National Association of Federal Veterinarians Board of Directors Meeting Minutes April 1st, 2017 Washington, DC

Transcription

1 National Association of Federal Veterinarians Board of Directors Meeting Minutes April 1st, 2017 Washington, DC Attendees: 1. Dr. Larry Davis, President 2. Dr. Barb Porter-Spalding, President-Elect 3. Dr. Deanna Brown, Secretary-Treasurer 4. Dr. Michael Gilsdorf, Executive Vice President 5. Mr. Bill Hughes, NAFV General Counsel 6. Ms. Mariana Barros, Administrative Assistant 7. Dr. Patty Bennett, FSIS Representative 8. Dr. Tom Vermeersch, FSIS Representative 9. Dr. Rachel Cezar, APHIS Representative 10. Dr. Stephan Schaefbauer, APHIS Representative 11. Dr. John Sanders, Non-USDA Other Agency Representative Attachments: 1. CE proxy authorization for LD 2. BOD Meeting Expense Report 3. NAFV BOD Meeting Agenda BOD Meeting minutes 5. Report of the Executive Vice President 6. Dr. Danielle E. Buttke Salmon Award Article & NAFV picture at USDA ceremony 7. Budget Sheet 8. General Counsel Report Introduction The National Association of Federal Veterinarians (NAFV) Board of Directors (BOD) held its biennial in-person meeting on Saturday, April 1, The NAFV BOD met in the Williams Board Room of the Greenbelt Holiday Inn in Greenbelt, MD. The NAFV BOD meeting began at 8:11 AM ET. Dr. Gilsdorf began the meeting by thanking all participants for their attendance and began going down the agenda. Agenda Items - See Attachment 3 I. Approval of NAFV 2016 BOD Minutes - See Attachment 4 Dr. Michael Gilsdorf gave the BOD time to review, and then asked for any amendments. No amendments to the minutes were proposed. Dr. John Sanders moved to approve the BOD minutes as submitted, Dr. Larry Davis seconded. The 2016 BOD Meeting minutes were reviewed and approved unanimously. II. Report of the NAFV President

2 First of all, as President, I am from FSIS and so I know the issues that are current in FSIS. So, I will rely on Michael (Gilsdorf) and Barb (Porter-Spalding) to bring up the topics that are most pertinent in APHIS. What I consider to be our association s primary problem is membership and recruitment. I have identified a number of key areas that need to be addressed: (1) Transparency: I believe we need to make a bigger effort to become more transparent to our membership and make them aware of all that we do in their interest. I suggest that we begin inviting our membership to join our monthly coordinator calls and listen to the topics that are discussed on those calls. I would also like to see an increased level of activity and transparency in communicating with our membership via social media. (2) Membership succession: given that a large part of our membership is eligible for retirement, we need to make an effort to recruit the newly hired veterinarians early in their careers. We also need to make an effort to get our younger members to become engaged in the association s different committees and workgroups. I have identified some members whom I believe would be good candidates be a part of these efforts. I would like to ask APHIS BOD representatives to provide me with names of candidates for this millennial workgroup. (3) AVMA membership and committee participation: As a member of the legislative body of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), NAFV is an important voice that represents the unique interests of the federal veterinary profession. This participation in the HOD and different committees is critical to ensure that the federal veterinary perspective is considered when making legislative, regulatory, and educational decisions. I would like to see more effort to get NAFV members more involved in those committees and represent NAFV. What I (Dr Davis) consider to be FSIS s primary problem is the issue of vacancies for SPHVs in mainly poultry slaughter plants being filled by Supervisory Consumer Safety Inspectors (SCSIs). Stephan Schaefbauer recommended that we have make sure we have a pool of people who we know are interested in getting involved, and what they councils they are interested in. This way, whenever a council position is opening up, we ve already got someone in line to apply as soon as the vacancy opens. III. Report of the Executive Vice President Attachment 5 Dr. Michael Gilsdorf provided a detailed report of NAFV efforts in 2016 in his 2016 EVP report. The report can be found as attachment 5. Below are the topics from this report which were discussed by the group. (1) NAFV Coordinators: We implemented monthly conference calls with the NAFV coordinators. We also had Drs. Davis Hsi, APHIS, Angela McIntyre, FSIS join as coordinators. The BOD expressed a great deal of interest in getting our current NAFV coordinators more involved.

