1990 CVM Graduate Snelson Named AASV Executive Director

Harry Snelson, a 1990 graduate of the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, has been named executive director of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.

Snelson first worked with the AASV as a student representative in 1989 and served on the organization’s board of directors from 1999 to 2004. He joined the AASV staff in 2005 as director of communications, a position he held up until his executive director appointment.

“Serving the membership in this role is a responsibility that I will dedicate every effort toward as we move our organization into the future,” Snelson said in a statement released by the AASV.

Snelson will work with the current executive director, Tom Burkgren, during a six-month transition period expected to wrap by next May, according to the release. Snelson is the second executive director in the AASV’s history.

After graduation, Snelson completed the first swine medicine internship offered at the CVM. For a decade, he was the swine veterinarian for Carroll’s Foods in Warsaw, N.C., which was acquired by Smithfield in 1999. He later served as a swine technical services veterinarian with Schering-Plough Animal Heath, which merged with Merck & Co. in 2009.

From 2003 to 2005, Snelson was the director of science and technology for the National Pork Producers Council.

Based in Perry, Iowa, the AASV has about 1,300 members from more than 40 countries representing veterinary practices, industries and academia. On its website, the AASV offers resources on swine diseases, antimicrobial use, food safety and public health. It has published the peer-reviewed Journal of Swine Health & Production for 25 years.

According to the most recent survey, North Carolina is the second largest hog producer in the United States, with more than 9 million hogs on nearly 2,300 farm operations. The CVM’s swine health and production medicine faculty and staff operate within the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology and are world-leading experts in swine care and disease research.

~Jordan Bartel/NC State Veterinary Medicine