Vice-presidential candidate: Scanlon Daniels
Scanlon Daniels, DVM
The AASV has had a tremendous impact on me from the time I became a student member to now. I always look forward to the annual meeting for the opportunity to learn and interact with fellow members. I am humbled and deeply honored to be nominated for the position of vice president. The AASV is very special to me and I would very much appreciate your support and vote.
I grew up on a family farm in central Iowa. After graduation from high school, I ventured a whole 32 miles from home to attend Iowa State University. While there, I met my wife, Angela. She has always been extremely supportive of me; it is because of her support that I have been able to become more involved with the AASV.
After graduation from veterinary school, I worked for a swine production company in Iowa. Later, we became aware of opportunities to work for a growing integrated pork producer in the Oklahoma panhandle, and we packed up and moved 700 miles in one fell swoop. There was some irony in this, because Angela and I had visited the area for a week when we were in veterinary school. On the way home, we were glad that we had taken the time to visit the area, but we didn’t think we would ever live there. We have been in this area for 9 years now, and we have never been more professionally and personally satisfied with the choices we have made that led us to this point. We now have three children, twin boys Eric and Luke who are 7 years old, and 2-year-old Judd.
As vice president, I think it is important to be able to look at issues through the eyes of our membership. My experiences growing up on a family farm engaged in hog, cattle, and crop production gave me the perspective of a farmer. As a veterinarian, working for both a live-hog producer and an integrated food company gave me an appreciation for the inter-relatedness and complexity of hog production, food safety, and disease concerns.
Most recently, Angela and I are the co-owners of a dairy, beef, and swine veterinary practice. As we have grown from having one employee to where we are today, we have been fortunate to be able to diversify and develop food testing, diagnostic, and research capabilities. I think this diversity of experience will allow me to serve our diverse membership in an efficient and thoughtful manner.
For the last 3 years, I have served as director for District 7. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our membership in this capacity. Through involvement with several AASV committees, I have developed a deep appreciation for the passion and enthusiasm for our members to contribute in a variety of ways. Pork safety, swine well-being, and better control of disease have never been more important. The diversity of interests of our membership is a huge asset to maintain and expand our professional influence.
It has been very rewarding to see how student involvement in our association has grown over the last few years. The best and brightest have many opportunities, and there are several in our membership who deserve a lot of credit for making this happen. Our association has grown in scope of member services; the inception of the summer conference and Production Animal Disease Risk Assessment Program are great examples. The recently created award for young swine veterinarians allows us to recognize those who have made special contributions early in their careers.
The future of our organization will continue to depend on the contributions of our members. For all of you who have helped shape my experiences – thank you! I encourage you to vote and if elected, I pledge to represent your interests in our association.
— Scanlon Daniels