3 (2) The Federal Veterinarian newsletter: BOD members mentioned interest in sending out a more frequent form of communication with our membership. (I.e.: weekly blog post, weekly mass ; newsletter highlights). (3) Chapter Meetings: Chapter meetings were a priority for NAFV this past year, as they are each year. We held a meeting Mississippi, which actually was a continuing education event held in partnership with the local NAFV chapter, Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association chapter, and Mississippi State University. Other chapter meetings were held in Philadelphia, PA, Des Moines, IA, Modesto, CA and Fort Collins, CO. He also traveled to meet with VMO s at CDC in Atlanta, GA, and APHIS is Riverdale, MD. Dr Davis mentioned he would like to see a greater effort being put forth into partnering with local universities to hold more CE eligible chapter meetings. This current year NAFV is working to get support for their FSIS PHV staffing plan and influencing the Secretary of Agriculture and different undersecretaries, these coalitions were critical in gathering the necessary signatures to push these efforts forward. (4) NAFV Biannual meetings at AVMA & USAHA Dr Davis and Dr Sanders recommended looking into making these two annual NAFV meetings eligible for CE credits. This would be a good incentive for members and non-members to attend. Dr. Gilsdorf agreed and will be looking into these efforts. (5) Consultations and Intra-Management meetings: NAFV did not hold any consultations or intra-management meetings with agency administration in We held monthly conference calls to identify topics. However, all the topics that were brought up were later considered to be local issues, or issues that could not be classified as national issues. NAFV plans to have consultation meetings in The same process of identifying issues and recommendations will be followed. (7) NAFV Awards: See attachment 6 - NAFV issues two awards each year - the Dr. Daniel E. Salmon Award, and the NAFV Unsung Veterinary Excellence Award. Dr. Fred Bourgeois was presented the second NAFV Unsung Veterinary Excellence award in April, (6) Ad-Hoc committees: Mike Gilsdorf created two committees in He selected groups of veterinarians in US Agriculture Research Services (ARS) and Commission Corps (CC) to form two committees with the same goal of identifying ways NAFV can better serve their respective groups. PROPOSAL for BOD Meeting.Copy of Ame (7) Budget See attachment 7 The 2016 approved budget had an expected income of $197,000; our actual income was $182, The ending balance was +$ Earlier this year, the executive committee met and approved a previously unplanned for expense of $36,000 to contract Chris Myrick Governmental Relations, LLC to aid with our efforts of influencing placements into USDA appointed positions, and specialty pay efforts through Congress.

4 (8) PHV Staffing Plan: NAFV worked on a staffing plan with the goal of reducing the 11% PHV vacancy rate in FSIS. We have submitted the plan to FSIS management and are gaining support in congress and from stakeholders IV. Report of the General Counsel See attachment 8 Mr. Bill Hughes reported on his activities during The BOD decided to offer Governor Sonny Purdue, DVM an honorary membership in the event that he is approved as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. New Business Items: 1. FSIS & APHIS veterinary scholarship recipients: Barb Porter-Spalding suggested that we make an effort to try and get in communication with the current veterinary scholarship student recipients and make them aware of what NAFV is, and encourage them to get involved with the idea that they come members as soon as they are eligible full time federal employees. John Sanders mentioned looking into reaching out to veterinary colleges different one health clubs where there is a local NAFV member who can meet with them and inform them of federal veterinary opportunities. Dr. Stephan Schaefbauer recommended creating slideshows that our membership can use when speaking in front of these one health clubs. Action Items: 1. MB, MG & LD meet to discuss millennial recruitment efforts (social media) 2. MB implement weekly mass s communicating with membership/fv highlights start sharing on Facebook, add to homepage of the newsletter, 3. APHIS and FSIS Representatives send LD their suggestions for millennial workgroup members 4. BPS, PB, SS & MB meet to discuss how to reach out to APHIS and FSIS scholarship recipients 5. SS get with MB & MG to discuss AVMA committee pool 6. JS & SS follow up with MB & MG about coordinating NAFV members near veterinary colleges to reach out to one health clubs. 7. MB & LD get together to discuss social media content 8. MB Get with PB to make sure that the Malak mentors are aware of NAFV 9. MB send out a full list of the BOD to the coordinators to the BOD 10. Work on planning chapter meetings throughout the country 11. MG & BPS get together to discuss how to proceed with the NC meeting 12. MG, MB, LD & JS look into what kind of efforts would be needed to have NAFV meetings at USAHA & AVMA be eligible for CE credits. 13. ONGOING: BOD members submit nominations for the Daniel E. Salmon and NAFV Unsung Veterinary Excellence awards. 14. CONTINGENT: Offer Sonny Purdue Honorary NAFV membership 15. MG, MB & BPS discuss CDC recruitment ideas

