Dr. Ray Pawlisch of Brodhead - 2008

Dr. Ray Pawlisch of Brodhead - WVMA President 2008

Ray Pawlisch, DVM

Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Ray Pawlisch

Personal Information

       I was born and raised in Brodhead. I am a dairy practitioner at Brodhead Veterinary Medical Center, a nine veterinarian mixed animal practice. I received my bachelor’s in dairy science and my master’s in veterinary medical microbiology at UW-Madison prior to receiving my DVM from Michigan State University in 1982. I am married to Carol, and have two sons, Ben and Dean.

Involvement in the WVMA

      My involvement began with the WVMA in 1976. I was a pre-veterinary student at UW-Madison. I was a Wisconsin resident that had to apply as an out of state resident. We had 12 slots at the University of Minnesota.

      Most people assumed we already had a veterinary school. We had a world class veterinary science department but they did not grant DVM degrees.

      I testified at legislative hearings and at the board of regents. The WVMA was advocating for a school of veterinary medicine. Some of the individuals involved were Dr. Barney Easterday, Dr. Richard Bristol, Dr. Susan Hyland, Dr. Howard Krueger, and Dr. Richard Prichard from University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

      I have been a member of the AVMA, WVMA and Rock Valley VMA since graduation. Additionally, I chaired the Public Education and Marketing Committee and have been a member of the Awards and Recognition Committee, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, Budget and Auditing Committee, Member and Member Services Committee, and the Best Practices Task Force.

       In 1995 I received Meritorious Service Award.

      At the AVMA I served on NCVEI’s mixed animal and dairy working group.

Involvement on the Executive Board

       Served on the WVMA Executive Board from 2002 to 2006 I was vice chair.

Annual Meeting/Convention

       Recently I was out driving on farm calls, enjoying the beauty of the brilliant sunshine, springtime, and the warm weather. It was a great day to be in veterinary practice. I was driving attentively, yet scanning the fields and hills for wild turkey, deer, etc.

        I spotted some bittersweet vines along a fence line. I realized that those vines symbolized exactly how I was feeling. After much planning, the transition to a new WVMA Executive Director is upon us. This is a bittersweet time for the WVMA and for me.

       Under Leslie Grendahl’s direction, WVMA members have become more informed and highly active. Dozens of volunteers eagerly participate on committees, which establish the foundation for everything the WVMA does. This allows the WVMA to serve as an effective voice for all of us.

       I marvel and respect the fact that Leslie has worked with 22 different presidents throughout her tenure, each with different personalities and working styles. I have also come to appreciate the numerous day-to-day tasks and responsibilities of an executive director: giving advice to members, coordinating committee work, managing an office, planning the convention. These activities just scratch the surface.

       I am especially grateful that Leslie has worked diligently to insure that the WVMA continues to grow into the future. We are very solid financially, and an office audit has been conducted to document and ensure sound procedures, effective policies, and proper organization. These will help smooth the passing of the torch.

       Farewells are difficult and sometimes awkward, but inevitably we reach that point in time. Leslie has done an outstanding job. Our association is a role model for other state associations, and we have so much to be proud of.

       Thank you Leslie, for 21 years of dedicated service and best wishes for your future.

Challenges and difficulties throughout presidency

        My presidency started at the previous annual meeting in the fall of 2007.

I presided over that meeting. Dr. Gilligan was at Westpoint Academy visiting his son that weekend. That meeting went well.

        The only issue that was controversial was the changing of the bylaws to put forth one candidate for the president’s position. It seems to be more difficult to get commitments to serve as president. If only one candidate is on the ballot it is costly and unnecessary to send out ballots. The executive board followed some other associations guidelines we voted to institute that option.

My candidacy was run unopposed. I envision that the future will trend that way. My first one on one meeting with Leslie was at a restaurant in August or September. The agenda was to begin planning of the annual meeting. I was president-elect at that point but Dr. Gilligan had a conflict with the annual meeting. I would be presiding over the meeting with Dr. Griffiths handing me the gavel. I had also been thinking long and hard about the year ahead. I had an outline of the direction and goals that I thought needed to be accomplished. I was excited about the possibilities.

       The next few minutes about knocked me off my chair. Leslie said she wanted to go first….she planned to not renew that new contract that we proposed.  Leslie Gredahl announced her retirement. My mind began racing and all I could think of was “I had hoped this would not happen on my watch…” Leslie was the WVMA. She ran the organization for 21 years.

        The other state associations were very helpful in setting up a search process.

        Leslie agreed to stay at the helm until June. There was considerable debate about how much overlap to have with two executive directors. We wanted continuity of the organization without stifling new ideas that would come with a new executive director.

        We held a special session in November 2007, a one day retreat of the executive board and the Executive Search Committee. We hired a facilitator and helped frame the search process and map a direction for the WVMA future.

        The Executive Search Committee is an amazing group of veterinarians: Drs. Tom Howard, René Carlson, Jerry Quilling, Heather Curtis, and Doug Kratt. From the WVMA, I sincerely thank them for all their time and dedication.

        Dr. Tom Howard had a lot more experience with search and hiring process.

Dr. Howard deserves tremendous credit for quietly guiding the entire hiring process.

       Planning sessions, trips to the office and phone conferences helped narrow the field from 68 applicants to nine very qualified individuals who were interviewed. The field was narrowed down to three.

        I am confident that we asked the right questions. I am equally confident the future of the WVMA will be in good hands. Kim Brown Pokorny became our new executive director.

