Our Board: Champions of Canine Health

Dr. Mary Smith is Chairman of the AKC Canine Health Foundation Board of Directors. She has served as Vice Chairman of the Board and as Chairman of the Foundation's Scientific Review Committee. 

After graduating as a Veterinarian from the University of Edinburgh in 1980, Dr. Smith worked as a general practitioner treating both pets and farm animals, before undertaking advanced training at the University of California.  She then practiced as a board-certified specialist in Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery both in academia and private practice.  Dr. Smith is the author of a textbook, medical review articles, multiple book chapters, and more than 25 original scientific papers on both small animal and large animal neurology.

Since 1987 Dr. Smith has owned, bred, trained, and handled Flat Coated retrievers, titling dogs in conformation, hunting tests, tracking, agility, and obedience.  She has served as a board member, event secretary, and event chairman for a variety of local retriever, tracking, and obedience clubs, and on the national board of the Flat Coated Retriever Society of America.

Dr. Wayne Jensen received his DVM from Colorado State University (CSU) in 1984. After completing a small animal clinical internship at Iowa State University, he returned to CSU for a residency and PhD in Pathology.  In 2003, he again returned to CSU for an MBA degree. His 40 years of experience in the animal health industry includes veterinary practice, research, product development, business development and academia. Dr. Jensen was Head of the Department of Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at CSU from 2016-2023 and currently is a professor in the department. In 1999, Dr. Jensen and his wife, Tracey (also a veterinarian) founded the Wellington Veterinary Hospital, a small animal veterinary hospital that was selected as “2012 Practice of the Year” by the American Animal Hospital Association. They sold this practice in 2020. 

Drs. Wayne and Tracey Jensen along with their five Labrador retrievers, a Flat-Coated retriever, and a Border Collie summer in Wellington, Colorado and winter in Vernon, Florida.

Steven Hamblin is a Pekingese breeder and exhibitor based in southern California.  Mr. Hamblin breeds and shows under the kennel prefix, Dancing Lion. He is the AKC Delegate and President for The Pekingese Club of America™. He serves on the Board of Directors for the American Kennel Club and is very proud to serve as Treasurer on the Board of the AKC Canine Health Foundation.  Mr. Hamblin is also actively involved in the Pacific Coast Pekingese Club, Los Encinos Kennel Club, and Morris & Essex Kennel Club.

Mr. Hamblin is a trusted real estate advisor with Coldwell Banker Realty, specializing in the luxury residential markets in and around Beverly Hills, California.  Prior to real estate, Mr. Hamblin had a long career in operations, marketing, and branding for Starbucks, and then as a consultant for private clients.  He attended Bennington College in Vermont, where he double majored in Theatrical Directing & Performance and Chinese Language & Classical Literature.  He was Bennington’s first Directing major and first Chinese Studies major.  He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing©, Greater Los Angeles REALTORS©, California Association of REALTORS©, and the National Association of REALTORS©.

In addition to Pekingese, Mr. Hamblin’s family shares their West Hollywood home with Bengal and Devon Rex cats.

Susan Hamil serves on the Board of Directors for the AKC Canine Health Foundation.
Ms. Hamil graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and California State University Fullerton with a Masters degree in Library Science. She is a licensed veterinary technician in the state of California and managed Canyon Animal Hospital in Laguna Beach.

Susan serves on the Board of Directors for the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. She is an Honorary member  of the American Bloodhound Club and served on their Board of Directors as President and AKC Delegate. Susan currently serves as AKC Delegate for Shoreline Dog Fanciers of Orange County, California. Ms. Hamil has twice been selected as AKC Hound Group Breeder of the Year and has been awarded the AKC CHF’s President’s Award. 

Susan was a founding member of her local breed club's shelter rescue program. Susan and her husband, John, a retired veterinarian,  have three grown sons. They live in Laguna Beach, California.