5 16. MB & MG follow up with BPS regarding the NFC relationship with NAFV(she has HR person in Raleigh) Attachment #1 Back to top

6 Attachment #2 Back to top

7 Attachment #3 Agenda Items for the 2017 NAFV BOD Meeting 1. Minutes from the last BOD Meeting (Pgs. 4 13) 2. Report of the President 3. Report of the Executive Vice President (Pgs ) a. Membership information/status of NAFV long term b. NAFV membership-recruitment and retention- top recruiters c. AVMA membership status d. Chapter activities e. Status of agency Consultations f. The Federal Veterinarian Newsletter g. Coalitions activities- AAC, Federal-Postal h elections- nominations i. Web site update (we have a contract to upgrade the web site) j. Hosted meetings AVMA and USAHA, Food Safety Symposium, AAPHV joint meeting k. Status of NAFV s American Academy of Veterinary Preventative Medicine l. Status of the NAFV Political Action Committee m. Status of NAFV s Memorial Scholarship/Loan Fund 4. Report of the General Counsel (Pgs ) 5. Report of the Administrative Assistant (Pgs ) 6. AVMA delegate activities (Larry Davis) 7. NAFV Budget for 2017 and NAFV priorities for 2016 and 2017 a. Consultations (APHIS and FSIS) b. Federal Veterinary Workforce TMAC c. Appointment of NAFV Coordinators (Representatives) d. NAFV membership e. Chapter meetings- Mississippi, Raleigh, Riverdale, Ft Collins, New York, Lancaster, California, Maryland Eastern Shore 9. Discussion Items/New Business a. Hiring new EVP (We will request the 3 candidates who have indicated an interest in the position to attend the meeting in the afternoon and discuss how they would function in the position. Board members can ask questions of them. It is hoped that the BOD can decide that day on the new EVP or establish a timeframe for the decision) b. New position for Dr Gilsdorf (If the BOD keeps Dr Gilsdorf on part time, what title should he have?) (Advisor; emeritus;???) c. New ideas to increase membership and income

8 Back to top d. Volunteers to prepare for the 100 year anniversary celebration e. Consultation issues f. Associate member newsletter subscription increase g. Workforce assessment h. AVMA Leadership Conference i. AVMA HOD membership j. AAVPM webinars, CE k. Budget- income- FEDS l. Federal Transition efforts m. Assistance in contacting federal veterinarians n. FSIS initiatives o. NAFV desk manual p. Veterinary Excellence Award q. Congressional veterinary legislation r. Salmon Award s. NAFV federal veterinarians annual survey t. AVMA task force on the role of veterinarians in public and corporate practice, and the diversity of careers in veterinary medicine u. AVMA Legislative Advisory Committee v. MS chapter meeting One days training being provided w. Potomac Regional Veterinary Conference x. MyPlanit travel agency update

9 Attachment #4 *Not present on call. Board of Directors National Association of Federal Veterinarians Conference Call February 15, 2016 Executive Committee: Dr. Ken Angel, President* Dr. Larry Davis, President Elect Dr. Deanna Brown, Secretary-Treasurer FSIS Board Members: Dr. Patty Bennett Dr. Douglas Fulnechek* Dr. Karen Groff* FSIS Board Alternates: Dr. Charles Edwards Dr. Michael Mikhaiel Dr. Tom Vermeersch APHIS Board Members: Dr. Gary Brickler* Dr. Don Evans* APHIS Board Alternates: Dr. Barb Porter-Spalding Dr. Roberta Morales Other Agency Board Member: Dr. John Sanders Other Agency Board Alternate: Dr. Doug Meckes* General Counsel: Mr. William Hughes, Esq. Executive Vice President: Dr. Michael Gilsdorf Administrative Assistant: Ms. Mariana Barros Introduction: The NAFV Board of Directors (BOD) held its annual meeting on Monday February 15,

