Karen Bradley, DVM
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How AVMA elections work and who you get to vote for as a member!

10/28/2015

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PictureAVMA District I States
Currently, as an AVMA member, there are very few direct elections. The volunteer bodies are the Board of Directors (BOD), numerous Councils and Committees, and the House of Delegates (HOD). 
The Board of Directors is the biggest chance for you as a member to have direct input into who will make key decisions and lead our professional association. The BOD appoints most AVMA committee members. The AVMA officers (President-Elect and Vice President) are elected by the House of Delegates, and the Treasurer is elected by the BOD. Every 6 years, AVMA members in each of the 11 geographic districts have the opportunity to directly cast a vote. If the election is uncontested, no ballots are issued.

I remember when I was less involved and this was not something on my radar. I paid my dues and just assumed that my elected leadership was someone who knew what they were doing. Ballots then were also something that arrived in the mail and I was hard pressed to know much, if anything, about the candidates. I am happy to report that the upcoming District I election will be by electronic ballot! This means that as long as AVMA has your email address on file, you will be able to vote easily online. (Paper ballots will be mailed to those who do not have an email address on file). So for those of you in AVMA District I (New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut), when you get that ballot in the spring, please vote! It would be great to have the highest voter turnout for an AVMA election in history.

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"Why on Earth?!?" 

10/21/2015

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Picture
If you’re reading this, you probably want to know why I am running for a position on the AVMA Board of Directors. For some people this question would more aptly be phrased, “Karen—what are you thinking? Why on earth do you want to do this with all the other things you have going on?!?!” 

I have to confess, I have had this cross my mind once. Or twice. You know those times when it feels like you are pulled in many directions at once. The times when you look at your iCalendar and all the pretty colored appointments overlap between work obligations, meetings or conference calls, and then family events and activities. But most of the time, I really thrive on having a lot going on at once. I have always been a person who says yes and signs up for things or takes on more projects or tasks—and then decides I need to paint a room in the house too. I have accepted there will be chaos and I will do my best to get everything done.

I have served in organized veterinary medicine for quite some time—in my state VMA and the AVMA. I have learned so much and have honed my skills to participate in this leadership body as an effective board member. At the board level, it is essential that a diverse set of experiences and opinions are present around that table if AVMA is to remain relevant to its members. 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.

Many AVMA members experience what I do every day: they work part or full time, they have interests and commitments outside of being a veterinarian that are very important to them, and they are often juggling being there for the other people in their life. Participating in our professional associations can feel like something we have no time for. The same we can argue for taking care of ourselves. I believe that both of these are essential. Active participation in AVMA and our regional or professional speciality associations makes us better veterinarians and gets us out of the vacuums our daily career positions can tend to be. 

For AVMA District I, I am the candidate who has experience and skills that will serve my district’s members well. I will be an active listener to you and your voice at the Board. I will also provide District I members with coverage and information of what AVMA and the BOD are doing for them. Please follow me on Facebook (Dr. Karen Bradley) and Twitter (@karenbdvm) and when those ballots from AVMA arrive in the spring—please vote!

-KB

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Dr. Karen Bradley
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  • Home
  • About
    • CV
  • Experience
    • AVMA Experience
    • State VMA Experience
    • WVLDI
    • Veterinary Team Brief
    • In the News
    • Public Speaking
  • Blog
  • Contact