Celebrating SKYGEN’s Shanna Madden: Recipient of NADP’s Evelyn Ireland Volunteer Award

It’s not every day that someone’s dedication to their industry is celebrated on a national stage! That day came recently for SKYGEN Client Experience Executive Shanna Madden. Shanna received the Evelyn Ireland Volunteer Award from the National Association of Dental Plans (NADP) at its CONVERGE 2025 national conference. The award honors volunteers whose annual contributions help the association fulfill its mission of enhancing consumer access to affordable, high-quality dental care through advocacy, research, and the advancement of dental benefits.  Shanna has served several years on both NADP’s Education Commission and Government Relations Workgroup.

“I truly value being part of NADP,” said Shanna. “It’s an opportunity for us to come together, share ideas, and work collaboratively on key industry challenges—ultimately benefiting all stakeholders in the dental community.”

In her role with the Education Commission, Shanna supports NADP member and leadership meetings by helping drill down on the topics most important for NADP to share through expert speakers and content. She is also an active member of a subgroup dedicated to the success of the annual CONVERGE event. 

“NADP values collaborative volunteerism,” said Executive Director Mike Adelberg in the award announcement. “It is the engine that drives the association and provides insight, innovation, energy, and enthusiasm along the way. We’re privileged to honor outstanding individuals for their dedication and expertise in helping NADP achieve our goals.” 

Shanna is a strategic dental healthcare executive who has held payer, provider, and third-party administrator (TPA) roles in her 25 years in the industry. Her roots in dental go back to a young age, when she spent after-school time helping her sister, who was working in a dental practice. She has built a well-rounded career in the dental industry, holding a variety of roles that reflect both clinical and leadership experience. She began her career as a dental assistant, gaining hands-on knowledge of patient care and practice operations. She later advanced into education, serving as a continuing education program director and eventually as the dental program director for a dental assistant college program in Columbus, Ohio, where she helped develop curriculum, mentor future dental professionals, and strengthen industry standards. She joined SKYGEN in 2022 to oversee national strategy, product development, and portfolio performance for SKYGEN’s dental services.

Shanna is deeply committed to advancing oral health equity, supporting community outreach, and mentoring the next generation through workforce development initiatives, especially in underserved communities. 

In addition to recognizing both Shanna and SKYGEN Chief Marketing Officer Don Polite individually for their volunteer service, NADP also honored SKYGEN with its Longevity Award for 20 years of actively partnering with NADP to advance its mission.

About SKYGEN
SKYGEN transforms dental and vision benefits management and administration with flexible technology and services that connect and change lives for the better. Through partnerships with payers, providers and government agencies, SKYGEN helps its customers navigate dental and vision benefits management and administration. With its portfolio of third-party administration (TPA), intelligent Software as a Service (SaaS) automation, marketplace connectivity, risk management solutions and above-and-beyond services like Enhanced Benefit Management (EBM), Provider Select Suite platforms, mobile apps and portals, SKYGEN serves nearly 50 million members across all 50 states, more than 40 government and commercial insurers and process 3 million claims monthly. For more information, please visit www.skygenusa.com.