I hope everyone is off to a wonderful spring.

I am happy to say that over the past few months we have had a number of individuals successfully apply for ACAS membership through the Highly Qualified Individual designation. As I prepare this newsletter we have five new ACAS members: Stacey Gunter, research leader and research animal scientist with the USDA-ARS at Woodward, Oklahoma; Mike Looper, department head and professor of physiology with the University of Arkansas; Luis Tedeschi, professor of beef cattle nutrition with Texas A&M University; Art Goetsch, animal nutritionist at the US Goat Research Center, Langston, Oklahoma; and Terry Engle, animal nutritionist at Colorado State University. I have known each of these gentlemen for many years and am honored to welcome them to ACAS. We have several additional applicants who are currently in the review process.

Please take the time to urge ARPAS members you know to apply for board certification through either the exam or Highly Qualified Individual routes. Many of you will also know more recent graduates who can qualify for membership through the exam route. Please urge them to apply as well. If you have any questions, just check out the ACAS section on the ARPAS website.

ACAS members should soon receive an email inviting them to vote for new officers in ACAS. Please be sure to take the opportunity to vote.

As a reminder, the 2017 ACAS business meeting will be held at 2:00 pm on Monday, July 10, in Baltimore in conjunction with the annual ASAS–CSAS and ARPAS meetings. ARPAS members who are not members of ASAS or CSAS will be allowed to pay a member’s registration fee. Hope to see a good crowd in Baltimore in July.