10 2016 via conference call. This date was chosen because it was a federal holiday, and thus most BOD members were able to attend with no conflicts. The topics discussed were as follows: I. Administrative Assistant Report Ms. Mariana Barros, Administrative Assistant for the NAFV, briefly discussed her Administrative Assistant report. For the sake of time, the only topic that was discussed in full was the effort to reach out to current veterinary students, and Deans of veterinary schools in the US and make them aware of the NAFV s free of charge student subscription to the Federal Veterinarian. The BOD encouraged these efforts and agreed to discuss any additional efforts when they are presented. II. Executive Vice President s report a. Membership i. At the end of 2015 NAFV had a total of 1,656 members Dues paying members a. FSIS: 512 b. APHIS: 259 c. FDA: 4 d. Military: 33 e. DHS: 2 f. ARS: 3 g. CDC: Associate members Associate Honor Roll members ii. NAFV lost 44 Active members in 2015 iii. NAFV Recruited 89 new members in top recruiter was Dr. Michael Mikhaiel with 10 new members members actively recruited new members in 2015 iv. AVMA is currently calculating how many members we have that belong to the AVMA. NAFV must keep a minimum of 500 AVMA members in order to stay on their House of Delegates committee. b. Awards i. Salmon Award The 2015 Daniel E. Salmon award recipient was Col. Dr. Mark Duffy from the Air Force. ii. NAFV Unsung Veterinary Excellence Award 1. In 2015 NAFV implemented and handed out the first Unsung Veterinary Excellence award. Dr. Gary Stevens was the first recipient. Action Item: Dr. Gilsdorf encourages all BOD members to submit nominations for 2016 Salmon Award, and Unsung Veterinary Excellence Awards recipients. c. Hosted Meetings in 2015 i. In 2015, Dr. Gilsdorf traveled to represent the NAFV in the following

11 conferences: 1. AVMA HOD meeting 2. USAHA 3. Food Safety Symposium 4. AAPHV joint meeting d. Chapter Meetings in 2015 i. NAFV held chapter meeting in the following locations in 2015: 1. Mississippi 2. Raleigh, NC 3. Riverdale, MD 4. Fort Collins, 5. California 6. Prince George, NY 7. Dallas, 8. College Station, TX 9. San Antonio, TX Action Item: BOD identified Chapter meetings as a priority for III. Report on NAFV Committees a. Political Action Committee (PAC) i. The PAC balance at the end of 2015 was $1, ii. NAFV received $0 in member PAC donations in iii. No disbursements or donations occurred in iv. We will place notices in the newsletter and on the web page reminding members to donate. b. Memorial Scholarship/Loan Fund (MSLF) i. The MSLF balance at the end of 2015 was $5, ii. NAFV received no donations in 2015 from members and had no disbursements in c. American Academy of Veterinary Preventative Medicine (AAVPM) IV. i. The AAVPM balance at the end of 2015 was $3, ii. NAFV received no member donations in The AAVPM was active during iii. We will place notices in the newsletter and on the web page reminding members to donate. d. Status of NAFV Investments i. NAFV has 3 investment accounts with T Rowe Price and 3 savings accounts with Wells Fargo Bank. 1. At the end of December 2015, NAFV had $82, in its investment portfolio. a. NAFV transferred $3, from the investment portfolio to the NAFV checking account to cover costs. b. NAFV gained a total of $6, in its funding reserves in Report of the General Counsel a. (Copy of detailed report on the bottom) V BOD Elections a is an election year for the NAFV BOD. i. Mr. Hughes & Dr. Gilsdorf encouraged all current BOD members to run for office once again. All positions on BOD are open with the exception of

