Let's meet another outstanding member of the 2025 class of NJDA Member Recognition Award Recipients. The next member-dentist we’re spotlighting is Dr. John Feeney from Monmouth-Ocean County Dental Society.

For decades, Dr. John Edward Feeney’s dedication and leadership have shaped MOCDS and NJDA, elevating the dental profession along the way. Serving as MOCDS President in 1989 and in countless roles since, Dr. Feeney is also known for his warm and thoughtful invocations that have become a cherished tradition at events.

A graduate of St. Peter’s University, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (OKU honors), and the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dr. Feeney went on to co-found Coastal Oral Surgery, serving patients across Monmouth and Ocean counties until his retirement in 2015.

He spent 25 years as director of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and held emeritus roles at Community Medical Center and Monmouth Medical Center. Dr. Feeney’s leadership has extended across the profession: he has served as President and longtime Trustee of M-OCDS, President and Emeritus Trustee of the Dental Lifeline Network (formerly the New Jersey Foundation of Dentistry for the Disabled), and President and Trustee of both the New Jersey Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the New Jersey Dental Society of Anesthesiology.

His many honors include the NJDA Lifetime Achievement Award, AAOMS Humanitarian and Advocacy Awards, and Columbia University’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Appointed to the New Jersey State Board of Dentistry in 2016, he served as its President in 2021 and continues to contribute to public oral health initiatives.

Dr. Feeney and his wife Janice have been married for 50 years and live in Manasquan, enjoying life at the Jersey Shore with their children and grandchildren. His passions include travel, restoring his 1962 Corvette, and growing tropical flowers—always keeping in mind that “the only thing more precious than time is who you spend it with.”