PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2020 - 4

A Message from the President

Delinda Zehner, DVM
President,
Pennsylvania Veterinary
Medical Association

My journey with PVMA began with an email
that was advertising for "Leaders" to apply for
the Power of 10 Leadership academy. At that
time, I had no idea how that application and
my completion of the Power of 10 program
would change my perspective of PVMA,
establish lifelong friendships, open doors
to leadership that I didn't know existed and
improve my confidence in leading my own
professional team.
It is often said that you become more
like your parents as time goes by. A vivid
memory from my Dad was while I was at
The Pennsylvania State University for my
undergraduate studies, I told him that I
was interested in doing "something" with
animals but wasn't certain about veterinary
medicine. His response to me was "there's
no money working with animals". Against
my heart's desire I proceeded with obtaining
a degree in Agricultural Economics and
International Agriculture. Having worked for
my family farm for years, I started working
in a veterinary hospital over the winter
months, never expecting that this would be
my direction in life many years later. After a
number of jobs including customer service
manager, managing an auto repair and towing
business (even driving a flatbed!), my heart
yearned to be able to do more and make
more decisions at the veterinary clinic that I
had been working at for over 10 years.
Although I did not attend veterinary school
right out of undergraduate school, the
careers and experiences prepared me for
the challenges of veterinary school, being
a veterinarian and ultimately a practice
owner. Two years after graduating from Ross
University, my mentor for many years whom
I had worked closely with before and after

4 | Keystone Veterinarian

veterinary school passed away suddenly.
I made the jump to purchase the clinic that I
had spent so much time in over the years.
I never understood at the time why my Dad, a
farmer, was so passionate about organizations
such as Pennsylvania Farm Bureau,
Pennsylvania Farmers Association, and our
local township. Now that I am passionate
about this profession, I realize the importance
of organizations, what they actually do for
us and the importance of getting involved.
Regardless of the financial aspects of
veterinary medicine and agriculture, the
purpose of organizations such as PVMA is
to fulfill the sense of community, improve
and make our jobs easier, and protect the
veterinary profession.
One of my goals as President is to express the
importance of the Power of 10 program as it
has been such a benefit to the leadership of
PVMA. This program reveals the importance
of the association and helps veterinary
students and recent graduates navigate
the trials of this fantastic and often difficult
profession.
2020 has proven to be a difficult year so far,
not only for PVMA but for all organizations.
PVMA has experienced a lot of changes over
the past year but I am optimistic that we
will emerge as a stronger and flourishing
organization. We have a hard working,
amazing team that go above and beyond for
the veterinary community and the PVMA. I'm
looking forward to this next year working with
amazing people such as the dedicated PVMA
staff, executive board, board of trustees and
the members of PVMA who are necessary for
the future of the PVMA.
PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2020

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