Connecting members with the latest news from USAHA, and with each other.

February 2024

Welcome back…

…to the USAHA Connection member newsletter – it’s been a little while!

If you are an “experienced” USAHA member, you may remember the last Connection edition from December 2022, but those of you newer to the organization might be new to this communication as well. So let’s catch you up - under USAHA President Steve Crawford’s leadership, you will be receiving Connection multiple times throughout 2024, and we hope this trend continues through the terms of future USAHA presidents.

The United States Animal Health Association is a vibrant and highly respected organization with an influential voice in the important discussions that impact our daily lives and well-being. But we all lead busy lives, and the natural cycle of USAHA is such that we often only come together each October during the Annual Meeting and on a smaller scale in our respective district meetings each spring. It is our hope that Connection will live up to its namesake and bring us together during the times between those meetings.

USAHA members know the efforts of many great people make the organization work, and many would agree the relationships forged within that work are some of the most rewarding, and permanent, ones in our professional lives. So, in this and future Connection editions, you’ll get to know the USAHA members of today and those we hope to welcome tomorrow a bit better, while also developing an appreciation of the ways that USAHA connects us all. We hope you enjoy!

Sincerely,

Kristin Haas and Kelly Janicek

Your Connection team

Meet your USAHA executive committee:

Front row (from left): Steve Rommereim (SD), Immediate Past President; Steve Crawford (NH), President; Peter Mundschenk (NV), President Elect. Back row (from left): Justin Smith (KS), Second Vice President; Charlie Broaddus (VA), First Vice President; Kathy Simmons (DC), Third Vice President; 

Beth Thompson (SD), Treasurer.

The USAHA Executive Committee (EC) comprises our organization’s officers, nominated by each of the USAHA districts and elected by the members and Board of Directors. The EC collaborates with the USAHA executive director and staff to develop, implement, and manage the day-to-day operations of our organization. While plenty busy in their “day jobs”, they also volunteer their leadership skills and expertise to USAHA for the betterment of us all, and one leader has even done it twice! We spent some time with USAHA President Steve Crawford and Past President Steve Rommereim to learn a bit more about what makes them tick and what they recommend to members to get the most out of their USAHA experience, and to give a little bit back to it, too.     

Current USAHA President Steve Crawford is on his second pass through the USAHA EC, and we are all better for it! Although a few USAHA members have served as president of USAHA and of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD), Steve is the only member to represent his district on the EC and serve as USAHA president twice! And we don’t think Steve has aged a bit between his two terms as USAHA president. What do you think?          

Steve already has a professional foot (or paw, as the case may be) in the proverbial Great Outdoors. He routinely assists NH hunters with his wire-haired dachshunds, Wyatt (pictured) and Kramer,

by helping them track deer they have shot.

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you are not working and why?

A: What - fishing, hunting, hiking, looking for mushrooms, cooking, reading (while

drinking a beer) on the porch at camp in Maine, snowshoeing, x-country skiing, snowboarding, almost anything outdoors. Why - it’s a cheaper way to cleanse my brain than therapy or the gym, and way more interesting.

Q: If you could be an animal, what would it be and why?

A: A cow. Cows are awesome

Q: What or who inspired you to pursue a career in vet medicine/agriculture/animal

health?

A: I don’t recall an individual inspiration, but all along the way, I’ve been fortunate to have had fantastic examples, role models, and mentors. They are all around you if you look a little, including within USAHA. 

Q: What is a secret talent or piece of information about yourself that USAHA members

likely don’t know and you don’t mind sharing?

A: I spent the first 2 summers of vet school living in Montana and working as a

porter, bartender, and dishwasher on a restored 1940’s passenger train that ran

well-heeled passengers from Yellowstone to Glacier one week then ran the trip

in reverse with a new group the next week, all summer long. Best summer job

ever.

Q: What is your favorite thing about USAHA?

A: I love hearing the ideas that people bring to the table, often from their own hard

lessons learned. I have “aha” moments all the time when I’m at a USAHA event.

Ultimately, even as an introvert, it’s really the quality of the people I have gotten to meet;

it is hard to find a better group.

…and USAHA would be hard pressed to find a more committed and likeable leader! Heck, even the manatees flock to Steve and photo-bomb him when they hear he’s in their neck of the woods!

Thank you for your service, again, President Crawford!

