity work. Her first mission trip to Mexico was with her church, but she still insisted on using her dental hygiene skills. "I started cleaning teeth while sitting on a cooler in a garbage dump," she says. "That evolved into something much larger, and now we work with both a missionary and an orphanage in Mexico." Lukes also volunteers as president of her local community health center board of directors and serves on an advisory committee for the dental hygiene program at Southern Illinois. Her research at the university helped multiple agencies obtain funding for underserved populations. "I have been really blessed in my career," she says, "so I am really happy to give back."