Giving back
Serving as a volunteer member of an AVMA council, committee, or other entity is a way of giving back to the veterinary profession and offers many other rewards, according to veterinarians who are current volunteers. Individuals interested in volunteering are invited to explore the positions available in 2015 by visiting the Volunteer Opportunities section of the AVMA website.
AVMA entities help develop Association policy and influence such important areas as animal welfare, clinical practice, and food safety.
The video “The Impact of Volunteering,” which features current volunteers, is posted on the Volunteer Opportunities site. Volunteers cite service as a way to air their views about veterinary issues, be with other people who love the profession and want to effect positive change, gain colleagues and mentors, meet or reconnect with outstanding veterinarians in their fields, and network, among other things.
Nominations were being invited for 67 vacancies at press time. A strong response that represents the diverse demographics of the AVMA membership is sought because a key objective in the 2012-2015 AVMA Strategic Plan is to “engage increased and diverse membership participation at many levels of interest and capacity.”
The AVMA Board of Directors will fill at least 51 vacancies at its meeting in April 2015 on the two AVMA insurance trusts, the Steering Committee on Human-Animal Interactions, and committees involved with animal welfare, aquatic veterinary medicine, disasters and emergencies, the environment, international affairs, veterinary technicians, state advocacy, veterinary economics, early career development, food safety, AVMA governance, federal legislation, and political action.
Nominations for those vacancies may be made by AVMA members on their own or another’s behalf, by local or state veterinary associations, by organizations represented in the AVMA House of Delegates, by a specific organization to be represented by the nominee, or as otherwise stated in the vacancy description.
Council members will be elected by the HOD, which will fill at least 16 vacancies when it convenes in July 2015 in Boston. The vacancies are on the councils on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents, Public Health and Regulatory Veterinary Medicine, Research, and Veterinary Service and on the Judicial Council.
Council nominations may be made by organizations represented in the HOD or by petition of 10 AVMA voting members.
The AVMA Office of the Executive Vice President must receive nominations for committee and trust seats by Feb. 23, 2015, and nominations for councils by April 1, 2015.
Nomination materials—including forms, entity descriptions, and vacancy details—are available on the Volunteer Opportunities site. They are also available by calling AVMA headquarters at 800-248-2862, ext. 6688, or by emailing OfficeEVP
avma [dot] org.