Dr. Kristin Bloink is the Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs and Pharmacovigilance at Elanco Animal Health where she manages the registration, defense and compliance of new and existing products, across all major technology types for 5 species in the 80+ countries the company serves. She has a DVM degree from Michigan State University, an MPH from the University of Michigan, a BS in Human Medicine – Physician Assistant from the University of Iowa, and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine.

Dr. Bloink has more than 30 years of experience bridging from human medicine to veterinary medicine. Her professional endeavors have included design and execution of human clinical trials, animal drug discovery and development, translational models, and human and veterinary clinical medical delivery in the private as well as the military sector.

Dogs have been a passion for Dr. Bloink since age 12, when a very well-prepared sales pitch worked on her parents yielding a lovely Golden Retriever. She has owned, bred, trained, and handled Leonbergers and Golden Retrievers, titling dogs in conformation, obedience, rally, agility, scent work, therapy work and drafting. Dr. Bloink has been a member of the Golden Retriever Club of America since 1993, a member of the Leonberger Club of America since 2003, and a member of several local dog training and local/regional kennel clubs, as professional duties have moved her about the United States.

Dr. A. Duane Butherus is a member of the AKC Canine Health Foundation's Board of Directors and its Scientific Review Committee. He earned a PhD in chemistry, retired after working as a scientist at Bell Laboratories for 31 years, and is presently teaching undergraduate Chemistry. Dr. Butherus has served as Chairman of the CHF Board and Chair of the Foundation's Scientific Review Committee.

He has been an active breeder and exhibitor of Afghan Hounds in partnership with his wife Connie for over 35 years, finishing the championships of more than 30 dogs. Duane has been a member of the Afghan Hound Club of America for over thirty years. Duane was founding President of the Central New Jersey Hound Association and presently serves as the Vice President of the Delaware Water Gap Kennel Club. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Kennel Club and is also a member of the Morris & Essex Kennel Club. Duane has been Show Chair for several clubs, including the Afghan Hound Club of Northern New Jersey Specialty Club and the Delaware Water Gap Kennel Club. He is approved to judge Afghan Hounds, and has judged that breed internationally, including specialty shows in New Zealand, Australia, and Belgium.

William I. Christensen, MD, MPH, is a board member of the AKC Canine Health Foundation.

Dr. Christensen also serves as President of the Australian Terrier Club of America, has been its delegate to the American Kennel Club since 2012, and a member of the delegate health committee since 2014. Dr. Christensen is also a board member of the Desert Empire Terrier Club of Southern California. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Christensen and his husband, Kreg B. Hill, have bred twelve Australian Terrier champions, including the first and only Australian Terrier to achieve a Gold Grand Championship. Dr. Christensen is currently the medical director at Eisenhower Occupational Health Services in Cathedral City, California.

Sally Fineburg is a current member of the American Kennel Club’s Board of Directors and the AKC Delegate for the Hatboro Dog Club. She is also a preservationist breeder, owner, and exhibitor of top-ranked Ridgebacks in Conformation, Performance and Companion events for more than two decades, and co-owns multiple Norwich Terriers. Professionally, Sally is an owner and Vice President of a third-generation, family-owned and operated, petroleum company in New Jersey.

Dr. J. Charles Garvin serves on the CHF Board of Directors. He was the Board Chairman from 2016-2024 and has also served on the Foundation's Scientific Review Committee. He is a retired ophthalmic surgeon and president of a 72-physician medical practice.

Dr. Garvin has been closely associated with Dalmatians since the 1960s. Since then, he has had 86 champions in the breed, most of them owner-handled. Dr. Garvin has judged at the Dalmatian Club of America (DCA) national specialty show five times, including the AKC Centennial Show in 1984, and has judged nationals in Canada and Australia. He has served multiple terms as DCA president and has sat on the club's board of directors for 28 years. A life member of the Central Ohio Kennel Club and the Marion Ohio Kennel Club, he has been Marion's AKC Delegate since 1990 and a club officer for 27 years. He is also a member of the American Kennel Club Board of Directors.

