NAVC Names Gene O'Neill Chief Executive Officer

Association Industry Veteran to Lead One of the World's Largest Nonprofits in the Veterinary Field

News provided by

Apr 13, 2020, 09:00 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) today announced that its Board of Directors has, by unanimous vote, named Gene O'Neill Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.

O'Neill, who has served as interim CEO since October 1, 2019 joined NAVC in 2013 as Chief Financial Officer and was promoted to Deputy CEO and CFO in 2018.

"Gene has provided exceptional leadership and direction for NAVC as interim CEO over the past six months and helped us achieve unprecedented double-digit growth and product diversification in his role as Deputy CEO and CFO," said NAVC Board President Paige Allen. "Gene has seamlessly steered our organization and staff through uncharted times this year and led our team to host the most successful VMX in NAVC's history earlier this year. Gene has a true entrepreneurial spirit grounded in sound financial and business experience. He was without peer when it came to selecting who would set the future course for NAVC. I speak for all of the NAVC Board in saying we could not be happier in having Gene as our permanent CEO."

Over the last seven years, O'Neill helped transform the NAVC's portfolio which primarily included its annual veterinary conference to now include: a media division that today is the veterinary industry's largest trade publisher; an online news station; a certification program; a service group supporting smaller veterinary associations; and an online recruiting tool for veterinarians. This strategy enabled NAVC to more than double its revenue and more than triple the size of its staff. Prior to joining NAVC, O'Neill served as Vice President of Finance at the Institute of Internal Auditors, Interim CEO for IIA-Australia and held various finance and administration positions at SeaWorld of Florida. He has held CPA and CIA designations throughout his career. He also spent eight years as the General Manager of Baseball City Sports Complex, the spring training site of the Kansas City Royals. A New Jersey native, he has lived in the Orlando area since 1986.

O'Neill succeeds Thomas Bohn who resigned last year to lead the Association for Corporate Growth.

About the NAVC
Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Orlando, Florida, with offices in Gainesville, Florida, the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) is a non-profit organization providing world-class professional development to the global veterinary healthcare community. Its largest initiative, VMX, formerly known as the NAVC Conference, hosts thousands of veterinary professionals each year. Other offerings include VetFolio, an online CE platform in conjunction with LifeLearn Animal Health; the NAVC Institute; the Veterinary Innovation Council; an Industry Services Division; NAVC Retriever, a veterinary recruitment platform and job search app; and its Media division, consisting of: Today's Veterinary Business, Today's Veterinary Nurse, Today's Veterinary Practice, Veterinary Advantage and an online news and lifestyle channel, Spark! In 2018, the NAVC launched its Certifications division including the Human-Animal Bond Certification and added the Veterinary Business Leader Certification and the Pet Nutrition Coach Certification in 2019. Visit NAVC.com for more details.

SOURCE North American Veterinary Community