YORK, Pa., Feb. 11, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DENTSPLY International Inc. (Nasdaq:XRAY) announced today that Willie A. Deese has been appointed to serve as a member of the Board of Directors with his initial term expiring at the 2012 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Mr. Deese is Executive Vice President of Merck & Co., Inc. and has been President of the Merck Manufacturing Division since May 2005. In this role, Mr. Deese oversees 92 manufacturing sites spanning 30 countries, has led manufacturing for the introduction of multiple new medicines and vaccines, and implemented lean manufacturing across the company’s manufacturing network. Mr. Deese joined Merck, a $46 billion global biopharmaceutical company, in January 2004 as Senior Vice President of Global Procurement.
