Dr. Dave Zeman

AAVLD Executive Director (Term: Ongoing)

David H. Zeman, DVM, PhD, DACVP AAVLD Executive Director

David H. Zeman, DVM, PhD, DACVP is a native of ND, received a BS in Animal Science from NDSU, and received a DVM from Oklahoma State University.  After 2.5 years in private practice, he worked as a Resident and also acquired his PhD in Veterinary Pathology from LSU and became a board certified diagnostic and research pathologist with special interests in infectious diseases of food animals, bone and joint diseases and surgical biopsies.  After 31 years in academia, he retired as Professor, Head and Director Emeritus from South Dakota State University, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences.  He was Associate Director or Director of the SD Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory for nearly 20 years.  Since retirement in 2013, he has enjoyed private practice as a diagnostic and R & D pathologist.  He is also involved with professional association management, currently employed as Executive Director of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD), and as Executive Director of the SD Poultry Industries Association.

He was an AAVLD accreditation auditor on 50 diagnostic laboratory site visits, and lead auditor on many.  In 2006 he received the highest award offered in his discipline as a lab diagnostician, the AAVLD Pope Award.  For many years, AAVLD leaders advocated for a strategic working partnership to coordinate animal health diagnostic activities in the USA; while serving as President of the AAVLD in 2001, he signed the original MOU that launched a strategic networking partnership between AAVLD and USDA NVSL.

Other national leadership roles have included serving numerous years each on the Board of Directors of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), the AVMA Animal Agriculture Liaison Committee, as an AVMA Veterinary College Accreditation Site Team Auditor, and as chair of the Emerging Diseases Committee of the National Institute of Animal Agriculture.

In 2025, LSU named Dr. Zeman as the School of Veterinary Medicine Distinguished Alumnus of the year. Dr. Zeman has been active in the South Dakota Veterinary Medical Association, and in 2003 he was named SD Veterinarian of the Year, in 2020 he received the Lifetime Member Award, and their highest award in 2025, the SDVMA Distinguished Service Award. 

David is married, father of 2, and has 4 grandchildren.  

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