Board institutes, increases stipends to offset expenses

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The AVMA Board of Directors, while meeting Sept. 4-5, approved instituting stipends for some board members and increasing stipends for others.

The time commitment for board service is large, according to background materials. The board manual states that stipends are for “partial replacement of personal, professional expenses.”

Board members report that the annual time commitment during their service is as follows: president, 250-275 days; president-elect, 180-200 days; vice president, 80 days; board chair, 60-70 days; immediate past president, 45-60 days; district representatives other than the board chair, 45-60 days; and treasurer, 40 days.

Dr. John H. de Jong, vice chair of the board, submitted the recommendations to add to the stipends. According to the background: “Often heard commentary suggests that one of the qualifications needed to serve on the AVMA Board of Directors is the financial ability to do so due to the time constraints of the position and the potential loss of income due to absence. If true, this limits the pool of potential candidates to serve the AVMA at this level of leadership.”

Effective with future officers, the board increased the stipend of the president from $50,000 to $75,000, increased the stipend of the vice president from $15,000 to $25,000, and instituted a $10,000 stipend for the immediate past president. The president-elect will continue to receive a stipend of $50,000.

Effective immediately, the board increased the stipend of the board chair from $15,000 to $20,000 and instituted a $10,000 stipend for other district representatives and the treasurer.