Bradley, Goldman run for District I rep on AVMA board

Electronic voting an option for the first time
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New England veterinarians Karen Bradley and Arnold Goldman are candidates for District I representative on the AVMA Board of Directors. They are running to succeed Dr. John de Jong, currently the board chair, when his six-year term ends this August. Voting among AVMA members living in District I—Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont—began March 1.

For the first time, AVMA members have the option of casting their votes electronically, through an electronic voting company. Paper ballots were distributed to AVMA members for whom the AVMA does not have email addresses. Voters must return them to the electronic voting company by March 31 to be included in the electronic tabulation results. Safeguards are in place to prevent individuals from voting more than once.

​Dr. Bradley
​Dr. Karen Bradley
Dr. Arnold Goldman

The Vermont VMA nominated Dr. Bradley for District I representative on the AVMA board. After graduating from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996, she worked in companion animal relief and emergency medicine in the Atlanta area. Four years later she joined Onion River Animal Hospital in Middlesex, Vermont, which she now co-owns with two other female veterinarians.

Dr. Bradley initially became involved in organized veterinary medicine through the Vermont VMA. She chaired and co-chaired the association’s committees on legislation/governmental relations and animal welfare, respectively, and was a VVMA executive board member for 13 years.

In 2008, the VVMA elected Dr. Bradley to the AVMA House of Delegates, where she served until 2015. During that period, she chaired the House Advisory Committee as well as the Governance Engagement Team created by the AVMA board to recommend reforms to AVMA governance.

Dr. Bradley is a founding member and immediate past president of the not-for-profit Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative, whose mission is supporting women in seeking and achieving leadership, policy, and decision-making positions in all areas of professional veterinary activity. She has spoken at numerous national veterinary meetings for the WVLDI, including the AVMA Annual Convention, AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference, Student AVMA Symposium, and North American Veterinary Community Conference.

“AVMA is in a unique position to be the face of its members,” Dr. Bradley said. “This is no easy task but one we must meet head-on if AVMA is to remain a vibrant association relevant to our members. It will also require the AVMA Board of Directors to have a diverse set of experiences and opinions present around the table.

“I envision an association that moves forward and is proactively the voice of animal health and welfare, food safety, and public policy—with veterinarians as the voice of authority. I envision an AVMA at your fingertips, one where members feel like they understand what is happening, why, and when, and in real time, what we need to know when we need it.”

Dr. Bradley’s campaign website is here.

A petitioning candidate, Dr. Goldman submitted over 100 colleagues’ signatures in support of his nomination to serve as District I director. A 1986 graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, he completed a rotating internship at the former South Shore Veterinary Associates specialty practice in Massachusetts and subsequently has practiced in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and Connecticut.

In 2011, Dr. Goldman earned a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. He has owned and operated Canton Animal Hospital in Canton, Connecticut, since 1995.

Dr. Goldman has been active in organized veterinary medicine for two decades, having served in many positions on the Connecticut VMA board of directors, including as president, committee chair, and today as co-chair of its government relations committee. He has also served on the board and as president of the New England VMA and was founding president of the National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs.

A nationally certified emergency manager, Dr. Goldman founded the Connecticut State Animal Response Team and the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Foundation, as CVMA-associated entities. He was the founding board member for veterinary medicine for HAVEN, the Connecticut impaired health professionals recovery program.

Dr. Goldman has represented Connecticut in the AVMA HOD for more than six years and chaired its subcommittee on term limits. He is a member of the AVMA Governance Performance Review and State Advocacy committees, and in 2015 he collaborated to create an American Veterinary Medical Foundation Our Oath in Action program that brought veterinary care to an underserved community in Connecticut.

“I believe veterinary medical associations should serve as instruments of the Veterinarian’s Oath, performing service to society to benefit people and animals as well as veterinarians,” Dr. Goldman said. “Passionate students and young graduates seek opportunities to serve as well as to benefit from their profession, and AVMA is positioned to channel that passion while furthering the advocacy essential to protecting our profession.

“I hope to further AVMA’s goals and in so doing continue to strengthen our profession,” he added.

Dr. Goldman’s campaign website is goldman4avma1.com.