AAEP Announces Election Results for 2027 Vice President, Directors

Four members elected to 2027 board; new treasurer appointed

Luke Bass, DVM, MS, DABVP, associate professor and head of the equine field service at Colorado State University (CSU) College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Fort Collins, Colo., has been elected 2027 vice president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). He will assume the role of AAEP president in 2029.

Elected to three-year terms on the board of directors are Myra Barrett, DVM, MS, DACVR, DACVR-EDI, associate professor of equine radiology at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Chris Kawcak, DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMR, professor of surgery at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; and Craig Lesser, DVM, CF, shareholder and podiatry veterinarian at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky.

The results follow a month-long vote by the AAEP membership that concluded Aug. 1. In addition, James “Jim” Zeliff, DVM, MBA, retired founder of Allegheny Equine in Murrysville, Penn., has been appointed to a three-year term as treasurer. Each of the incoming officers and board members will be installed Dec. 10 during the AAEP’s 72^nd Annual Convention in Las Vegas, Nev.

Dr. Bass has played a central role in growing CSU’s equine field service into a thriving general practice while additionally managing the equine podiatry educational and clinical program. He previously served as faculty advisor for the school’s AAEP student chapter.

Throughout his career, Dr. Bass has been actively involved with AAEP leadership and the education of AAEP-member veterinarians and veterinary students. He served on the board of directors from 2019–2021, followed by consecutive terms as vice chair and chair of both the Educational Programs Committee and Scientific Review and Editorial Committee. In addition, Dr. Bass has served as program chair for multiple AAEP continuing education events and participated as a member of the Student Relations and Membership Development committees.

Dr. Barrett helped form the equine imaging service at CSU, where she works closely with the equine surgery and sports medicine services. She is also a founding partner of dedicated equine teleradiology company Inside Information Radiology as well as a founding member, diplomate and first president of the American College of Veterinary Radiology – Equine Diagnostic Imaging.

Dr. Barrett is in her second term on the AAEP’s Scientific Review and Editorial Committee. She previously served on the Educational Programs and Member Engagement committees.

Dr. Kawcak served as equine hospital director at CSU for 13 years, the last five years including the Equine Reproduction Laboratory. He also helped establish the university’s Equine Orthopaedic Research Center and Translational Medicine Institute. His career focus on equine surgery and sports medicine has dovetailed with his research focus on identifying the athletic horse at risk of injury and testing various techniques to detect and improve joint disease.

Dr. Kawcak serves on The Foundation for the Horse Research Working Group, and he is a former member of the AAEP’s Racing Committee.

Dr. Lesser’s practice consists of treating diseases of the distal limb with focuses on laminitis, angular deformities in young horses, rehabilitation of sport horses and infectious processes of the hoof. Dr. Lesser serves on the board of the Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners, and he is the founder and president of Veterinary Equine Podiatry Group Inc., which is working to establish a formal American College of Veterinary Equine Podiatry.

A former member of the Educational Programs Committee and Scientific Review and Editorial Committee, Dr. Lesser remains active in AAEP’s education efforts as a coordinator and instructor for both the annual convention student labs and the Essential Skills Podiatry Workshops held at veterinary schools across North America.

Dr. Zeliff established Allegheny Equine as a solo ambulatory practice in 1992. In the ensuing years, the practice grew into a team of nine doctors offering ambulatory and hospital-based equine care. Prior to his retirement in June 2025, Dr. Zeliff’s primary interests included reproduction, sports medicine, lameness and practice management. He also completed an MBA in 2019.

Dr. Zeliff served on the AAEP Board of Directors from 2021–2023 and currently serves on the Finance Committee and Professional Conduct and Ethics Committee. He previously served as a member of the Welfare and Public Policy Advisory Council and the Foundation Development Council, as co-chair of the Compensation Committee of the Commission on Equine Veterinary Sustainability, and as AAEP’s representative to the AVMA Legislative Advisory Council.

About AAEP

The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its over 9,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.

# # #