13 Jul Nominating Committee selects candidates to lead association in 2023-2024
The CVMA Nominating Committee has nominated the candidates below for the designated roles on the CVMA Board of Directors for 2023-2024.
In accordance with the CVMA Bylaws, the CVMA membership may put forth a candidate by petition with the signature of 2.5% of the voting DVM membership (or 45 members) within 21 days of this notice. If no alternative candidates are advanced by the petition process, CVMA Bylaws call for the CVMA secretary/treasurer to declare as winners the candidates identified by the Nominating Committee, and no election will be held. To put forth alternative candidates for consideration, please email CVMA ([email protected]) with 45 voting member signatures by midnight MT on Friday, August 4.
According to the CVMA Bylaws, the following officer roles transition automatically without going through the nominations process: Immediate past president, president, secretary/treasurer, AVMA delegate, AVMA alternate delegate.
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Michelle Larsen, DVM | President-elect
Dr. Michelle Larsen currently serves on the CVMA Board of Directors as secretary/treasurer. The CVMA Nominating Committee has nominated her for the role of president-elect.
Dr. Larsen graduated from Virginia-Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. Following graduation, she completed a 1-year small animal medicine and emergency rotating Internship at The Hope Center for Advanced Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Virginia. Prior to veterinary school, she completed her bachelor’s degree in finance from the George Washington University and worked in the financial sector for six years. Dr. Larsen worked in small animal emergency medicine for 4.5 years before she joined Abaxis as a professional services veterinarian in 2015. She also held the role of independent contractor for Nationwide Pet Insurance’s veterinary field team and traveled to veterinary colleges discussing preventative care and pet insurance. Dr. Larsen is currently the director of diagnostic platforms–medical affairs with Zoetis and continues to practice part time as a general practice and emergency relief veterinarian in Colorado. She has served on the Arizona VMA Board of Directors and as the president of the CVMA Chapter 6 Leadership Team. She was an AVMA Future Leader in 2014-2015, whose team worked on workplace wellness. Most recently, Dr. Larsen served as the chair of CVMA’s Practice Act Sunset Review Task Force. In her spare time, Dr. Larsen enjoys trail running, hiking, biking, kayaking, reading, and spending time with her husband and two children. Dr. Larsen enjoys veterinary medicine most when it is aligned with outstanding practice management.
Austin Graham, DVM | Secretary/Treasurer-elect
The CVMA Nominating Committee has nominated Dr. Austin Graham to join the board in the role of secretary/treasurer-elect.
Dr. Austin Graham is a New Mexico transplant and Colorado State University DVM class of 2017 graduate. He practices exclusively small animal medicine on canine and feline companion animals. Currently, Dr. Graham works as the director of veterinary quality for Banfield Pet Hospital for the hospitals in Colorado and New Mexico. Dr. Graham enjoys developing resilient teams that utilize technicians in innovative and creative ways, allowing veterinarians more time and mental energy to focus on the cases that bring them the most joy. He enjoys camping and hiking with his husband Alex and skiing through the fall, winter and spring months.
“I am looking forward to serving on the CVMA Board of Directors and helping drive the vision for a better veterinary profession forward,” Graham says. “I am very engaged around technician utilization discussions and advocating within the state legislature to allow veterinarians to practice in the most efficient and high quality way possible.”