Apply for Certification Council Positions
ACVS Diplomate Members Summary | Subject Matter Expert (Public) Member Summary | Related Resources | Questions
ACVS seeks applications for both ACVS Diplomate and subject matter expert non-ACVS board-certified veterinary surgeon (public) members to join the proposed Certification Council (council).
General Information
The deadline to apply for council positions is March 17. The public member position may remain open until a suitable candidate is identified. ACVS will notify applicants in mid-May.
The council is made up of eleven members; six are voting members. The voting members include three ACVS Diplomate members and three ACVS Diplomate officers. A subject matter expert (public) member not board certified by ACVS, the ACVS director of certification, a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons, a liaison from the ACVS Board of Regents, and the ACVS credentialing programs director serve as ex officio, nonvoting members. The officers comprise a chair, a vice-chair, and an immediate past chair.
Forming the council is part of ACVS’s proposed governance change to separate certification functions from membership activities. Establishing the council is dependent on a successful membership vote in the spring of 2026 to update the ACVS bylaws. ACVS will notify applicants by mid-May.
ACVS Diplomate Council Members
The ACVS Board of Regents will appoint the inaugural ACVS Diplomate council members using a selection rubric to ensure appropriate representation as defined in the position description.
Responsibilities: The council is accountable for developing, managing, and overseeing ACVS’s certification programs, including the process through which qualified veterinarians can apply for and receive certification, with that process being valid, credible, inclusive, and transparent. Council members will serve as liaisons to the certification committees and the Veterinary Specialty Organizations Committee of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Meetings: Council members are expected to attend meetings throughout the year: one in-person meeting (October), two half-day virtual meetings (February and June), and four shorter virtual meetings (May, September, November, and December). Business will also be conducted by email as needed. Liaisons to committees will attend committee meetings as needed. In 2026, onboarding meetings will be held in September (virtual) and on October 8 (in person), just prior to the ACVS Surgery Summit in Charlotte, NC.
Benefits of service: Council members will receive reimbursement for actual round-trip coach/economy airfare to and hotel accommodations for the meeting in conjunction with the Surgery Summit, subject to ACVS reimbursement policies, as well as complimentary Surgery Summit registration.
Workload: Moderate to heavy. Council members will review activity reports prior to each meeting, act on requests, and review budgets and financial statements.
Term of service: Inaugural terms will be staggered for slightly less than two, three, or four years. Terms begin January 1, 2027, and end October 31.
Positions available in 2027: Six: three Diplomate member positions and three officer positions.
Prerequisite: Service on at least one certification committee—Examination, Fellowship, Maintenance of Certification, Residency Program Compliance, and Resident Credentialing—is required for all ACVS Diplomate members. Officers should have experience as a committee leader (director, chair, assistant director, assistant chair) or have served on the Board of Regents. All Diplomates who’ve previously served on a certification committee are eligible and encouraged to apply. Experience on a certification committee or the board within the past 10 years is highly desired due to the significant changes to the ACVS certification programs during this time. Council members should be aware of ACVS’s certification-related strategic priorities.
Application Deadline: March 17
Subject Matter Expert (Public) Member
Inaugural council members will be appointed by the ACVS Board of Regents.
Responsibilities: The council is accountable for developing, managing, and overseeing ACVS’s certification programs, including the process through which qualified veterinarians can apply for and receive certification, with that process being valid, credible, inclusive, and transparent. The role of the public member is to bring an external perspective to the council in an area that supports ACVS’s certification-related strategic priorities. The public member serves as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the council.
Meetings: Council members are expected to attend meetings throughout the year: one in-person meeting (October), two half-day virtual meetings (February and June), and four shorter virtual meetings (May, September, November, and December). Business will also be conducted by email as needed. In 2026, onboarding meetings will be held in September (virtual) and on October 8 (in person), just prior to the ACVS Surgery Summit in Charlotte, NC.
Workload: Moderate to heavy. Council members will review activity reports prior to each meeting, act on requests, and review budgets and financial statements.
Term of service: Three years. Term begins January 1, 2027, and ends October 31, 2029.
Positions available in 2027: One (nonvoting).
Prerequisite: Have demonstrated expertise in a strategic area for ACVS, preferably with a background in human medicine, veterinary medicine, or certification development. For the inaugural council, expertise is sought in education or competency development. View the ACVS Strategic Plan. The public member is not an ACVS board-certified veterinary surgeon.
Application Deadline: March 17
Questions
Contact Kimberly Soehnlein, credentialing programs director, ksoehnlein@acvs.org, with questions.
