AAEP names 2027 vice president, board members, and treasurer
Bottom line
AAEP has announced its 2027 leadership election results, with Luke Bass, DVM, MS, DABVP, of Colorado State University elected vice president. Under AAEP’s succession structure, that puts Bass on track to become president in 2029. Members also elected Myra Barrett, DVM, MS, DACVR, DACVR-EDI, Chris Kawcak, DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMR, and Craig Lesser, DVM, CF, to three-year board terms, while James “Jim” Zeliff, DVM, MBA, was appointed treasurer for a three-year term. The month-long member vote closed August 1, and the new leaders are scheduled to be installed December 10 at AAEP’s 72nd Annual Convention in Las Vegas. (aaep.org)
Why it matters: For equine veterinarians, AAEP board elections shape who will help steer the association’s agenda on continuing education, practice management, ethics, and workforce issues. This year’s slate stands out for its strong academic representation from Colorado State University and for Lesser’s involvement in equine podiatry education, while Zeliff brings finance and practice-management experience after building Allegheny Equine into a nine-doctor practice. AAEP says it has more than 9,000 members worldwide and reaches more than 5 million horse owners, giving board leadership outsized influence on the profession’s educational and policy direction. (aaep.org)
What to watch: Watch for these leaders’ formal installation on December 10, 2026, and for signals at the Las Vegas convention about AAEP’s priorities for 2027 and beyond. (aaep.org)
The American Association of Equine Practitioners has named its incoming 2027 leadership slate, electing Luke Bass, DVM, MS, DABVP, as vice president and three veterinarians to the board of directors, while also appointing a new treasurer. Bass, an associate professor and head of equine field service at Colorado State University, will move through AAEP’s leadership succession and is expected to become president in 2029. (aaep.org)
The results follow a month-long electronic ballot that opened July 1 and concluded August 1, part of AAEP’s revised election process. AAEP’s governance materials show that the association recently changed how it selects top leadership: before 2025, the board elected the vice president and treasurer, but the current structure gives voting members the deciding role for vice president. That shift gives the result more direct member legitimacy and makes this election notable beyond a routine board update. (aaep.org)
Alongside Bass, AAEP members elected Myra Barrett, DVM, MS, DACVR, DACVR-EDI, associate professor of equine radiology at Colorado State University; Chris Kawcak, DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMR, professor of surgery at Colorado State University; and Craig Lesser, DVM, CF, shareholder and podiatry veterinarian at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, to three-year board terms. James “Jim” Zeliff, DVM, MBA, retired founder of Allegheny Equine, was appointed treasurer for a three-year term. All four are set to be installed December 10 during the AAEP’s 72nd Annual Convention in Las Vegas. (aaep.org)
AAEP’s announcement also framed the selections around experience in education and organized veterinary medicine. Bass previously served on the board from 2019 to 2021 and has chaired both the Educational Programs Committee and the Scientific Review and Editorial Committee. Lesser has remained active in student labs and Essential Skills Podiatry Workshops, and Barrett helped build Colorado State’s equine imaging service. Zeliff, meanwhile, has served on AAEP’s Finance Committee and other policy-facing groups, adding a practice-management lens to the officer team. (aaep.org)
There does not appear to be substantial outside expert reaction published yet, which is common for internal association election news. Still, the backgrounds of the winners offer a useful signal. Three of the four elected leaders come from Colorado State University, suggesting members were comfortable backing candidates with deep academic and teaching ties. That may indicate continued emphasis on continuing education, clinical training, and leadership development for early-career equine veterinarians, although that is an inference rather than an explicit AAEP statement. (aaep.org)
Why it matters: AAEP is not a regulator, but its board has meaningful influence over the profession through education, ethics guidance, practice resources, and public-policy positioning. The association says it has more than 9,000 members worldwide and reaches more than 5 million horse owners, so leadership composition can shape what equine practitioners see in convention programming, workforce discussions, and clinical guidance over the next several years. For veterinarians in equine practice, this election is less about titles than about who will set priorities at a time when recruitment, retention, and sustainable practice models remain live issues across veterinary medicine. (aaep.org)
What to watch: The next marker is December 10, 2026, when the new officers and directors are formally installed in Las Vegas. After that, watch AAEP convention messaging and 2027 committee activity for clues about whether the new leadership leans more heavily into education, practice sustainability, podiatry, imaging, and other clinician-facing priorities reflected in the backgrounds of this year’s winners. (aaep.org)