        At World Dairy Expo in the fall of 2007 the National Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiative from PDPW was launched. Dr. Robert Leder (Bear Creek, WI) and I attended a PDPW seminar in the spring of 2008. This helped us focus and define a direction for our Animal Welfare Committee. Kim Brown Pokorny planned the events of that day. She was at that time in charge of the educational programming at PDPW.

        Informed consent rule gains traction. Pesticide law stalls because of politics and dies in session.

Five societal trends affecting veterinary practices

       Veterinary practices must adapt to major forces that are reshaping American society or, paraphrasing a quote from Will Rogers, "you will get run over if you just sit there," practice consultant Karyn Gavzer, MBA, CVPM, told attendees at the Western Veterinary Conference.

      Change is inevitable, but incremental enough that those who have learned to think the way their clients do can adjust, says Gavzer in discussing "Five Major Trends to Watch and Use in Practice."

       The five key societal trends she believes are already starting to impact veterinary medicine, and will continue to do so, are:

1.       Immigration. The United States is the only major advanced country gaining population. Already a third of the country is multi-ethnic. If you see the ethnic makeup of your neighborhood changing, look into getting someone on staff that is bilingual and familiar with the culture.

2.       Innovation. Sometimes the best-in-class, the leader, in a market has the greatest tendency to grow complacent, but the wisest ones look at what they do best and capitalize on that. They reinvent themselves. So if there's something we do especially well in practice, we must exploit that.

3.       Mass customization. Our clients are becoming less satisfied with off-the-shelf medicine. Just as they like to choose from many ring tones for their phones, they want us to help shape their choices when it comes to their pets. They see themselves as special and their pets the same way. Thus, we need to customize our vaccinations schedules and management recommendations to fit the specific needs of the pet or herd.

4.       Globalization. We're seeing lots of trends in medicine, avian flu, for example, that have worldwide implications. We must learn to play well in the sandbox with everyone; for instance, though our economy is softer now, that makes our exports cheaper and creates jobs and opportunity. So, too, we have to take note of what's happening with veterinary medicine worldwide and adjust to it.

5.       Saturation. There's too much 'noise' in the system for everyone to process everything that's happening around them. Would you believe that some people never became aware of last year's pet-food crisis? It passed right over them. We have the advantage, though, of still being trusted authorities. Our clients will listen to us if we speak to them above the noise.

Full Steam Ahead strategic plan initiated

       “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory; tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Sun Tzu – The Art of War

       We all recognize the veterinary profession is entering times of unprecedented changes. The impact of these changes on the members of the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association will be significant.

      The board is in the initial stages of developing a long-term strategic plan to help the WVMA address these changes, while at the same time meeting the needs of its members, their clients, and the public today and in the future. As Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE said, “If you don’t control your own destiny, someone else will.”

      A good strategic plan provides both a vision and a roadmap for where the organization wants to go. It paints a picture of what you want the future to look like, using the input and information from your members and other stakeholders. It provides the guidance that both the board and staff need to develop and evaluate tactical plans and execution. In short, a strategic plan helps define organizational direction, while annual tactical planning helps determine how you will get there. A three to five year strategic plan will establish specific goals for the organization and a framework for planning how those goals will be achieved. That framework helps build the foundation for effective tactical execution, while recognizing that the pace of industry and organizational change may require modification for better alignment during the annual planning process.

        Dr. Doug Kratt and Kim Brown Pokorny are assembling a group of forward thinkers and visionaries. We are being guided by CMA, a strategic planning and issues management firm. They are excited and will be very committed and involved in seeing the process through. The “environmental scanning” is scheduled to begin now with the planning sessions ramping up this November, to be ready for approval by the executive board by the end of the year. Implementation of the tactical plans and execution is slated for:

       The WVMA will be better equipped to weather the storms that are ahead.

       Our plan forward is to keep the strategic plan a “living and breathing document.”

Vision statement

       My personal mission statement as a Wisconsin dairy practitioner is to promote health, educate and encourage farm families.

       My hope for the WVMA is the same – I expect the WVMA to help its membership be the best veterinarians they can be through education and encouragement.

       My involvement in dairy businesses and dairy expansion projects has taught me the value of teamwork, collaborative communication and flexible thinking. The problems

and growing challenges veterinarians face require group efforts. The members and staff of our WVMA can assist us in discovering new ways to respond to the daily challenges we face and in “seeing” some of those perceived barriers that get in the way.

       Our WVMA directory is a great place to start. We can get connected to colleagues and expand our network though e-mails, phone calls and meetings. We can check out our website or even join a list-serve. This is the strength of our organization. I have rarely been disappointed when I asked for help or advice from a colleague.

       It is an honor to be a part of the WVMA and even greater honor to be president.

       I look forward to working with the WVMA membership and staff and I encourage all of us to become actively involved at a local, state, or national level.

An attitude of gratitude

       Thank you. Thank you to my family, my clinic family, and my WVMA family for all the help and encouragement along the way.

       Thank you to my wife Carol, and my two sons Ben and Dean. I have been richly blessed.

       Thank you to the healthcare team at Brodhead Veterinary Medical Center.

       Thank you to Leslie, Kim, Rob, Brandi, and Katrina for your guidance and direction.

       Thank you to all on the WVMA Executive Board whose thoughtful consideration and deliberations help keep our association strong.

       I am very grateful to all the membership for giving me this great opportunity.

Authors comments:  Since 1995, a policy was established that when a WVMA President leaves office, he or she shall be interviewed by the newly elected WVMA President.