WFO councilors are voting on a new selection process for honorary fellows of the WFO. If approved, the WFO Council would play a more prominent role in the selection process, and the new honorary members would also be elected well in advance of the International Orthodontic Congress (IOC) at which the WFO will recognize the new fellows.

In the past, the WFO Executive Committee has nominated honorary fellows by unanimous vote. The WFO Council has then conducted an election. However, the Council only convenes once every five years. As a result, the WFO Council elected the honorary fellows at the same International Orthodontic Congress at which the fellows were recognized. Any disagreement in the election process would not have reflected well upon the organization as a whole.

Under the new process, the WFO Council would nominate candidates for honorary membership 18 months prior to the next IOC. The WFO Executive Committee would then, by two-thirds affirmative vote, elect any one or all of the nominees, provided that there are not more than 20 living honorary fellows at any one time. If the WFO councilors vote in favor of changing the selection process, the honorary fellows who will be recognized at the 7th IOC will be chosen in this new manner. The 7thIOC will be held Feb. 6-9, 2010, in Sydney, Australia.

WFO fellows who served on the2005 WFO Council in Paris received mail ballots in late 2007. If you received this material, but have not returned your ballot, please do so as soon as possible. The WFO Executive Committee will convene in March 2008 during the 6th Asian Pacific Orthodontic Conference and hopes to finalize the selection procedure at that time. All ballots should be returned to the WFO. The mailing address is World Federation of Orthodontists, Attn. Terri Wise, 401 N. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63141.