Pride VMC honors Donlin with leadership award

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Drs. Merck, Donlin, and Breuninger
Drs. Melinda Merck, Pride VMC executive board president; Janet Donlin, AVMA CEO and executive vice president; and Kirk Breuninger, Pride VMC executive director, celebrate Dr. Donlin being recognized with the 2019 LGBTQ+ Leadership Award. (Photo by R. Scott Nolen)

The Pride Veterinary Medical Community awarded AVMA CEO Janet Donlin the 2019 LGBTQ+ Leadership Award during its Aug. 4 town hall meeting at AVMA Convention 2019 in Washington, D.C.

"I cannot tell you how honored I am by this," Dr. Donlin said.

The Pride VMC Leadership Award is given to an individual who has been an ally or supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and has worked to fulfill the organization's mission and vision.

"Dr. Donlin has been a longtime champion of our community and Pride VMC," said Dr. Melinda Merck, executive board president of Pride VMC. "She's been a driver of change within the AVMA organization around the LGBTQ+ issues. She has been a consistent presence in all our efforts, offering resources to achieve our goals, and we could not have gotten here today without the support that the AVMA has given us, which has been spearheaded by Dr. Donlin. She is a true, authentic leader."

The board members of Pride VMC also discussed community issues and the association's goals during the town hall meeting, including Pride VMC's endeavors to increase member engagement, its continued outreach through social media, and its efforts to demonstrate the organization's value to nonmembers.