 Dr. Joseph H. Kinnarney, who served two terms as AVMA vice president, has been elected to represent District III on the AVMA Executive Board from 2007-2013.
A mixed animal practitioner in Reidsville, N.C., Dr. Kinnarney was the only nominee for the board seat in District III. As provided by the AVMA Bylaws, he was declared elected on Feb. 2.
Also in February, ballots were mailed to AVMA voting members in District V, who will elect their new board member. Drs. Janver Krehbiel of Mason, Mich., and Jeffrey F. Powers of Peck, Mich., are the nominees. District V, currently represented by Dr. James Cook (board chair), comprises Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
At the close of the 2007 annual session of the AVMA House of Delegates in Washington, D.C., in July, Dr. Kinnarney will succeed Dr. Jacky Horner as District III representative. The district comprises Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
After a six-year hiatus from the board, Dr. Kinnarney felt he still could contribute to the profession at the national level. "When I was vice president, I knew there were things I could do that would make a difference. The biggest hurdle (to running for the District III seat) was me convincing myself that I would make a difference," he said.
Dr. Kinnarney believes the AVMA is at a pivotal point in its history as a new executive vice president is chosen to replace Dr. Bruce W. Little, who is retiring at the end of 2007 after a decade as the AVMA's chief administrative officer.
"That selection process and transition will determine where the Association is going to go in the next five years," Dr. Kinnarney said. "That is the most critical event that will happen during my tenure."
A 1980 graduate of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Kinnarney began his commitment to organized veterinary medicine when he served as president of the AVMA student chapter at Cornell. As president of the national Student AVMA, he represented SAVMA in the AVMA House of Delegates from 1979-1980, before SAVMA had voting rights.
While serving as North Carolina's alternate delegate to the AVMA HOD from 1990-1999, Dr. Kinnarney worked with SAVMA to help win it a vote in the HOD in 1997. His advocacy for students continued with his election to two terms as AVMA vice president from 1999-2001. In that position, he served as AVMA liaison with veterinary students and recent graduates.
Since 2002, Dr. Kinnarney has been North Carolina's delegate to the AVMA HOD; he is being replaced by Dr. Karen L. Davis, North Carolina's alternate delegate. Dr. Kinnarney also has a long history of involvement in his state and local veterinary organizations. |