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Dr. Ken Pawlowski’s drive to strengthen and protect his profession has motivated him to serve on a plethora of CVMA committees and task forces, as the District VI member on the Board of Governors, as a delegate to the House of Delegates, and as the president in 2014. An unrelenting advocate of the profession, Dr. Pawlowski has met countless issues head-on that would have significantly impacted veterinary medicine and the well-being of animals. It is impossible to imagine the landscape of veterinary medicine in California if it were not for Dr. Pawlowski, who played an instrumental role in the CVMA tackling issues like chiropractors and physical therapists scope creep, declaw surgical procedure prohibition, cannabis use in animals, animal blood banking, and anesthesia-free dental cleanings, to name a few.
One of Dr. Pawlowski’s proudest accomplishments is his work in writing and passing Assembly Bill 1282 in 2021, which permitted the implementation of community blood banks for animals for commercial use. Previously, California mandated that commercial blood banks for animals be closed-colony, where donor animals are confined and maintained for the sole reason of collecting their blood. Community blood banks, on the other hand, collect blood products from animals whose owners voluntarily consent to the donation. Dr. Pawlowski’s hospital is currently one of three registered community blood banks in California, and he hopes to continually expand community blood banks across the state, with the ultimate goal of phasing out closed-colony blood banks entirely.
At the core of Dr. Pawlowski’s legacy is the vital importance of being involved in the political realm, ensuring that the voice of veterinary professionals is heard and in control of the future of the profession. Dr. Pawlowski frequently attends political fundraisers, where he meets with legislators to express the CVMA’s perspective on different legislative issues. In his tenure on the CVMA Political Action Committee (PAC), Dr. Pawlowski personally rallied and challenged colleagues, local veterinary medical associations, and veterinary practices to contribute to the CVMA PAC Fund.
Over the past 45 years, Dr. Chris Cowing has led the CVMA with an infectious enthusiasm for serving organized veterinary medicine. A born leader appreciated for his humility and humor, Dr. Cowing has earnestly thrown himself into a number of CVMA leadership roles throughout the years. His extensive history at the CVMA includes serving as the President from 2012–2013 and two consecutive six-year terms as the CVMA’s District IX Governor.
Dr. Cowing’s many accomplishments as CVMA President include playing an instrumental role in the defeat of AB 2304, a bill that would have allowed laypersons to clean animals’ teeth. This victory for the CVMA concluded a nearly decade-long fight to ensure that only licensed veterinary professionals are permitted to perform veterinary dentistry.
Dr. Cowing has also served in leadership roles for two of the CVMA’s crown jewels: the California Veterinary Medical Foundation (CVMF), the CVMA’s charity arm, and Veterinary Insurance Services Company (VISC), the CVMA’s insurance brokerage. Dr. Cowing served as the CVMF’s Board President for two terms spanning some of the worst wildfires in California history, including the Carr Fire, Caldor Fire, Tubbs Fire, and Camp Fire. During this time, he ensured that charitable contributions from the CVMF were effectively transferred to veterinarians and practices affected by the fires.
More recently, Dr. Cowing oversaw the growth of the California Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps (CAVMRC) by securing the purchase of its mobile command center and trailer, which will significantly increase CAVMRC’s ability to provide veterinary care during disasters. As a long-time and current member of the VISC Board of Directors, Dr. Cowing has pored over countless complex insurance issues to make sure the program stays financially sound and relevant. In doing so, Dr. Cowing has played—and continues to play—a significant role in keeping one of the CVMA’s most utilized and important services not only operative but prosperous.
“I vividly recall meeting Chris during his first meeting on the [Board of Governors],” says Dr. Jay Kerr, CVMA past-president and 2022 Distinguished Life Membership recipient. “Fifteen years later, I think there are a limited few that can match [his] contributions to CVMA.”
Dr. Cowing retired from practicing veterinary medicine in 2021 after 47 years of service, but he continues to be deeply involved in the CVMA, including serving on the Finance Committee, Legislative Committee, Political Action Committee, Ways and Means Committee, VISC Board, and as an alternative delegate of the CVMA House of Delegates.
For 44 years, Dr. Jay Kerr has guided the CVMA with attentive leadership and generosity. After being a CVMA member for decades, Dr. Kerr was asked to serve on a CVMA task force, sparking his interest in organized veterinary medicine. It was the beginning of a long relationship with the CVMA, which included a term as CVMA’s president from 2011–2012.