12 VI. President. ii. Mr. Hughes explained that there two ways to get onto the ballot: 1. Informal Way Expressing your interest to the nomination committee; 2. By Petitiona. For Board Position: 10 Signatures from members b. For Executive Positions: 20 Signatures from members Budget- A budget spreadsheet is provided separately. a. The 2015 approved NAFV budget had an expected income of $198,765. The actual income was $182, This is a decrease in income of $16, i. There are 700 members signed up on dues withholding as of February 4, 2016 ($163,000.00) ii. 9 that have paid with PayPal ($1,248.83) that have paid by check ($5,382) ($6, total). 2. NAFV spent $3, more than it received in income during Using current membership dues and expenditure projections, NAFV should not have a deficit in 2016 because of increased membership and a reduction in the fee for the EVP. iii. There were still 63 members (who paid in 2015) who haven t paid their 2016 dues as of February 8, Mariana is resending out dues notices to them. 2. If those members send in the checks, additional dues-paying members still need to be recruited to balance the proposed budget. (Note: These numbers don t include the members needed to replace those who will retire throughout 2016). b budget i. Dr. Gilsdorf proposed one amendment for 2016: 1. Increase Administrative Salary by $1, ii. The BOD Approved the amendment c. The 2016 Budget was re-approved, and a proposed budget for 2017 was approved. (See budget sheet) i. There is an additional $10, in the budget which will be used to cover the transition of the EVP position. VII. NAFV Priorities for 2016 a. Workforces i. TMAC - NAFV has been working with Dr. Greg Parham (Assistant Secretary of Agriculture with the USDA) and Drs. Valeria Raegan and Mark Lutschaunig to increase the opportunities for veterinarians in the federal government. 1. In 2016, Dr. Gilsdorf hopes to rejuvenate the federal veterinary workforce advisory council (TMAC) and continue in these efforts. ii. AVMA Depopulation Taskforce 1. Dr. Michael Gilsdorf has joined the AVMA s depopulation task force as an advisor. This report is set to come out later in a. NAFV successfully fought to be on this panel and represent the voice of federal veterinarians. iii. AVMA Legislative Advisory Committee 1. NAFV will continue its participation in the AVMA/LAC. iv. AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference

13 1. In 2015, NAFV sponsored APHIS VS member from Colorado, Dr. David Hsi. a. NAFV plans to send another representative in b. NAFV Coordinators i. In 2015, NAFV changed the name of the NAFV Representatives to NAFV Coordinators. 1. In 2016, NAFV will be focusing on getting more coordinators to proportionally represent each agency: a. APHIS: 2 i. AC: 2 ii. PPQ: 2 iii. VS: 2 b. NEIS: 2 c. STAPH(?): 2 d. NVSL: 2 e. FSIS: at least 1 in each District ACTION ITEM: NAFV needs BOD members to recruit volunteers to be NAFV coordinators with the goal of reaching the above mentioned numbers. Mariana will set up a call to discuss. c. Recruitment of new members i. In 2015, NAFV implemented the practice of ing each new hire in FSIS and APHIS with the information gathered from HR reports. 1. NAFV will continue these efforts in 2016 and hope to gain more members. 2. NAFV will continue its efforts in trying to receive these reports in an automated fashion. d. Webinars/Continuing Education i. In 2015, NAFV teamed up with the World Veterinary Associating and created an online portal for our members to receive continuing education credits. ii. As part of our partnership, we agreed to add 10 new videos to their database. In 2016 we will focus on this effort. 1. Dr. Percy Hawkes, Associate NAFV member provided 6 new videos which are ow live on our portal. 2. Bill Hughes filmed a video on liability. a. This video will is currently being edited and will be uploaded by the end of the 1 st quarter. 3. NAFV will create 3 more videos in (If members have suggestion of wish to prepare a video, please contact the NAFV office) e. Federal Veterinary Workforce Survey i. NAFV will continue its effort in keeping our veterinary workforce survey numbers updated. 1. NAFV is the only organization currently keeping an updated record of the number of federal veterinarians in the government Back to top

