2024 ACVO Slate of Officers Vote
2024 ACVO Slate of Officers Vote
Please help us thank the following outstanding ACVO Members, Drs. Shannon Boveland, and Jessica Meekins, who have accepted nominations made by their peers to serve as Regent on the ACVO Board and to Dr. Anne Weigt, who has accepted nominations made by her peers to serve as ACVO VSOC Alternate Representative. All candidates are highly qualified, have been vetted by the Nominating Committee, and recommended to the Board of Regents for a vote of the Members. Please plan to become familiar with these candidates, their background and future goals, and vote for your next Regent electronically. Electronic ballots will be sent directly to members’ email addresses by Simply Voting. Voting will be open Tuesday, September 16th until 11:59pm (MST) on Wednesday, October 16th.
ACVO Member, Dr. Michael Davidson, has also been presented to the ACVO as a nominee for Emeritus Member by three or more of his peers. This is an esteemed position provided to those who meet the qualifications outlined below in the organization’s Policies & Procedures document. Please review the recommendation letters and their bios provided at the links below, prior to voting.
Candidate for Regent - Dr. Shannon Boveland
Candidate for Regent - Dr. Jessica Meekins
Candidate for VSOC Alternate Representative - Dr. Anne Weigt
Candidate for Emeritus Member - Dr. Michael Davidson
CANDIDATES FOR REGENT
Dr. Shannon D. Boveland, DVM, MS, DACVO
(Nominee for the ACVO Board of Regents)
A native of Houma, Louisiana, I received my DVM from Tuskegee University, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. I completed an internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery in 2001 at Tuskegee University, and an Ophthalmology Residency and Masters in ocular pathology in 2008 at the University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine. Following completion of my residency, I worked as a Clinical Instructor at the University of Georgia. Upon completing this appointment in 2009, I returned to Tuskegee University, College of Veterinary Medicine as an Assistant Professor, and was later promoted to Associate Professor of ophthalmology. During my tenure at Tuskegee University, I was also appointed Director of Admissions and Recruitment from 2015-2017, until my assignment at Auburn University. Currently I am a Clinical Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Auburn University, College of Veterinary Medicine, and Chief Diversity Officer Member. I am a member and chairperson of the AUCVM Access and Opportunity (formerly DEI) committee. My research interests include diseases of the cornea and tear-film dynamics. I have been a member of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologist since 2013 and have served on various ABVO/ACVO committees. I have enjoyed my leadership positions in academia and in the ACVO. I appreciate this nomination, with the hopes of demonstrating collaboration in leadership on the Board of Regents.
What experiences and skills will I bring to the Board that will enhance the leadership of our college?
I am deeply honored and sincerely grateful for this nomination and opportunity to serve in such a prestigious and important position. If elected, I will work diligently to continue to advance the high standards and values of the veterinary ophthalmology profession. Since becoming a member of the ACVO in 2013, and my 24 years in academia, I have had the privilege to serve on several ABVO/ACVO committees as well as those in academia. I have served on the Appeals Committee 2018-2021 (Chairperson 2020-2021); Ethics Committee 2018-2021; and Genetics Committee 2014-2018. Serving on these committees requires competencies in problem-solving, effective communication and teamwork to successfully execute goals established by the Board. Currently, I am a member and Chairperson of the Access and Opportunity (formerly DEI) committee and Chief diversity officer of the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. I am advisor of two student organizations, V.O.I.C.E. (Veterinarians as One Inclusive Community for Empowerment) and the Student Chapter of the National Association for Black Veterinarians, which is a new organization that was developed in 2023 by a group of undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. I also received my online professional certificate for Diversity & Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine from Purdue University. Serving in these DEI roles has enriched my awareness and understanding of the needs of others and to become effective at developing creative and successful solutions to implement inclusive educational and working environments for all to be productive. These experiences have allowed me to develop multiple leadership skillsets that I feel will be meaningful attributes to my participation on the Board.
What are the major issues of our college and how should they be addressed?
The major issue that immediately comes to mind for me is the reduced number of minority representation within residency programs and within the college overall. I feel that the college should have an obligation to expose more students of color to this amazing specialty and to the profession of veterinary medicine as a whole. I recognize and celebrate the many differences of members of our college and acknowledge that our individual distinctness collectively strengthens and enhances our college. Diversity is good for business and increasing diversity within practices will have an overarching impact on clientele numbers as well as the cultural contributions they bring. Social psychology studies have proven that clients naturally gravitate toward people of similar appearance—they appreciate an environment where they are offered services from those “who look like them”. Our college is the final recipient of veterinary talent that is being developed and provided to us from veterinary medical training programs. A potential idea to address this concern includes incentives to encourage colleagues to be mentors for the underrepresented populations to enter this specialty. Veterinary students are often encouraged early in their professional journey to seek out and shadow ophthalmologists to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the profession. Establishing these critically important intentional connections between veterinary ophthalmologists and veterinary and pre-veterinary students early in the course of their education is fundamentally essential as it would introduce the specialty to students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in veterinary medicine. This early exposure would be a productive step to interest and motivate underrepresented populations to enter this specialty with hopes that they would eventually obtain a residency. In my work as Chief Diversity Officer, I believe that underrepresented populations are faced with a greater challenge of identifying colleagues willing to be mentors while concurrently creating a learning environment that makes others feel welcomed and included, and a source of information and guidance. I would like to assist the college in designing and developing a mentorship program for all. I recently read an article: “Discrimination Is a Form of Trauma for Some Students” posted in Inside Higher Education. It stated that students who faced discrimination are more likely than their peers to feel socially isolated. I could not help but think that this feeling of isolation does not only apply to college students. Anyone who has ever experienced discrimination (based on sexual orientation, religious affiliation, national orientation, race, or disability) may have also felt socially isolated, perhaps even within the college. The college is well on its way to creating a diverse and equitable environment, yet more can be done through educational and training opportunities.
