One of the strengths of the AVMA is the extent to which its members can influence the direction of the organization. By serving on councils, committees, and other AVMA entities, volunteer leaders have an opportunity to weigh in on a broad range of veterinary-related issues, from animal welfare and food safety to education and animal drugs and vaccines.

"The AVMA is truly a member organization," said Dr. W. Ron DeHaven, AVMA CEO and executive vice president. "We are veterinary medicine at AVMA because we rely on our members to generate the ideas and provide direction for the profession."

Dr. DeHaven first got a sense of the AVMA's broad range of activities several years ago as an official with the Department of Agriculture serving on an Association committee. "It was through my experience with the Animal Welfare Committee that I first understood and became energized about what AVMA is doing for veterinary medicine," he said. "The time commitment for most of our volunteers is minimal, but the rewards are big."

The AVMA is currently inviting nominations for 78 vacancies on Association entities and 11 liaison positions (see charts beginning on page 1207). The House of Delegates will fill council openings when it meets in July 2009 in Seattle. The Executive Board will make committee, trust, and liaison appointments at its April 2009 meeting, and the House Advisory Committee will make one appointment at its March 2009 meeting.

Because the professional classification codes serve as the reference to determine eligibility for a candidate to serve on an AVMA entity, it is imperative that the AVMA member's information be current. Therefore, candidates should visit the AVMA Web site at www.avma.org/myavma and check the accuracy of their professional activity information by clicking on Update Your Member Information, making any adjustments that may be necessary.

Councils
The AVMA is seeking nominations to fill 16 council vacancies. Nominations shall be made by organizations represented in the HOD or by petition of 10 voting members.

Council nomination materials, including descriptions of the councils, and instructions for publishing candidates' biographies in the 2009 Campaign Guide will be posted by Oct. 15 on the AVMA Web site, www.avma.org/about_avma/governance/volunteering, for access by AVMA members, AVMA delegates, chief staff officers of organizations represented in the HOD, and other interested parties. These materials can also be obtained by calling AVMA headquarters at (800) 248-2862, Ext. 6605, or e-mailing OfficeEVP@avma.org.

Council nominations must be submitted by April 1, 2009, to the AVMA Office of the Executive Vice President. Nominations for the Council on Education, however, must be submitted by Feb 2, 2009. Nominators should use the prescribed nomination form to ensure that nominations will not be invalidated because the information supplied is incomplete.

Council members' terms are six years, and no council member may serve two consecutive terms on the same council. For this purpose, filling unexpired terms of three years or less will not be counted. No member may serve simultaneously in the HOD and on a council, or on two councils. A former council member may become eligible for election to a council at the next HOD annual session after the end of their council term. The AVMA Bylaws also require that, if an area of representation is specified in the vacancy, nominees must be actively engaged in that area or have been so at the time of retirement.

AVMA guidelines for council nominations further stipulate the following:

• Nominations must be signed by an officer of the nominating organization.
• A nominee will not be eligible to be a candidate for more than one council per year.
• A candidate will not be permitted to change the category after the April 1 nomination deadline.

Trusts, committees, and boards
Nominations are invited for each of the AVMA trust and committee vacancy positions to be filled by the Executive Board at its April 2009 meeting. Nominations are also invited for the Political Action Committee Policy Board member to be appointed by the HAC at its March 2009 meeting. Trust and committee nominations should be submitted to the AVMA Office of the Executive Vice President no later than March 2, 2009.

Committee nominations, unless otherwise noted, may be made by local or state veterinary associations, by allied groups represented in the HOD, or by an AVMA member on that person's or another's behalf.

Each nomination must include a one- or two-page resume. Only the first two pages of lengthier resumes that are submitted will be reviewed.

Trust and committee nomination materials, including descriptions of the various entities, will also be posted by Oct. 15 on the AVMA Web site. Inquiries on these vacancies can be answered at (800) 248-2862, Ext. 6605, or by e-mail at OfficeEVP@avma.org.

* Eligible for re-election

Predominantly means that 50 percent or more of the individual's professional activity is in the specified category.
Exclusively means that 90 percent or more of the individual's professional activity is in the specified category.

* Eligible for re-election

If underlined, the organization nominates its representative

** See page 1208 for list of acronyms used for organizations