14 Attachment #5 Report of the Executive Vice President NAFV focused its energies on the following in 2016: Working to increase NAFV/AVMA membership to ensure NAFV remains on the AVMA House of Delegates by: o Sending letters to newly hired veterinarians to request issues for consultation and informing them about NAFV. o Holding Chapter meetings Protecting federal employee benefits- through letters, coalitions, phone calls, visits, and discussions with congress members Managing the NAFV budget Calling and meeting with federal veterinarians and NAFV some NAFV Coordinators to develop topics and recommendations for agency consultations and Intra-management meetings. (initiated monthly conference calls) (We have recruited 3 new NAFV Coordinators in 2017, Drs. McIntyre, Hsi and Anthenill) Continually updating the NAFV membership database Developed a new NAFV Brochure Participating in the AVMA House of Delegates meetings to provide federal veterinary input when national veterinary medical policies are being decided Writing, editing and publishing pertinent articles in the NAFV Newsletter with the editorial assistance of Dr William James Participating in the Animal Agriculture Coalition meetings where NAFV collaborates with industry associations in convincing Congress to fund federal agency budgets and programs Participating in the Federal Postal Coalition meetings with federal employee organizations to lobby and educate the media, citizens and congress about the critical roles federal employees provide and to help protect federal employee job, pay, and benefits Hosting the NAFV Bi-annual meetings and providing speakers and topics for discussion in conjunction with the AVMA and USAHA meetings Partnering with the American Association of Food Safety and Public Health Veterinarians (AAFSPHV) in organizing, co-sponsoring, and facilitating the food hygiene meetings at both the AVMA and USAHA conventions Meeting with members and/or providing event updates at NAFV Chapter meetings in Mississippi (February 20; Dr Angel attended), Riverdale (March 17), California (June 17 & 18), Colorado (July 25 to 27), and Delmarva, Maryland (October 22). We also had me or NAFV members attend FSIS training courses to talk with newly hired veterinarians in Philadelphia, Des Moines and Raleigh. Updating the annual survey listing the number and grade of federal veterinarians in the federal government Participating on the AVMA Legislative Advisory Council by providing input on veterinary legislation from the federal perspective Participating on the Advisory Committee for the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary

15 Medicine, Virginia -Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine to provide opportunities for veterinary students and private veterinary practitioners to enter federal and corporate veterinary medicine (and encourage them to join NAFV when they enter government service) Providing pertinent news items on the web page and on Facebook and twitter Partnering with the DCVMA and other State VMA s in developing and hosting the public practice session of the Potomac Regional Veterinary Conference to provide Public Practice Continuing Education credits Consultations/Intra-management Meetings No consultations were held in We attempted to gather national issues several times by sending out letters and making phone calls. Awards The USDA Awards Ceremony was held on November 5, Dr DOD Lt CDR Danielle Buttke, DVM, was the Salmon award recipient. Unsung Veterinary Excellence Award This was the second year for this award. Dr. Fred Bourgeois is the second recipient. Membership At the end of 2016, NAFV had 1705 total members consisting of 850 dues paying members (825 at the end of 2015); 612 associate members; and 243 Associate Honor Roll members. NAFV lost 35 active members in 2016 to retirement, 9 left the government, and 3 members left NAFV. NAFV recruited 79 new members in Out of the 850 active NAFV members; 518 are in FSIS (61%), in APHIS 271 (31%); 4 in FDA (0.4%); 35 in the military (4%); 1 in DHS (o.1%); 6 in CDC (0.8%); and 3 in ARS (0.3%). Top Recruiter was Dr Mikhaiel with 4 new members. We had 33 members actively recruiting new members in AVMA is again calculating the number of NAFV/AVMA members at this time and will inform us in March if we still qualify to be on the AVMA House of Delegates. As of March 4, 2017, our records indicated that NAFV had 470 AVMA members. We have been busy recruiting additional AVMA members. The number of AVMA members is important because NAFV must keep at least 500 AVMA members as NAFV members in order to keep its seat on the AVMA House of Delegates. Budget There are 670 members signed up on dues withholding as of February 4, 2016 ($156,780.00) and 27 ($5,787.69) that have paid with PayPal, and 23 that have paid by check ($5,180) ($167,747 total). A budget spreadsheet is provided separately. The 2016 approved NAFV budget had an expected income of $184,480. The actual income was $182, This is a decrease in income of $ NAFV gained $26, more than it spent during 2016 because of the decrease in Dr Gilsdorf s fee and the recruitment of new

