AVMA to roll out trial leadership program

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Plans for a one-year pilot AVMA Future Leaders program to identify and mentor upcoming leaders of the Association were approved by the Executive Board with the concurrence of the Task Force on AVMA Programs for Students and Recent Graduates.

The board also approved a policy concerning future leaders of the Association recommended by the working group. The policy reads as follows:

AVMA POLICY
Increasing Recent Graduate and Emerging Leader Participation on AVMA Entities

Where appropriate and whenever feasible, Recent Graduates (veterinarians out of school 8 years or less) and/or Emerging Leaders (veterinarians out of school 9-15 years) should be nominated and selected to fill vacant AVMA entity positions in order to encourage mentorship and promote participation within the AVMA.

The Task Force on AVMA Programs for Students and Recent Graduates is expected to recommend amending the policy so that recent graduates are defined as veterinarians out of school 5 years or less and emerging leaders as veterinarians out of school for 6 to 15 years.

At its June 2010 meeting, the Executive Board received an update from the Leadership Strategy Staff Working Group on the working group's specific recommendations for practical, short-term, high-impact solutions to identify and mentor future AVMA leaders. One such recommendation is the implementation of an AVMA Future Leaders Program.

The AVMA Membership and Field Services Division and Scientific Activities Division will supervise the eight to 10 program participants, whose names will be announced at the 2011 AVMA Annual Convention.

Drs. Brooks and Carlson
Executive Board Chair John R. Brooks and President-Elect René A. Carlson talk about an agenda item during a break in the meeting.

Participants will be selected from recent Veterinary Leadership Conference attendees, former Student AVMA officers and delegates, former AVMA student chapter officers, recent AVMA Veterinary Leadership Experience attendees, and individuals nominated by a principal or constituent allied organization of the AVMA. A call for nominations is going out this January.

Corporate sponsorship is being sought to cover the cost of the program, which is estimated to be $60,000.

Final results and conclusions from the project will be presented by the AVMA Future Leaders at the 2012 AVMA convention.

Should the AVMA Future Leaders program be implemented as an ongoing program of the AVMA, it is envisioned that the 2011-2012 Future Leaders participants will serve in mentorship roles for the 2012-2013 group.