AABP names new officers, sets goals

Omaha, Neb.

-- The American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) named its officers for the upcoming year at its 42nd annual conference recently in Omaha.

The 2009-2010 officers are:

• President, Roger Saltman, DVM, MBA, from Cazenovia, N.Y. Saltman oversees all facets of the organization.

• President-elect, Christine Navarre, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, from Baton Rouge, La. Navarre will chair the program committee for the annual meeting.

• Vice-president, Brian Gerloff, DVM, PhD, from Marengo, Ill.

AABP's objectives include providing continuing education to bovine veterinarians and veterinary students while elevating practice standards and public awareness of the importance of large-animal practice, the associaiton says.

"My major goal is to continue AABP’s outreach efforts and increase our student membership," Saltman says. "We must provide students and new veterinarians with education in areas that will prepare them for what will invariably be a different kind of practice in the next 25 years. This includes training in business-management practices, entrepreneurship and managing human resources."

Saltman is group director of U.S. cattle veterinary operations for Pfizer Animal Health. Previously he worked in a private dairy practice in New York and then served in technical services roles at American Cyanamid Co., Roche Animal Health and Pharmacia Animal Health. He received his DVM degree from Cornell University and a master’s in business administration at Syracuse University. He was presented the AABP Distinguished Service Award in 2001 and has served as treasurer and a board member.

Navarre currently serves as an extension veterinarian with the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center.

For the last 23 years, Gerloff has been self-employed in a large dairy practice in northern Illinois. For the past four years, he has also been a partner with two of his dairy clients in a small cheese company, Prairie Pure Cheese, LLC.

"With every year comes a dedicated new group of officers, ready and willing to volunteer their time and expertise to build upon the previous officers' efforts," says Gatz Riddell, DVM, executive vice president of AABP. "This organization has grown considerably and made a significant impact on the profession and the industries it serves through its history of leaders."