16 members. Projecting an increase in membership dues by 9 from 2016 and expenditure projections (not counting the Executive Committee approval for hiring a lobbyist in 2017), NAFV should have a surplus in 2017 of $378. There are still 90 members (who paid in 2016) who haven t paid their 2017 dues as of March 4, Mariana is resending out dues notices to them. If those members send in the checks, additional dues-paying members are still need to be recruited to balance the proposed budget. (Note: These numbers don t include the members needed to replace those who will retire throughout 2017.) Press Releases NAFV did not issue a press release in Report on NAFV Committees: Political Action Committee (PAC) The PAC balance at the end of 2015 was $ NAFV received $0 in member PAC donations in Five hundred dollars in disbursements occurred in 2016 to Representative Kurt Schrader. We will place notices in the newsletter and on the web page reminding members to donate. Memorial Scholarship/Loan Fund (MSLF) The MSLF balance at the end of 2016 was $4, NAFV received no donations in 2016 from members. One thousand dollars in disbursements occurred in 2016 to veterinary student Kristen Hill. American Academy of Veterinary Preventative Medicine (AAVPM) The AAVPM balance at the end of 2015 was $3, NAFV received no member donations in The AAVPM was active during We will place notices in the newsletter and on the web page reminding members to donate. Status of NAFV investments NAFV has 1 investment account with T Rowe Price (NAFV had to consolidate the cash reserves account into the Capital Appreciation account because T Rowe Price ended that investment program) and 3 savings accounts with Wells Fargo Bank. At the end of December 2016, NAFV had $88, ($82, in 2015) in its investment portfolio. NAFV gained a total of $6, in its funding reserves in (Note; at the end of February 2017 our investment has increased to $92,764.93) Status of NAFV Wells Fargo bank account At the end of December 2016, NAFV had $19, in the Wells Fargo checking account. At the end of February, after paying February expenses including the lobbyist fee, NAFV had $25, in the checking account. We have not had to take funds from our investment account to date to pay the lobbyist fees. That is because many members who pay cash, must pay at the beginning of the year.

17 Priorities for Membership support 2. PHV specialty and incentive pay 3. Income 4. Increase Membership 5. Assist in scheduling more Chapter meetings 6. Make improvements in APHIS and FSIS through Consultations & Intra-Management meetings 7. Continue to provide member support with administrative and personnel issues 8. Implement a system to provide Continuing Education to members and charge a fee to others 9. Schedule routine Agency-Unit Communication Conference Calls 10. Address the GAO Audit Recommendations through TMAC 11. Improve recruitment and retention of federal veterinarians in government 12. Federal veterinary workforce recruitment, retention, salary, and benefits 13. Update NAFV representative structure to better match the reorganized agency structures Potential Priorities for Hire new EVP 2. Increase Membership 3. Assist in scheduling more Chapter meetings 4. Make improvements in APHIS and FSIS through Consultations & Intra-Management meetings 5. Continue to provide member support with administrative and personnel issues 6. Implement a system to provide Continuing Education to members and charge a fee to others 7. Schedule routine Agency-Unit Communication Conference Calls 8. Improve recruitment and retention of federal veterinarians in government through workforce assessments 9. Update NAFV representative structure to better match the reorganized agency structures Discussion Items/New Business a. Hiring a new part time EVP (20-24 hours/week) and update on the Executive Director initiative i. Dr Gilsdorf has agreed to continue to assist NAFV at 8 hours /week. Define what duties Dr Gilsdorf would perform and agree on the fee: 1. Who will attend the AVMA HOD and prepare for the HOD, Food Safety Symposium (done for July), and NAFV business meeting 2. Who will attend the USAHA in October and prepare for the Food Safety Symposium, and NAFV business meeting 3. Scheduling and speaking at NAFV Chapter meetings 4. Preparation, coordinating, and leading the agency Consultations (I think this is an EVP duty) 5. Addressing member concerns called into NAFV (I think this is an EVP duty) 6. Organizing activities with the NAFV coordinators (I think this is an EVP duty) 7. Others? ii. Interview candidates