What should be the major goals or initiatives of the ACVO for the next 5 years?
The purpose of the ACVO is to promote and advance veterinary ophthalmology by providing structural organization that facilitates the meaningful exchange of ideas of interest among veterinary ophthalmologists, promote education and basic vision science research, and establish and maintain standards of training and recognize veterinarians who have fulfilled these standards. The ACVO through its various successful programs “promotes excellence in veterinary ophthalmology through advanced training, certification, research and education,” as well as community outreach. Through the years, the ACVO will continue the prosperous generation of resources to fund research projects that not only focus on the basic sciences but also those that have substantial clinical ophthalmology practice implications. Although these goals are critically important for the continued advancement of the ACVO, its members, and its critical objectives, I also believe the ACVO should develop greater DEI initiatives. This can be achieved by continuing to increase the diversity within the college, by bringing awareness of the benefits of diversity to our members and creating pipelines for underrepresented populations to this specialty. As stated above, there are opportunities available for the ACVO to explore, as it pertains to enriching us all by offering continuing education on various topics of diversity from a personal, professional, and business perspective.
Dr. Jessica Meekins, DVM, MS, DACVO
(Nominee for the ACVO Board of Regents)
Dr. Jessica Meekins is a Professor of Ophthalmology at Kansas State University. She received her undergraduate degree in biology before attending veterinary school at The Ohio State University, graduating in 2008. She then completed a one-year rotating internship at a private specialty hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico before being accepted into the ophthalmology residency training program at Purdue University. She became a board-certified diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists in 2012, and she has been a faculty member at K-State for 12 years. Dr. Meekins’ clinical and research interests include management of viral surface ocular diseases in cats and comparative exotic animal ophthalmology. She is also interested in clinical teaching and the integration of competency-based veterinary education into instruction and assessment of students participating in clinical rotations.
What experiences and skills will you bring to the Board that will enhance the leadership of our college?
I am currently a Professor of Ophthalmology at Kansas State University, where I have served on the faculty in the Department of Clinical Sciences for 12 years. During my tenure at K-State, I have been in numerous leadership positions within our College of Veterinary Medicine and on main campus. These include chair of the departmental and college curriculum committees and serving a six-year term as an elected faculty senator representing the CVM caucus. I have also served proudly as a founding member of the Faculty Senate Justice, Equity, Diversity, Access, Inclusion, and Identity Committee. Since becoming a diplomate member of the ACVO, I have endeavored to serve our college in various positions, including as a member and chair of the ACVO Genetics Committee and as a member and chair of the ABVO Credentials Committee. I have also served as an Editorial Board Member for the Veterinary Ophthalmology journal since 2019. My involvement in committees associated with the ACVO and the ABVO, as well as our journal, has provided me with diverse experience and insight on the inner workings of our college. In 2023, I accepted a position on the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges Council on Outcomes-based Veterinary Education (AAVMC COVE). Membership in this group has afforded me tremendous experience in veterinary medical education leadership and advocacy. I am trustworthy, openminded, honest, and I value fairness. I understand that all members of a given committee, council, board, or other group are equally important, and that providing an objective perspective free of personal bias is critical to the success of the group and the organization it supports. This is the most significant lesson I have learned in my various leadership roles at my home institution, within the ACVO and ABVO, and with the AAVMC.
What are the major issues of our college and how should they be addressed?
I am very proud to be a member of the ACVO. I have felt welcomed by this organization from the first time I attended the annual meeting as a rotating intern seeking a residency position. I recognize that this is not the experience for every member or aspiring member of our college, and one of my primary goals is to help the ACVO be an organization that embraces individuals from diverse backgrounds. As with other veterinary specialty organizations and areas of our profession, there is plenty of room to grow and strengthen our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We certainly need to strive to ensure that the composition of our organization more closely reflects the communities that we serve.
A shortage of new diplomates to fulfill the staffing needs of members within our college is a problem and concern that has been ongoing. One of the many reasons I chose a career in academia was to actively participate in the training of new veterinary ophthalmologists. I have been involved in residency training since starting my faculty position, having trained nine residents so far in my career. I am committed to supporting our members in seeking creative alternatives to the traditional residency training structure while ensuring that we maintain the rigor of our training programs and the quality of the ophthalmologist colleagues that we produce.
What should be the major goals or initiatives of the ACVO for the next 5 years?