Dr. Laura Liscum obtained her doctoral degree in Biological Sciences from Columbia University, NY, in 1982. After 3 years as a postdoctoral fellow in Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, she joined the faculty at Tufts University School of Medicine. Her research focused on Niemann-Pick C disease, a neurodegenerative disease of aberrant cholesterol metabolism, and was funded by the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, and National Niemann-Pick Disease Foundation. She retired in 2016 as Professor Emerita of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology.

Dr. Liscum has had Petit Basset Griffon Vendéens (PBGV) in the past. She is Assistant Chair of the Health Committee of the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America and President of the Health & Rescue Foundation of PBGVCA. She has written many health articles for the PBGVCA’s magazine, Saber Tails. Currently, Dr. Liscum has a 7 year old Basset Fauve de Bretagne and a 13 year old PBGV. She adopted both through their respective AKC parent club rescue committees after their owners died. She is now on the Basset Fauve de Bretagne Club of America Board of Directors.

Dr. Liscum’s Fauve participates in FastCAT and Scent Work, and has aspirations for Rally. Her PBGV is retired, but still keeps the yard free of rabbits.

Chris Miele has been passionate about Golden Retrievers for nearly 50 years and currently serves as President of the Golden Retriever Foundation. She views it an honor to give back to the breed she loves and to establish programs that enrich the lives of the dogs and their owners.

Dr. Valeria Rickard, DVM, is the founder and owner of the North Oatlands Animal Hospital and Reproduction Center in Leesburg, Virginia and the Dominion Valley Animal Hospital in Haymarket, Virginia. Dr. Rickard is a highly experienced surgeon, specializing in minimally invasive laparoscopic and laser surgeries. She is known worldwide for her expertise in canine reproduction and pediatrics.

Cynthia Sansone brings over 20 years of experience in the world of purebred dogs, with a background as an owner, breeder, and exhibitor in conformation. She and her husband, Steven, currently raise and compete with their Long Grove Kennel Giant Schnauzers in rally events. In addition to her involvement with dogs, Cynthia actively competes in dressage with her Hanoverian horse, Accordingly. She serves as a Director and Treasurer of the Morris & Essex Kennel Club and is also a member of the Kennel Club of Philadelphia.

Scott Smith serves on the Board of Directors for the AKC Canine Health Foundation.

Mr. Smith is the Director of the Breeder Enthusiast Field Operations Team at Nestlé Purina Petcare. He has over 30 years of experience in the pet food industry - working in retail, distribution, and manufacturing organizations.  Scott joined the Ralston Purina Company in 1999.  He has served several roles from field sales to Account Executive to Sales Director. In his most recent position, Scott is responsible for the Breeder Enthusiast Field Team. He regularly engages with conformation and sporting dog enthusiasts from across the country, including those participating in performance and companion dog sports.

Scott received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York and still resides in upstate New York with his wife, two daughters and the family dog, a Black Labrador Retriever named Judy. Judy and Scott are Therapy Dog Certified and frequently engage where needed in the community.  Judy is fond of long hikes, swimming, and fishing excursions in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. Scott has always had dogs and cats in his life - including several Newfoundlands, a Poodle, a Springer Spaniel, Labrador Retrievers, and two domestic shorthaired cats, among others.

Tina Truesdale is a member of the AKC Canine Health Foundation's Board of Directors.

Mrs. Truesdale has been involved with the AKC Canine Health Foundation since the early years and has sponsored several events to benefit the Foundation.  In 2010, she and her husband, Dr. William Truesdale, a former AKC Canine Health Foundation board member, received the AKC Canine Health Foundation Presidents award for their hard work, dedication, and support of the Foundation's mission.  

Dr. and Mrs. Truesdale reside in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Mrs. Truesdale serves as a board member for the Morris & Essex Kennel Club. She is a lifetime member of the American Boxer Club and a director of the American Boxer Charitable Foundation. She has had numerous AKC Champion Boxers and Affenpinschers, most notably “Banana Joe” who was best in show at Westminster in 2013.