18 Back to top iii. Select a New EVP who will start on July 1, 2017 iv. Develop an EVP transition process v. Meets with congressional members b. NAFV advisor proposal (Dr Gilsdorf) c. PHV staffing, specialty and incentive pay d. New ideas to increase membership and income e. Consultation issues f. Workforce assessment g. AVMA Leadership Conference h. AVMA HOD membership i. AAVPM webinars, CE j. Budget- income- FEDS k. Federal Transition efforts l. Assistance in contacting federal veterinarians m. FSIS initiatives- PHV staffing workgroup, training workgroup, military transitioning workgroup n. NAFV desk manual o. Veterinary Excellence Award p. Congressional veterinary legislation q. Salmon Award r. NAFV federal veterinarians annual survey s. AVMA task force on the role of veterinarians in public and corporate practice, and the diversity of careers in veterinary medicine t. AVMA Legislative Advisory Committee u. MS chapter meeting One days training being provided v. Potomac Regional Veterinary Conference

19 Attachment #6 Back to top

20 Attachment #8 WILLIAM G. HUGHES Attorney at Law 7511 Leadenham Cove Road Post Office Box 340 Bozman, MD REPORT OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL to the NAFV BOARD OF DIRECTORS March 15, 2017 I am happy to provide this brief summary report to the board. It contains only basic information and will be supplemented in detail during the board meeting, with the opportunity for questions. These activities are since the 2016 board report. My primary function since I partially retired is providing advice to members about work related issues. In addition, I advise the association through its leaders, and work on some special projects. During the last year I have had telephone conversations with approximately 80 different individuals, for a total of over 307 calls. While I have kept a log, there are occasions that I did not properly record them due to use of cell when traveling, or a portable phone, where not all calls were recorded. This log does not include conference calls with the board, those with the APHIS and FSIS representatives, or the large number of calls with Dr. Mike Gilsdorf, Ms. Mariana Barros, or Dr. Doug Fulnechek, with whom I talk on a frequent basis. This is up considerably from 2015 where I recorded 51 individuals for a total of 139 calls, and 2016 when I recorded over 160 calls with at least 70 different individuals. I have been using s considerably more than previously, even more than telephone calls. Most messages include documents, detailed inquiries and explanations, and my reviews and detailed advice in response. Issues concern those arising as program supervisors and employees, those with agency officials, as well as regulated entities. I attended only one chapter meeting last year, the very well attended DelMarVa chapter meeting. I have also been involved in developing an organized plan of action for agencies to apply to handle criminal charges and lawsuits directed toward those acting within the scope of their employment. There was a highly visible case where a member was falsely charged for malicious reasons and his agency and OGC handled it very poorly. APHIS appears to be doing an excellent job of following up on information what war provided to the administrator and a deputy. There has not yet been a presentation made to FSIS because APHIS is taking the lead.

21 I have assisted in the difficult job of trying to find a replacement for our excellent EVP, Dr. Mike Gilsdorf, and to consider alternative staffing possibilities. I have briefed and conducted preliminary interviews with six potential candidates. I strongly recommend that whatever the board decides, the association will retain Dr. Gilsdorf in some capacity. His initiative and knowledge should continue to be utilized in a mutually agreeable manner. I have identified and proposed action plans to address the effort by FSIS to eliminate veterinary supervision of the meat and poultry inspection program. Dr. Gilsdorf and association leadership has and is following up on this very well. Both last year and currently, I have developed action plans to ensure that NAFV did not lose its seat in the AVMA House of Delegates. In 2016 Ms. Barros and I solved the problem within the few days deadline that AVMA had allowed. This was only a short term fix. This year s efforts include the proposed constitutional amendment that is before the board to increase our membership in the Army Veterinary Corps, most of whom are AVMA members. If this amendment is adopted, the problem of sufficient membership in the AVMA should not become an issue again. If NAFV s seat as an Allied organization is lost, it would never be regained as the AVMA rules would require a 95% AVMA membership rate. I continue to raise the issue of why FSIS has such a severe problem of recruiting and retaining sufficient public health veterinarians to properly staff the inspection program, and addressing why this has occurred. My analysis has been distributed to the board several times. I continue to urge methods to increase our membership. The board has received several proposals from me over the last several years. Dr. Gilsdorf and others are doing an excellent job of gaining new members. We all must join this effort, including organizing and reactivating chapters, and setting up attractive meetings in locations where there are large concentrations of members and potential members. Respectfully submitted, William G. Hughes Back to top