We also managed to get USAHA’s Immediate Past President Steve Rommereim to slow his roll long enough to chat with us, and that was no easy feat! Steve R not only assists newer members of the EC with the inner workings of USAHA, but he also drives the big rigs across our vast country delivering the freight that makes the US work. Now that Steve shares the daily management of his Iowa pig farm with his family’s next generation, he can spend some of his windshield time thinking about other things, and he has some words of advice for all USAHA members. Become actively involved in USAHA. Steve acknowledges that doing so has certainly been a highlight of his career. He notes that solid focus and strategic thinking are the norms for USAHA, and he has learned much from his time as an organizational leader. Perseverance is one of those lessons learned. Despite COVID related organizational challenges during his tenure on the EC, USAHA still reached its desired outcomes each year. Steve will miss his intimate involvement with USAHA after this year but knows the relationships he has forged and the organization as a whole will remain strong. Steve plans on continuing pig production and freight hauling through this year and then hopes to retire so he has more time to spoil his grandkids! Sounds like a good plan, Steve!



We will highlight our other EC members in future editions of Connection so everyone can get to know our USAHA leaders a bit better!

Did you know the USAHA resolutions serve as a foundation for GRC meeting discussions? We found the USAHA Resolutions committee hard at work during the 2023 Annual Meeting, even though it appears that committee member Marty Zaluski is giving Chair Dusty Oedekoven the what-for. The Resolutions committee is a hard-working group of experienced USAHA members, and they are always willing to engage in friendly debate if doing so results in better resolutions.

Already, the 2023 Annual Meeting feels like it happened way more than 3.5 months ago. As we settle into 2024, USAHA members look forward to a new round of meetings and new animal agricultural priorities to promote and challenges to solve, but we shouldn’t forget 2023! After all, it is the professional networking, the reconnecting with colleagues who are also friends, and the celebrating of those same colleagues that made the 2023 Annual Meeting so productive and enjoyable. So let’s revisit some of that. This inaugural installment of “Where are they now” is only about fun and getting to know the 2023 USAHA award recipients a little bit better and in a way that you won’t find in the Proceedings! Here goes…

David Suarez - Federal Partnership Award

David not only won the USAHA’s 2023 Federal Partnership award…

David (left) accepting his award from

President Steve Rommereim (right).

David focuses on a winning shot in one

of his pickleball tournament appearances.

…but he has been winning on the pickleball court ever since!

David has learned some lessons throughout his pickleball career, the most important of which is that wearing proper footwear is a cornerstone to preventing injury – one absolutely must have the right shoes! Fellow USAHA pickleball enthusiasts would certainly agree with that advice. David has also learned that getting out on the pickleball court 2-3 times per week to get some exercise and “hit things” is a great way to counter the work stress that comes from playing a pivotal role in resolving the largest animal disease outbreak in US history, which is what David was recognized for at the 2023 Annual Meeting. And there is nothing wrong with making a little bit of pickleball money on the side. In fact, David has made enough in winnings to offset his tournament entry fees. Whether you’re a mathematician, a statistician, or a savvy horse track bettor, you can likely agree that one could do way worse than breaking even. We will call that another win for our Federal Partnership awardee – keep up the great work in the lab and on the court, David! 

Kim Sprout - USAHA Medal of Distinction

Kim was recognized with the 2023 Medal of Distinction for her decades of selfless support of USAHA through her work with our organization’s resolutions. Once the resolutions move from the USAHA committees of origin, Kim deftly manages the activities of the Resolutions committee to ensure USAHA’s most important work products are ready for consideration by the entire USAHA membership, sometimes only a few hours later.

Although the USAHA immediate past president is the official chair of the Resolutions committee each year, all those who have rotated through that chair would agree Kim is really the one in charge.

Kim “holding court” during the meeting where resolutions are debated and voted on by

USAHA membership, accompanied by Resolutions Committee Chair Dusty Oedekoven (left) and

USAHA Executive Director Ben Richey (right).

Kim accepting her Medal of Distinction award from President Steve Rommereim.

Brigid Elchos - co-recipient, National Assembly Service Award

Brigid receiving her NASAHO award from

Michael Neault.

If anyone wants to see what a “Retirement Smile” looks like, here you go!

