AVMA representative Dr. Melanie Marsden installed the 2020 CVMA Board of Directors during the Member Appreciation Luncheon at CVMA Convention 2019. The 2020 board of directors includes:
- Dr. Stacee Santi, President
- Dr. Jackie Christakos, President-elect
- Dr. Ashley Ackley, Secretary/Treasurer
- Dr. Steven Dick, Secretary/Treasurer-elect
- Dr. Will French, Immediate Past President
- Dr. Rebecca Ruch-Gallie, AVMA Delegate
- Dr. Curtis Crawford, AVMA Alternate Delegate
See photos and contact information for the CVMA Board of Directors.
The CVMA membership also welcomed Dr. Steven Dick as a new director to the Board of Directors.
Dr. Dick presently serves as the Chief of Staff for the Arvada West Banfield Pet Hospital. He is a 2003 graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation, he spent four years on active duty with the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps in fulfillment of his Army Health Professions Scholarship, including a one year deployment to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. After his honorable discharge from the Army, he started with Banfield, initially in a Chief of Staff role for four years, followed by seven years as the Medical Director in the North and South markets of Colorado.
Within his roles with the Army and Banfield, Dr. Dick had extensive opportunities to take on challenging responsibilities while leading and mentoring veterinary professionals in a variety of settings. In the Army, he was responsible for leading small teams of veterinary and food safety specialists while managing sizable inventories of equipment and resources. Here in Colorado, he has coordinated and been involved in a number of volunteer community service events in Denver and surrounding communities. He has served as an interviewer for prospective CSU veterinary school candidates for the past two years and has participated in several student panels there presenting on careers in corporate veterinary medicine. Dr. Dick recently completed a two week veterinary mission trip to Kenya which provided preventive and basic medical care to over 9,000 pets in underserved villages south of Nairobi.
When he’s not working, Dr. Dick and his wife Jennifer keep busy with their 10 year old son, Ephram, as well as a mixed breed dog, a turtle, and some fish. During his free time, he enjoys mountain biking, skiing, playing tennis, and traveling.
Dr. Dick has served as a member of the CVMA Chapter 6 Leadership Team for the past two years, initially as part of the education committee and most recently in the role of the West Area Representative.
“As a practitioner and then in a managerial role, I found I had isolated myself to those veterinary professionals in my direct line of responsibility and the issues that most impacted me, while failing to establish more wide reaching connections and gaining an appreciation for the specific challenges facing veterinarians here in Colorado. I initially joined the Chapter 6 Leadership Team to better connect with my fellow practitioners, to learn more about the impact the CVMA has in supporting our profession as well as to be able to give something back to the veterinary community. Participation in the chapter meetings and commission meetings at the Big Ideas forums has given me an appreciation for the strength of our association, all the hard work that goes into supporting and developing veterinarians as well as the lobbying efforts the Board of Directors put forth to support both veterinarian well-being and animal welfare in our state.
Through the positions I’ve held over the years, I’ve typically seen veterinarians succeed when they have the support they need and feel like they have someone in their corner. I’ve never prided myself on being the strongest surgeon or the smartest practitioner, but have always approached my responsibilities with a collaborative, common sense methodology to be that support, and I feel like that is what I would continue to bring to the Secretary/Treasurer-Elect role. We work in a fulfilling, but extremely challenging profession where the pitfalls are many and the support sometimes seems woefully inadequate. The CVMA board has tasked itself with making sure you receive the level of support and resources you deserve, and I hope to be a part of that process for you. I am honored to serve in the position for each of you.”
