Sometimes
change happens quickly. Occasionally, important things happen very
quickly.
And
that’s the case with WVLDI—the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development
Initiative—often simply called “Wivaldi” (like the classical composer, Vivaldi,
but with a “W”).
Here’s
the story.
At last
year’s AVMA meeting in Chicago, Dr. Karen Bradley stood for re-election for the
position of chair of the House Advisory Council (HAC) of the AMVA’s House of
Delegates (HOD). When the voting was completed,
not only was she replaced by a man as chair, but male HOD delegates were
selected to fill the three open seats on the seven-person HAC. As I wrote last year on this site, “Five Days
in July”,
The stunning outcome
reverberated across the floor and spilled out into the halls as the
seven-member House Advisory Committee returned to being all male, having had
only two women members in its history.[i]
Many people, men as well as women, were
disappointed. AVMA president, Dr. Douglas Aspros shared an observation that would
prove prescient. “A historic convention”, he said, referring to the fact that
it was the Association’s sesquicentennial, “but bad outcomes for the HOD and
great grist for the mill as we advocate for change.”[ii]
Shortly
after the meeting ended, Karen Bradley sat at lunch. Composed, self-assured,
and even smiling at times, she conferred with colleagues, considering how women
could improve their leadership platform in an association where everyone seemed
to acknowledge the desirability to have more women engaged, but no one seemed
to know how it could be accomplished.
The interest in
developing a group to support women’s leadership grew during the day. Dr. Stacy
Pritt, who would become Vice President of the future WVLDI, described the
momentum as “palpable, with people rapidly signing up to join a Facebook
initiative, and plans for a web site and logo were being solidified.” Under
her leadership, those plans came to fruition within just a few short weeks
after the Convention.[iii]
Dr. Karen Bradley,
President WVLDI
(Photo provided by Dr. Bradley, 2013)
Less than
two months later (September 11), Dr. Bradley hosted a conference call that
included six women and two men. Three, including herself, are members of the
HOD, and two were past presidents of the AVMA. There was one dean, and one dean
emeritus. There was also a faculty member from a veterinary college, and a
representative from a women’s foundation in Massachusetts. These nine agreed to become the founding
directors of WVLDI, with Dr. Bradley agreeing to serve as the inaugural president.[iv]
Almost immediately,
WVLDI established Facebook and Linked In pages that energized grass roots discussions
among its members. Lectures and seminars were presented at the North American
Veterinary Conference in January, and the Western Veterinary Conference a month
later. A presentation given at the Denver student symposium in mid-March
ignited student interest that had been kindled at a course in Women’s
Leadership held at Cornell two weeks earlier.[v]
Student chapters of WVLDI were quickly established
at three colleges,[vi] and
a news article on that topic appeared in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.[vii]
Several aspiring
female leaders have benefited already from the WLVDI’s mentorship and
sponsorship. They are participating in AVMA-sponsored leadership development
programs and serve on AVMA committees.
In
February, financial support and sponsorship was received by Ceva. In announcing
her support for WVLDI, Dr. Karen Padgett, Ceva’s chief operations officer,
companion animal (US), said, “We recognize how important
it is to support the advancement of women to leadership, policy and
decision-making positions within all areas of professional veterinary
activity.”[viii]
The AVMA’s support for the initiative is strong, and
also includes financial commitment, as justified in a March 18th
press release,
The WVLDI’s commitment to diversity and achieving
leadership excellence in every sector of veterinary medicine is a natural fit
with the AVMA’s strategic goal of enhancing participation and engagement of our
membership through the creation of a culture of inclusion, transparency and
community. [ix]
From July 25th – 28th, WVLDI will
be active at the AVMA Convention
Friday, July 25th, 1:00 – 4:50 pm
Colorado Convention Center, Room 702
Workshop: Develop Practical Skills for Becoming Confident and
Effective Leaders[x]
Sunday, July 27th, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Colorado Convention Center, Room 207
The
Initiative to Develop Women Leaders in Veterinary Medicine (Hot Topics
Session)
Monday, July 28th, 8:00 – 11:50 am
Colorado Convention Center
Women’s
Leadership Development Symposium
8:00 - 8:50 Women’s
Leadership: Minding the Gap and Sharing Solutions
9:00 – 9:50 Women
of Vetlandia: Secrets to Success in the World of Organized Veterinary Medicine
10:00 - 10:50 Stories
from the Trenches: Leaders from Multiple Areas of Veterinary Medicine Share
Experiences and Lessons Learned
11:00 – 11:50 Round
Table Wrap Up: Q and A Healthy Discussion
Monday, July 28th, 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Meet
and Greet Reception
AVMA Welcome Center, Colorado Convention Center
WVLDI Vision:
To achieve leadership excellence in every sector of veterinary medicine
that fully reflects the diversity of the profession and society.
WVLDI Mission: To support women in seeking and achieving
leadership, policy, and decision-making positions within all areas of
professional veterinary activity.
As one of
the inaugural directors of WVLDI, I warmly invite you to participate in the above
activities. Men are critical to the success of this initiative, so regardless
of your gender or year of graduation, please get involved if you can. At a
minimum, please share your thoughts about balanced representation
of our membership in the leadership of all sectors of the profession.
[i]
Smith, Donald F. "Five Days in July: Catalyzing a New Wave of Women’s Leadership in the AVMA".
Perspectives in Veterinary Medicine.
July 29, 2013.
[ii]
Smith, Donald F., Ibid.
[iii]
Pritt, Stacy (DVM, MS, CPIA, DACAW; Director IACUC, University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center). Email to Donald Smith (Cornell University), July
17, 2014.
[iv] Three
other directors, including a student representative and an ex officio representative from the AVMA; one of the original directors
had to resign because of other responsibilities.
[v]
Smith, Donald F. and Julie Kumble. "Women’s
Leadership in Veterinary Medicine: A Course for Veterinary Students". Perspectives in Veterinary Medicine.
April 2, 2014.
[vi]
Cornell, Texas A&M and Virginia-Maryland Regional Colleges of Veterinary Medicine.
[vii]
Larkin, Malinda. "Women’s
leadership group goes to school". JAVMA
News, posted June 18, 2014.
[ix]
AVMA@Work. "Women’s
leadership initiative hitting its stride". March 18, 2014.
[x]
Smith, Donald F. and Julie Kumble. "Women’s
Leadership Development Workshop Featured at the 2014 AVMA Convention". Perspectives in Veterinary Medicine.
July 11, 2014.
Dr. Smith welcomes comments at dfs6@cornell.edu