Whitehair elected to AVMA Executive Board
AVMA members living in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Utah elected Dr. Michael L. Whitehair to be their new AVMA Executive Board representative.
The large animal practitioner from Abilene, Kan., defeated Dr. Billy R. Clay of Stillwater, Okla., in the election to succeed Dr. Ted Cohn as AVMA District IX representative this August. The AVMA announced the election results April 3.
Earlier this year, Dr. John A. Howe of Grand Rapids, Minn., was elected to replace Dr. Clark K. Fobian as the District VII board representative (see JAVMA, March 1, 2012). Drs. Howe and Whitehair will each serve six-year terms on the Executive Board.
The Kansas VMA nominated Dr. Whitehair for the AVMA board seat. His clinical interests include beef cattle, feedlot, and equine medicine.
A 1974 Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine graduate, Dr. Whitehair has been active in organized veterinary medicine for many years. He is a former president of both the KVMA and the Academy of Veterinary Consultants and represented his home state in the AVMA House of Delegates from 1997-2011. During that time, Dr. Whitehair was elected to the House Advisory Committee and served a year as its chair.
Dr. Whitehair served on the committee that selected the AVMA executive vice president in 2007. More recently, he participated on the AVMA 20/20 Vision Commission and American Veterinary Medical Foundation Scholarship Committee for Rural Recent Graduates.
Additionally, Dr. Whitehair has been active in KSU's volunteer service. He has been a presenter for fourth-year students interested in food animal medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine since 2006.
Dr. Whitehair believes the AVMA must think strategically to help the veterinary profession overcome the substantial challenges it faces. "AVMA must explore and advance all opportunities to continue to provide a leadership role in addressing the needs of society and our members. This requires a unified voice willing to recognize the diverse strengths of the members of our profession," he said.
"We as (board) members want to be part of the team that expands the role of veterinary medicine as an integral part of our global community," Dr. Whitehair continued. "This comes with a focus on good communication and a willingness to listen to member input. I appreciate the opportunity to serve in this capacity as a member of the AVMA's Executive Board these next six years."