W. Ron DeHaven, DVM, MBA

Dr. Ron DeHaven was the chief executive officer and executive vice president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) from August 2007 to September 2016, serving a membership of nearly 90,000 veterinarians. He recently started a private consulting firm, DeHaven Veterinary Solutions, LLC.

Dr. DeHaven has more than two decades of experience with the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), serving as the administrator of the agency from 2004 to 2007. In that capacity, he was responsible for 8,300 employees serving in 30 countries and an annual budget of $1.9 billion. He gained national prominence in 2003 and 2004, when bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) and H5N1 avian influenza were making national headlines.

Dr. DeHaven was commissioned into the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and served in the U.S. Army Reserves and National Guard, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. He earned his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Purdue University in 1975, and a master's degree in business administration from Millsaps College in 1989. Dr. DeHaven received an honorary doctor of science degree from Purdue University in 2005.

Dr. DeHaven received two Presidential Rank Awards for his leadership in government. The AVMA honored Dr. DeHaven's contributions to the veterinary profession with the Meritorious Service Award in 2004.