–David Keene and Dr. William R. Newman Elected to Board of Directors; Incumbent Director Nina Schaefer Re-Elected; Ronald H. Menaker and David C. Merriam Re-Elected as Chairman and Vice Chairman Respectively —
The Annual Meeting of the AKC Delegates and subsequent meeting of the Board of Directors took place on March 14, 2006. David Keene, Delegate from the Greater Collin Kennel Club, and Dr. William R. Newman, Delegate from the Mastiff Club of America were elected as Directors. Incumbent Director Nina Schaefer has been re-elected. In addition, Ronald H. Menaker has been re-elected as Chairman and David C. Merriam has been re-elected as Vice Chairman.
David Keene of Plano, TX has been in dogs since 1988. He has served as the AKC Delegate for The Greater Collin Kennel Club since 2001, when the club was granted AKC Member Club status, a project he spearheaded. He also currently serves on the AKC Delegate Bylaws Committee and was a member of the TV Rights Ad-Hoc Committee.
Keene is involved in other dog clubs including the Canadian Kennel Club, Basset Hound Club of America, and the Basset Hound Club of Canada. He has also served as a past President of Greater Collin Kennel Club, local Basset Hound specialty clubs, and has experience participating in Conformation, Obedience, Field Trial and Agility events. The Keenes have bred and shown Basset hounds since 1988, winning 23 Best in Shows in four countries and have owned several nationally-ranked dogs.
Currently the Loan Operations Manager at ViewPoint Bank, Keene has over 24 years experience in Banking and Financial Services, and holds a B.B.A. in Management from Angelo State University and has done work in Petroleum Land Management at Oklahoma University.
He is married to Barba Keene and has two children and three grandchildren.
Dr. William R. Newman of Bedford, PA is the AKC Delegate for the Mastiff Club of America, where he has served as a Board Member for multiple terms; and also as President, Vice President and Secretary.
Newman is the breeder/owner of numerous Mastiff Champions and the owner of the top winning Alaskan Malamute and English Foxhound of all time. He is an AKC licensed judge for 14 breeds, is Chairman of the AKC Delegates’ Health Committee and a Board Member of AKC Canine Health Foundation.
In addition to his extensive experience as a fancier, Newman is accomplished in the medical profession and in his community. He has served as the Director of Radiology at Memorial Hospital and as Director of Radiology and Chief of Staff at Sacred Heart Hospital. He served as mayor of his hometown, Bedford, PA, from 1994 to 2000.
Newman is also involved with a number of professional organizations including as a founding member of the Maryland Nuclear Medicine Society, and the President of the Allegany County Medical Society and Bedford County Medical Society.
Newman holds a B.A. from Hofstra University, in New York, and an M.D. from the State University of New York.
Nina Schaefer of Huntingdon Valley, PA is the Delegate for the Back Mountain Kennel Club and has served on the AKC Board of Directors since 2002. She has been involved in purebred dogs since 1966.
Schaefer is also a member of the Siberian Husky Club of America, the Siberian Husky Club of Delaware Valley, Inc., Devon Dog Show Association, Morris & Essex Kennel Club, Hilton Head Island Kennel Club and Huntingdon Valley Kennel Club. In addition, Schaefer serves as President of the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs. As a member of the Delaware Valley Siberian Husky Rescue since 1999, she has placed over 100 dogs and is AKC licensed to judge Siberian Huskies, Akitas and Shiba Inu. She lives with her husband, Charles Schaefer, in Huntingdon Valley, PA.
Ronald H. Menaker has been the Chairman of the AKC Board of Directors since 2002. Menaker represents the Greater Freeport Illinois Kennel Club and is Show Chairman for AKC/Eukanuba National Championship. An active participant in the sport of purebred dogs for nearly 40 years, he bred and exhibited Giant Schnauzers, and has also shown Bedlington Terriers and Norfolk Terriers. A licensed AKC judge since 1994, Menaker is approved to judge Best in Show, all Working breeds, multiple Sporting breeds, Bedlington Terriers and Miniature Schnauzers.
Menaker is a retired Managing Director and Head of Corporate Services of J.P. Morgan & Co. Incorporated of New York, and a past President and Director of J. P. Morgan Services, Inc. He is also the Vice Chairman and past Chairman of New York Downtown Hospital.
Menaker resides in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey with his wife Kathy.
David C. Merriam, Delegate of the Duluth Kennel Club, has been involved in the sport since 1952. He served as interim CEO of the AKC for six months and as Chairman of the AKC Board of Directors from September 1996 until March 2002. Merriam has bred and exhibited Bull Terriers extensively for over 50 years and has served as Show Chairman for the Kennel Club of Riverside and President of the Bull Terrier Club of America.
Merriam lives in Bonsall, CA.