One of Dr. Kerr’s most long-lasting impacts as President was his role in creating the California Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps (CAVMRC), the CVMA’s statewide animal disaster response program. Even at the time, Dr. Kerr’s efforts—for which he received the President’s Award- were greatly admired. But his legacy of disaster response and preparation would only come to be considered more invaluable and enduring as time went on, with wildfires growing in frequency and severity across the state. To this day, Dr. Kerr continues to develop and lead the CAVMRC, both as a co-chair of the CAVMRC Steering Committee and as a deputy field coordinator for on-the-ground work during deployments.
Dr. Kerr has led the CAVMRC volunteers through some of the worst wildfires in California history, including the 2015 Valley Fire, 2017 Tubbs Fire, and 2018 Camp Fire. Dr. Kerr’s contributions to the CVMA extend far beyond his disaster response efforts, with membership in a variety of committees, task forces, and boards. He served on the CVMA Board of Governors from 2006–2012, representing District VIII. He was also elected as the 2011–2012 President of the California Veterinary Medical Foundation, the charitable arm of the CVMA that in part funds the CAVMRC. Dr. Kerr is also a longtime member of both the Ways and Means Committee and the President’s Council Committee, where his acumen and altruism have continually paved the way for the CVMA through the years.
The past 49 years have seen Dr. Bob Sahara assist the CVMA and veterinary profession with the utmost loyalty, dedication, and strength. Dr. Sahara tended to the CVMA during some of the Association’s most challenging obstacles, and much of the CVMA’s resiliency and lasting success can be connected to him.
Dr. Sahara was open to offering his insight whenever and wherever the CVMA needed him, serving on a broad range of committees and task forces when requested. Dr. Sahara was the chairman
of the Move Committee, the Environmental and Public Health Committee, the Ways and Means Committee, the President’s Advisory Council, and the Headquarters/Museum Committee, the latter of which he founded. Dr. Sahara also served on the Board of Governors throughout the 1980s, a period that was financially difficult for the CVMA.
When Dr. Sahara took on the role of CVMA President in 1989–1990, the CVMA was facing the departure of its Executive Director and an increasingly urgent need to restructure its finances. With the CVMA lacking reserves, Dr. Sahara and his Board had to start from scratch. The CVMA’s financial outlook was completely revolutionized and set on a prosperous, sound path that extends to the present day. This change can in large part be attributed to Dr. Sahara’s leadership, wisdom, and tenacity.
Dr. Sahara later sold his practice and came to work full-time as the CVMA’s first-ever Director of Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Sahara made a profound mark in that role as well, crafting the CVMA’s first regulatory handbook and other aids to abide by Cal/OSHA requirements, which continue to instruct practitioners today. His efforts in developing these compliance manuals earned him the CVMA’s President’s Award.
“I have always found Bob to epitomize honor, integrity, and a great sense of humor,” says Dr. Ken Schenck, former member of the CVMA’s Board of Governors.
Dean Henricks, DVM
Jon Klingborg, DVM
Dan Segna, DVM
Robert Garcia, DVM
William Grant II, DVM
Peter Weinstein, DVM
Deborah Crippen, DVM
Eric Weigand, DVM
Michael Andrews, DVM
Jon Peek, DVM
Bennie Osburn, DVM
Tom Kendall, DVM
Donald Klingborg, DVM
George Bishop, DVM
Richard Sullivan, DVM
Joan Samuels, DVM
Richard Schumacher, DVM
Edward Rhode, DVM
V. Glade Leavitt, DVM
Hugh Norris, DVM
James Peddie, DVM
Bobbie Bryant, DVM
Vicki Robertson, DVM
E.W. Bizzini, DVM
Melvin Burns, DVM
Norman Freid, DVM
Arthur Boyd, DVM
Alan Edmondson, DVM
David Barnett, DVM
Leslie Douglas, DVM
William Wetmore, DVM
Henry Evers, DVM
R.L. Collinson, DVM
Robert Robinson, DVM
Richard Fink, DVM
Joe Tobiska, DVM
William Winchester, DVM
Charles Childs, DVM
George Eberhart, DVM
Charles Hunter, DVM
Norman Rothenberg, DVM
John King, DVM
Norman McBride, DVM
William Kelber, DVM
Chester Maeda, DVM
Ronald Hauge, DVM
Howard Carroll, DVM
Wendell Kanawyer, DVM
Clyde Brown, DVM
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