Hello from your new Executive Director! I am thrilled for the opportunity to serve the members of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association and appreciate the Board’s trust in my leadership of this well-respected organization.
As this goes to print, I only have a couple of weeks under my belt, but I can honestly say I am loving every minute of it. I am fortunate to have followed Jack Advent into this position and am very grateful to him for leaving the organization in such great shape. Jack has been a friend and mentor to me for many years, and I wish him all the best in retirement.
As the new guy on the block, I thought I’d use this space to tell you a bit about myself. While the field of veterinary medicine is new to me, association management and animal care, particularly animal agriculture, is not. I have spent the past 25 years working in this space, first at the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and, most recently, at the Ohio AgriBusiness Association as its president and chief executive officer. In these roles, I managed and led membership campaigns; coordinated educational programs and events; and handled local, state, and federal public policy activities. I also have extensive experience in volunteer and program management. As an association professional, I’m proud of my Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, which I earned in 2016.
In addition to serving as your new executive director, I am most proud to claim the titles of father and husband. My wife, Beth, and I are the parents of Aidan (15) and Patrick (11), which results in most of my free time spent engaged with youth sports, Boy Scouts, and a plethora of family adventures. When I do take some time for myself, I enjoy shooting sporting clays, fishing, hunting and camping.
Animals have played a large role in my life, from my childhood days showing horses and raising various livestock species to the many family pets that have shared our home over the years. Currently, our golden doodle, Jane, is the center of attention at the Henney home.
I look forward to representing Ohio’s animal care industry as the next Executive Director of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association, and I hope to meet many of you at the Midwest Veterinary Conference in February. If you see me there, please come up, say hello, and introduce yourself. In the mean time, feel free to reach out to me via email.
