History of the Foundation

In 2005, several orthodontists came together to discuss how best to support the USC Orthodontic Program. They determined that the one thing the program needed was financial support for future projects and improvements.

However, this group also wanted to ensure that that all their financial support to USC would benefit the Orthodontic Program and not be claimed by other university programs. It was decided that the best approach was to create a separate entity to raise funds and distribute monies as needed.

On March 4, 2006 The Harry L. Dougherty & Sakae K. Tanaka Orthodontic Foundation, Inc (DTOF) was formed. The launch of this organization was met with a lot of enthusiasm and financial support. Several USC Orthodontic Program alumni and friends came forward and pledged their support for years to come. The first DTOF meeting was held on November10, 2007. An Annual Meeting has been held ever since.

Seeing the need for increased support, DTOF engaged the services of an Association Management Company to handle the daily operations of the organization. The Calma Company, LLC was retained in August 2008. Working closely with the DTOF Board of Directors, Calma is responsible for the day-to-day administration of DTOF. Today, DTOF continues to raise money while supporting various USC Orthodontic Program projects including the yearly graduation.