A Purdue Veterinary Medicine graduate is the new chair of the AVMA Board of Directors. The board elected Dr. Richard “Dick” Sullivan (PU DVM ’72) of Palos Verdes Peninsula, California, as the Board chair while meeting July 12 in Anaheim, California, in conjunction with the AVMA Convention 2026.
Dr. Sullivan grew up in southern Wisconsin on a family dairy farm and participated in 4-H and FFA programs through his first years in college. He attended Wisconsin State College, Platteville, for two years before enrolling at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine where he earned his DVM degree in 1972.
After serving in the Peace Corps in Mato Grosso, Brazil, as an extension veterinarian, he settled in Torrance, California, while his wife Connie finished her DrPH in epidemiology at UCLA. After four years as an associate, he had an opportunity to buy into a veterinary practice, and he and Connie decided to stay in California and raise their family there.
Dr. Sullivan became part owner of the community emergency clinic and was soon elected to its board of directors. He served 30 years on the board and went on to lead both the Southern California VMA and the California VMA as president. He also has served as a member of the California Veterinary Medical Board and on its multidisciplinary advisory board.
Dr. Sullivan became active in the AVMA by serving on the Judicial Council and the State Advocacy Committee, and was on one of the working groups tasked with developing material for the AVMA’s position on telemedicine and telehealth. He was California’s alternate delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates for eight years, then served another eight years as the delegate representing California. He was elected to the AVMA Board of Directors in 2021, representing District 10, which covers California, Hawaii, and Nevada.
The AVMA Board also elected Dr. Amanda Bisol of Skowhegan, Maine, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, as vice chair. In that role Dr. Bisol will substitute for Dr. Sullivan in his absence and perform other duties as prescribed by the Board or the chair.