Brigid Elchos has experienced a lot of change since receiving the 2023 National Assembly Service Award at the Annual Meeting. Brigid retired from state government service on December 31, 2023 and was able to take New Year’s Day off before jumping right back into the trenches. Like many “retirees” in the USAHA world, Brigid has been busier than ever since she left state ranks! In January she was elected by her peers to fill a human health-focused position in the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Public Health. On top of that, she finished a 15-month training program in massage therapy and now plans to utilize her training and experience in yoga, tai chi/qigong, meditation, breathwork, massage therapy, nursing and veterinary medicine in her Mississippi-based business, Professional Wellness Services. Brigid’s company focuses on stress management and resiliency for all disciplines of health care workers and first responders. With that resume’, the Connection team encourages the USAHA leadership team to hire Brigid to administer care to 2024 Annual Meeting attendees to help us keep up with the quick meeting pace we will certainly be experiencing in Nashville this October (hint, hint). Brigid is also an enthusiastic artist who is excited about utilizing retirement to expand her artistic skills and repertoire. Brigid, we wish for you many happy years doing the things you want to do rather than those you have to do!

Ralph (left) being presented his NASAHO award from Michael Neault.

Ralph Zimmerman feels just at home in a small animal surgery suite as he does in a cattle barn, and although his “retirement smile” is masked, we can only imagine it is on par with Brigid’s!

Lanny accepting his award from

APHIS Administrator Michael Watson.

How do you get an awardee to attend the Annual Meeting without completely ruining the surprise? You spill the beans to him about one award and keep the other a secret. After retiring in May 2023 from a 41-year first-career, Dr. Lanny Pace was honored with not one but two awards during the 2023 Annual Meeting! Lanny described this to us as a tremendous honor, and yes, also quite the surprise (well done, colleagues). He further stated, “I am so grateful to be a part of USAHA whose members are diverse in their job roles but who share a common passion and mission in the protection of animal and public health and get the job done at both the state and federal levels.” Lanny’s awards hold a top-shelf place of honor in his newly painted home office where they remind him of the mentors, coworkers, and colleagues that he has been privileged to work with during his career.

Lanny has made a good dent in his “retirement” to-do list since last May by embracing the roles of head grounds keeper, handyman, and house painter at the Pace household. He has also taken on a philanthropic role by ensuring his chiropractor has a steady practice income and plenty of revenue to keep her horses in great shape – painting those baseboards does a number on the body, after all! Lanny has also completed several consulting projects and participated in NAHLN Farm Bill grant proposal reviews since he retired.

But there has been some play mixed in with that work. For the first time in years, Lanny has attended every home game of the Mississippi State men’s basketball team, and the two-hour drive home late at night is a bit more tolerable now with a more flexible daytime schedule. Hitting the road via Amtrack train remains the number one thing on Lanny’s bucket list, and a foliage trip to Vermont last fall primed him for more adventures soon. Lanny plans to string together the destinations he has been fortunate to enjoy over the years through a work meeting lens into one long, multiple destination Amtrak trip. Hotspot layovers include New Orleans, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, New York, Boston, and Washington D.C.

Lanny, congratulations on a long and distinguished career, and we wish you lots of back strength for those painting jobs and many weeks of Amtrack bliss in between. If you happen to get served a cocktail by Steve Crawford on one of those train trips, be sure to send him back to New Hampshire – they are missing their state veterinarian there!

Like all savvy USAHA members, Lanny gravitates to what he knows. After flunking out of the

Harry Potter class, World of Wizardry and Hogwarts, taught by his daughter during a recent trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, Lanny’s wife Tricia helped him gravitate to the more familiar territory of the Flea Powder Mercantile.

What would a member newsletter highlighting footwear recommendations be without some reference to the accompanying socks? Glad you asked. USAHA bragging rights for 2024 will go to the member who can ID the Annual Meeting wearer of these snazzy gems. Nope, there is no monetary prize – only the satisfaction of knowing that you were correct with your answer. And, the first one to send the correct answer to your Connection team at Kristin.haas@vermont.gov will get a special recognition in the next edition of Connection. Please note: the actual owner/wearer of these beauties may not compete in this very sophisticated contest. Please also note: if you have paid close attention to Connection up to this point, you will have picked up on a clue as to the correct answer so this is really a test of your observational skills!

That’s a wrap…

Welcome to the end of this edition of Connection. Because this USAHA member newsletter is a rejuvenated effort and always a work in progress, we would love to hear your feedback on this issue and suggestions for future content. All suggestions are welcomed! If you have any feedback for us or want to take a stab at IDing that snazzy sock wearer, email us at Kristin.haas@vermont.gov. We do hope this edition of Connection has highlighted for you one of the most rewarding things about USAHA: the diversity of our members and the enthusiasm they bring to the organization that connects us all. We will see you next time, likely in early April for a spring district meeting primer and other fun stuff!

Because so many of us have been embroiled in HPAI research and response and winter weather woes, we leave you with a few northeast photos of some healthy and happy winter birds – male (left) and female (right) snowy owls.