At the AKC Delegate Meeting on March 8, Dr. Thomas M. Davies, Walter F. Goodman and Ronald H. Menaker were re-elected to the AKC Board of Directors, Class of 2008. Ronald H. Menaker was re-elected Chairman of the Board and David C. Merriam was re-elected Vice-Chairman at a meeting of the AKC Board of Directors, convened after the Delegate Meeting.

• Dr. Thomas M. Davies, AKC Delegate for the Springfield Kennel Club, was first elected to the Board in 2000 and serves on the Public Relations Committee, the Events and Clubs Committee, and the Breeders Committee. He is also on the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Show Planning Committee.

  He was introduced to the world of purebred dogs through his interest in Old English Sheepdogs after his college graduation in 1967. Dr. Davies has been involved in several breeds, but has had significant influence on the Bearded Collie. His involvement with the breed began before its official recognition by the AKC, serving as president of the Bearded Collie Club of America. While at this post, Davies was responsible for getting the breed into the AKC Stud Book. He is an honorary lifetime member of the club and is the author of the Bearded Collie standard.

  In the mid-80's, Dr. Davies became deeply involved in Siberian Huskies and Belgian Sheepdogs. He and his wife have bred and finished many champions in all three breeds. Today, they concentrate exclusively on Siberian Huskies.

  Dr. Davies continues to be an active member of the fancy. He is an approved judge for Bearded Collies, Old English Sheepdogs, Siberian Huskies and eleven herding breeds. He has served as show chairman for the Springfield Kennel Club and for the Connecticut River Working Group Association, the country's first Working Group club. He serves as vice president of this association and has served in various capacities for many all-breed and specialty clubs.

  Dr. Davies recently retired from the Bayer Corporation after more than thirty years in various areas of scientific research and product development. He currently resides in Brimfield, Massachusetts with his wife Roberta. They kennel several Siberian Huskies, and share their home with a Bearded Collie, a Belgian Tervuren, and a cat.
   

• Walter F. Goodman, AKC Delegate for the Skye Terrier Club of America, was first elected to the Board in 1988. He has chaired the Show Operations Committee, the Club and Events Committee, and now chairs the Breeders Committee. He is also on the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Show Planning Committee and serves on the Board of the AKC Museum of the Dog.

  Mr. Goodman is a long-time fancier and breeder-owner-handler of Skye Terriers. He is a proponent of the breeder-owner-handler concept of exhibiting purebred dogs and has finished 35 champions. He has garnered 99 Best in Show awards and has an impressive 300 Terrier Group First awards. He is a two-time winner of both the Kennel Review Male Owner-Handler of the Year Award and the Quaker Oats Owner-Handler Award. Mr. Goodman has dedicated more than 50 years to the Skye Terrier Club of America, serving as President and Vice President of the club. He is President and Chief Steward for the Montgomery County Kennel Club, which stages the world's largest annual terrier show, is a member of the Westbury Kennel Association, the Westminster Kennel Club, and The Kennel Club (of England).

  Since 1977, Mr. Goodman has been approved to judge Best in Show, Terrier Group, and Junior Showmanship competitions. He judged the Terrier Group at the 2003 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship.

  A graduate of Yale University, he served in the Army as NCO from 1943 to 1947. Mr. Goodman was a trust officer and assistant vice president at Chase Manhattan, an associate producer for NBC Television and Mike Ellis Productions, and is the retired president and senior partner of the Goodman-Flanders Company. He also dedicates service to the Board of Overseers of the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School. Walter F. Goodman resides in Miami, Florida.
   

• Ronald H. Menaker, AKC Delegate for Des Moines Obedience Training Club, first served on the AKC Board from 1996 to 1998. Elected again in 2000, he became Vice Chairman in 2001 and has served as Chairman since March 2002. He has been actively involved in the sport of purebred dogs for more than 35 years.

  Mr. Menaker has bred and exhibited Giant Schnauzers and Bedlington Terriers. He has also exhibited Norfolk Terriers. He is deeply involved in many breed and all-breed clubs, dedicating his time in various capacities. As a member of the Bedlington Terrier Club of America, he has held positions as President, Director, AKC Delegate, and Show Chairman. Additionally, he is a member of the Giant Schnauzer Club of America and the Border Terrier Club of America. Mr. Menaker is the Show Chairman for the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, past show chairman of the Westminster Kennel Club show, and an Honorary Member of The Kennel Club in England.

  An AKC judge since 1995, Mr. Menaker has judged at more than 200 AKC Conformation shows. His many judging assignments have taken him across the country and around the world, including to Mexico, Ireland, Argentina, Italy and Brazil. He is currently approved to judge Best in Show, the Working Group, multiple Sporting breeds and several Terrier breeds.

  In addition to his vast experience in purebred dogs, Mr. Menaker also has extensive experience with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Most recently, he was the Managing Director and head of Corporate Services Worldwide for J.P. Morgan & Co., Inc. and the president of J.P. Morgan Services, where he was responsible for managing a $512 million budget and 1,100 employees.

  Mr. Menaker is also a Director and a past President of the AKC Museum of the Dog and a current Director of the AKC Companion Animal Recovery program. He is a member of the Board of Overseers for the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School; a Member of the Board of Trustees of the New York University Medical Center; Vice Chairman of the New York University Downtown Hospital of which he is also a former Chairman and recipient of their Elizabeth Blackwell humanitarian award. He has also served as a Trustee of both the Morris Animal Foundation and the St. Hubert's Giralda Animal Welfare & Education Center.

  As AKC's Chairman of the Board, Mr. Menaker has implemented various new programs including an AKC management succession plan, increased employee training and development, a summer internship program, an internal consulting group, the DOGNY public art initiative, and has introduced many enhancements to the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship.

  Mr. Menaker is the father of two grown children and resides in Franklin Lakes, NJ with his wife Kathy and Border Terrier, Zoe.
   

• David C. Merriam who was re-elected Vice-Chairman of the Board, also serves as the Delegate of the Duluth Kennel Club, and has been in the sport since 1952. He previously served on the Board from 1979-1985 and from 1994-1996. Mr. Merriam was Executive Vice-President and interim CEO of the AKC for six months and after returning to the Board served as Chairman from September 1996 until March 2002. He has bred and exhibited Bull Terriers extensively for almost 50 years. He has served as show chairman for the Kennel Club of Riverside for 14 years and president of the Bull Terrier Club of America for three years. He is approved to judge Best in Show, the Terrier Group and Toy Manchester Terriers.