ASC Association and Ambulatory Surgery Foundation Name New Executive Director

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Boards of Directors of the Ambulatory Surgery Foundation and the ASC Association are pleased to announce that William Main Prentice has been named executive director of the two organizations. Prentice will begin serving in his new role on October 4, 2010.

"With his extensive experience in government affairs, health care and association management, we believe Bill Prentice is the right person at the right time for this key position within the ASC community," says ASC Association/Ambulatory Surgery Foundation Board Chair David Shapiro, MD. "With his background, we expect him to be an effective advocate for all of the diverse stakeholder groups represented in the ASC community."

"I believe the ASC industry offers one of the most significant opportunities to be a leader in the changes that will occur with health care reform," says Prentice, "and I'm looking forward to being a part of the industry and the association."

Prentice has more than 25 years of experience in association management, government affairs, health care advocacy and legislation, and public relations. His professional experience includes more than 17 years working directly with health care organizations and 12 years of experience on Capitol Hill.

Most recently, Prentice was the senior vice president of Government and Public Affairs and director of the Washington Office of the American Dental Association (ADA). In that capacity, he oversaw all federal and state government relations, advocacy communications and political action for the 157,000-member ADA.

Before joining the ADA as a senior congressional lobbyist in 1999, Prentice was director of government affairs at the New Jersey Dental Association, where he also served as executive director of the state political action committee. Before that, he worked on behalf of numerous clients as a vice president at a large New Jersey public affairs firm. He started his career as legislative staff on Capitol Hill.

Prentice holds an undergraduate degree in political science from George Washington University, a master's degree in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from Rutger's School of Law. He is married with three daughters.

The ASC Association is the nation's leading ASC organization and represents more than 2,700 members, the professionals who provide care in ASCs and the patients who receive the high quality, cost-effective services ASCs provide.

The Ambulatory Surgery Foundation provides educational opportunities of many kinds for ASC professionals, policy makers and the public, promotes the highest standards for ASCs and is pursuing an expanded research agenda within the ASC community.

SOURCE ASC Association