The ACVO has always been a leader in specialty veterinary medicine, with recent noteworthy examples in the restructuring of our organization into separate membership and credentialing branches and the implementation of a maintenance of certification process through the ABVO. Understanding the important role of the ACVO in protecting the public and promoting veterinary ophthalmology, a leadership position as Regent would allow me to support the work that underpins these efforts. These include working with the Ethics and Governance Committees to ensure our members abide by the standards of practice for our college and that we constantly review the Constitution, Bylaws, policies, and procedures that govern our organization. In terms of major goals and new initiatives, I would like to explore ways to support our college and its members through the growth of our social media activities. The continued success of the annual ACVO/Epicur Service Animal Eye Exam Event, one of our college’s most popular public outreach activities, provides an example of a highly successful public outreach event that relies significantly on media coverage and social media posts. Additionally, establishing a consensus statement and general opinion on the use of telemedicine in veterinary ophthalmology practice would allow us to support our members who engage in this growing area of veterinary medicine. In the next five years, I also envision the ACVO maintaining strong support of its membership through member outreach activities, including new diplomate orientation and engagement. Ensuring new members are informed about benefits and resources associated with membership in the ACVO is an important initiative that I fully support. I also believe strongly in the early engagement of new members in committees and other activities within the ACVO, understanding the unique contributions each member can make to our organization. My goal as a Regent would be to provide the best support to our organization so that we can evolve with the times and maintain the high standards that make all of us proud to be members.
CANDIDATE FOR VSOC ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVE
Dr. Anne Weigt, DVM, MS, DACVO
(Nominee for ACVO VSOC Alternate Representative)
Dr. Anne Weigt is originally from Saginaw, MI and attended college in Oxford, OH at Miami University. She obtained her DVM from the University of Tennessee and pursued a small animal medical and surgical internship at VCA Franklin Park and Berwyn Animal Hospitals in Chicago. Her residency in Ophthalmology was completed at the VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Weigt was a member of Animal Eye Care Associated and started practices in Maryland that expanded to 5 locations. She became part of Eye Care for Animals in 2015 and then Pathway/Thrive in 2018. Throughout her career she has been involved with residency training and was on the residency committee for ECFA and Thrive for several years. She joined Dogs and Cats Emergency and Specialty in December of 2023 and started their ophthalmology department. Outside of her professional life, Dr. Weigt enjoys horsebackriding, yoga, music and travel. She is active in her church leadership as a trustee. She has two adult children, Eric and Anja. She shares her home with her husband, Lee, her standard poodle, Jolene, and her cats, Billie and Chloe.
Education and Training:
Undergraduate: Miami University, Oxford, OH BA in Zoology, BA in English, Technical Writing
Veterinary School: University of Tennessee 1997
Internship: VCA Berwyn and Franklin Park Animal Hospitals 1998
Residency: VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine 2001
Masters of Science: VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine 2001
Current Job (since 2023):
Dogs and Cats Emergency and Specialty (Part of Ethos)
Ophthalmology Service
6700 Laurel-Bowie Rd
Laurel, MD 20715
Experience:
Resident training while at Animal Eye Care and Eye Care for Animals
Residency Committee of Eye Care for Animals
CANDIDATE FOR EMERITUS MEMBER
Excerpt from ACVO’s Policies & Procedures outlining requirements of Emeritus Members:
SECTION 8: EMERITUS, RETIRED, AND HONORARY MEMBERS
8.01 Emeritus Members
(A) The Emeritus nominee must be a member of the ACVO for 30 years, have made continuous and substantive contributions to the ACVO during that time, and be nominated in writing by three members.
Dr. Michael Davidson, DVM, DACVO
(Nominee for Emeritus Member)
Michael Davidson, D.V.M.
Professor and Associate Dean Emeritus
North Carolina State University
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists
Dr. Michael Davidson is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee and a 1984 graduate of the University of Tennessee. He is currently Professor and Associate Dean Emeritus at NC State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, where he has spent his entire professional career including as a small animal intern, resident in ophthalmology, faculty member and Associate Dean and Hospital Director. He is the author or co-author of over 100 scientific publications and chapters on diverse topics including optics and refraction, infectious diseases, cataract surgery and intraocular lenses, and capsular opacification. He is the recipient of numerous teaching awards including the Norden Award and the Zoetis Award, and he is a member of the North Carolina Academy of Outstanding Teachers. Mike became a Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists in 1987 and has served as chair of the ACVO Examination Committee (1992-1997), Board of Regents (1996-2001), President (2001-2002), Vision for Animals Foundation Board (2002-2004), Editorial Board of Veterinary Ophthalmology (2008-2018), and as a member of the American Board of Veterinary Ophthalmology (2016-2020). He coordinated the 1998-2004, and 2008-2018 ACVO Basic Science Courses and chaired the Executive Committee for the North Carolina Veterinary Conference from 2003-2013. Mike served on the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board from 2006-2011.
Emeritus Nomination Letter of Recommendation - Dr. Brian Gilger
Emeritus Nomination Letter of Recommendation - Dr. David Maggs
Emeritus Nomination Letter of Recommendation - Dr. David Wilkie