Dr. James Darnell Watkins

Dr. James D. Watkins was raised in Newport News. His early education in Newport News was at Newsome Park Elementary School and Carver Elementary School; and in 1967, he graduated as the valedictorian of George W. Carver High School of Newport News.
After turning down full academic scholarships to Cornell University, Duke University, Valparaiso University, North Carolina A & T University and Howard University, he accepted an academic scholarship attend Virginia Tech and graduated from there in 1971 with a B.S. degree in Biology. His Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree is from the School of Dentistry at the Medical College of Virginia-VCU in Richmond where in 1975 he became their fourth African-American graduate. He entered the U. S. Navy as a dentist and was stationed at the dental clinic in Norfolk, Va. for two years. He remained in the U. S. Navy Reserve dental corps where he held three commanding officer billets (two in Norfolk and one at Bethesda) until he retired with the …rank of Captain in 2002.
In 1977, he entered private practice as an associate in the practice of Dr. Gerald Eatman in Hampton; and in 1989, he left Dr. Eatman to begin his own private practice at another location in Hampton.
Dr. Watkins is a member of the American Dental Association; the National Dental Association; the Old Dominion Dental Society, Inc.; the Virginia Dental Association; Academy of General Dentistry; American Association of Dental Examiners; the Norman Lassiter Dental Society and the Peninsula Dental Society.
He is a Fellow in the Virginia Dental Association, a Fellow in the International College of Dentists; a Fellow of the American College of Dentists and a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry. He has won the “Dentist of the Year” award of the Old Dominion Dental Society on three occasions (1987, 1990, & 2005). He was president of the Peninsula Dental Society in 2000 and was Secretary of the Old Dominion Dental Society Inc. from 1977 until 2007. In 1989 former Governor Gerald Baliles named Dr. Watkins to his first term on the Virginia State Dental Board and in 1992, Dr. Watkins became the first African-American dentist to be president of the Virginia State Dental Board. In 2004, he became its president for the second time and in 2005, he became the first dentist EVER in the history of the dental board to be appointed to three FULL terms on the Virginia State Dental Board. In 2005, Virginia Commonwealth University awarded Dr. Watkins their biennial “Star Alumnus” award as the alumnus from the MCV dental school. In March 2010 Dr. Watkins received one of the "Most Influential Black Alumni" awards from Va. Tech. In April 2010 he was awarded the "Harry Lyons Distinguished Alumnus" award from Medical College of Virginia (MCV). 
Watkins Dental Associates- 2207 Executive Drive Suite-C- Hampton - Va. - 23666 
(757) 827-5225