AKC Canine Health Foundation Announces New Executive Leadership
The AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF), a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the health of all dogs, announces new executive leadership. Dr. Darin Collins is the Foundation’s new Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Jennifer MacLeay is the Foundation’s new Chief Scientific Officer. Both executives join CHF this month to spearhead the Foundation’s work to prevent, treat and cure canine disease.
Collins earned his veterinary degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has worked in wildlife conservation and zoo medicine and spent more than 30 years at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle as a clinical veterinarian and Director of Animal Health Programs. Collins serves as advisor to the Center for One Health Research at the University of Washington, investigating the interconnected health of humans, animals and their shared environments. Collins has been breeding, training and showing sighthounds for more than 50 years. He brings knowledge and experience in non-profit management and purpose-bred dogs to his new role as CEO.
MacLeay earned her veterinary degree at The Ohio State University and her PhD in veterinary internal medicine from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She practiced and taught equine medicine at the University of Minnesota and Colorado State University before becoming Medical Director of Global Clinical Nutrition at Hill’s Pet Nutrition. MacLeay trains and competes in agility with her Border Collie mixes. She brings strong leadership and translational research experience to her role as CSO.
“The AKC Canine Health Foundation Board of Directors is excited to bring Dr. Collins and Dr. MacLeay onboard to accelerate the Foundation’s impact in canine health research,” said CHF Board Chairman, J. Charles Garvin, MD, FACS. “Their combined experience in One Health, non-profit management, and veterinary research are sure to engage the fancy and all dog lovers in our mission to advance the health of all dogs.”
CHF currently manages a portfolio of $11.4 million supporting 152 active canine health research and educational grants. These studies address health concerns from glaucoma to heart disease to cancer and more and support the training of new canine health researchers and specialists in reproductive medicine and clinical genetics. As the Foundation and its donors look to a new period of growth, the focus remains to help all dogs live longer, healthier lives.
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