September 01, 2020

Drs. José Arce of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Sandra Faeh of Elmhurst, Illinois, are the 2020-21 AVMA president-elect and 2020-22 vice president, respectively.

The two candidates ran unopposed and were declared elected by unanimous consent July 31, during the regular annual session of the AVMA House of Delegates. Delegates met virtually after the AVMA canceled the in-person HOD session over public health concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Dr. Arce is the first native of the U.S. territory elected to the AVMA presidency. He has been the Board representative for AVMA members living in Florida, Georgia, and Puerto Rico since 2014.

A 1997 graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Arce is president and co-owner of Miramar Animal Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His wife, Dr. Anik Puig, is also a veterinarian.

Dr. Arce was a member of the HOD from 2000 until joining the AVMA Board in 2014. He currently is a member of the board of advisers for the American Veterinary Medical Foundation.

Dr. Faeh is the Illinois delegate in the House of Delegates. She recently chaired the House Advisory Committee, a position which made her the HOD representative on the AVMA Board.

The AVMA vice presidency is a two-year office as the AVMA Board of Directors’ liaison to the Student AVMA and, by extension, to the veterinary college deans and faculty.

A 1996 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Faeh practices at Elmhurst Animal Care Center in Elmhurst, Illinois. Her major interests include pediatric veterinary medicine and surgery, focusing mostly on cats and dogs.

Dr. Faeh is active in organized veterinary medicine at the local, state, and national levels. She has served as president of the Illinois State and Chicago VMAs and has been a member of the HOD since 2012. Additionally, Dr. Faeh is a member of the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference Planning Committee.