Dr. Marguerite Pappaioanou serves as Executive Director of the Association of American Veterinary Colleges and on behalf of the 28 US Veterinary Medical Colleges and other member institutions, is responsible for achieving the mission, goals, and objectives of the Association in collaboration with its partners. She is an epidemiologist with over 25 years experience working in domestic and international human public health. From February 2005 to October 2007, she served as Professor, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, at the University of Minnesota, holding a joint appointment with the College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research interests included emerging zoonotic infectious diseases, particularly avian influenza, and in linking human and animal health sectors to address important human and animal health problems caused by zoonotic diseases. She joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota following a 21 ½ year career as a Commissioned Officer in the US Public Health Service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she conducted applied research in malaria prevention and control in Africa, designed and led the implementation of the family of HIV seroprevalence surveillance programs, directed a capacity building project to strengthen skills of health officials in developing countries to use data for program and policy decision making more effectively, led a research synthesis program supporting the development of the US Guide to Community Preventive Services: Systematic Reviews and Evidence-based Recommendations, and as Associate Director for Science and Policy in the then, CDC Office of Global Health, coordinated CDC’s research and programs in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. She is committed to promoting the linkages between veterinary medicine and the other human and animal health professions. She served as a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association- American Medical Association Task Force on the One Health Initiative. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Michigan State University in 1972, Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of California, Davis, in 1976 and 1982, respectively. She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. She retired from the Commissioned Corps of the US Public Health Service in January, 2005.