Honoring Linda Simon: Four Decades of Service and Heart

By Dr. Luiza Kreuzer, President, Richmond Dental Society

As the Richmond Dental Society prepares to say goodbye to our first—and only (to date!) —Executive Director, it is only fitting that we celebrate and recognize Linda G. Simon for her extraordinary and enduring contributions to our organization and to the dental community.

For more than four decades, Linda has been much more than the Executive Director of the Richmond Dental Society. She has been a familiar face, a trusted resource, a historian, a problem solver, and, for so many of us, a friend.

Linda’s Richmond roots run deep. She grew up in the suburbs of Richmond and has always carried with her a warmth, determination, and strong work ethic engrained in her from childhood. She has a twin sister, Elizabeth, who lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and family has always remained an important part of Linda’s life.

After graduating from Henrico High School, Linda attended Radford University, graduating in 1979 with a double major in Business and Education. Her early career included two years as a high school business teacher and Cooperative Office Education Coordinator in Chesterfield County. She later worked in administration and sales at Philip Morris.

Linda’s dental industry career actually began in high school when she worked part time for the Virginia Dental Association. Then, in the spring of 1980, Linda began what would become a remarkable 40-year-plus chapter with the Richmond Dental Society.

What started as a part-time position eventually became full-time in 1992. Over the decades, Linda has witnessed tremendous changes in dentistry, technology, communication, and the way professional organizations operate. Through all those changes, she has remained a constant.

She remembers the people. She remembers the history. She knows the stories behind the stories. She understands the relationships that have helped make the Richmond Dental Society what it is today. Generations of dentists have depended on Linda’s knowledge, her responsiveness, her organizational skills, and, perhaps most importantly, her willingness to help.

That kind of institutional knowledge cannot be easily replaced. It is something that is earned one relationship, one conversation, one meeting, and one year at a time.

Linda’s dedication has been recognized throughout the dental profession. In 2007, she received Honorary Membership in the Virginia Dental Association. In 2022, the Richmond Dental Society presented her with a Presidential Citation in Recognition of Lifelong Commitment to the Richmond Dental Society and Betterment of Its Members.

Her commitment to giving back also extends well beyond her professional responsibilities. Linda has supported organizations and causes including CrossOver Ministries, Give Kids A Smile, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Missions of Mercy, Operation Smile, and fundraising for the Virginia Dental Association Foundation.

While Linda’s professional accomplishments are truly remarkable, those who know her understand that her greatest joy and proudest achievements are found not in her career, but in the love of her family and the meaningful relationships she has built along the way.

Linda shares her life in Midlothian with her husband, Keith Burford, and is the proud and loving mother of two sons, Trey Simon and Alex Simon, who recently married Alejandra. But perhaps one of the sweetest chapters of Linda’s life is being a grandmother to her beloved granddaughter, Aliyah, who is eagerly awaiting her seventh birthday on Christmas Day. Aliyah is the light of Linda’s life, bringing immeasurable happiness, laughter, and love to every moment they share.

For Linda, life’s greatest treasures are not measured in accomplishments or accolades, but in the memories made, the laughter shared, and the love that surrounds her. She cherishes time spent with family and dear friends, embraces every opportunity to travel and explore new places, and finds her greatest happiness in simply being surrounded by the people she loves.

On behalf of the Richmond Dental Society, I want to offer Linda my heartfelt thanks.

Linda, your contribution to this organization cannot be measured simply in years or job responsibilities. You have been part of its fabric for more than four decades. You have helped members, supported leaders, preserved our history, welcomed new dentists, and quietly handled countless details that allowed our Society to thrive.

Most of all, you have built relationships. Those relationships—and the respect, gratitude, and affection so many people have for you—are perhaps your greatest legacy.

Thank you, Linda, for your extraordinary dedication, your friendship, your humor, your knowledge, and your unwavering commitment to the Richmond Dental Society. We are deeply grateful for all you have given to this organization and to the countless people whose lives you have touched along the way.

Your dedication has made a lasting difference, and we are so very grateful to have had you as such an important part of the Richmond Dental Society family for more than 40 years.