The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) welcomes a new vice president and two directors to its board.

Emma Adam, BVetMed, PhD, DACVIM, DACVS, associate professor and industry liaison at the University of Kentucky’s Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center in Lexington, Ky., has been elected vice president. She will begin her term in 2026 and ascend to president in 2028.

Stacey Cordivano, DVM, owner of Clay Creek Equine Veterinary Services in Chadds Ford, Pa., and Ernie Martinez, DVM, MBA, field care veterinarian at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky., have been elected to 3-year terms on the AAEP Board of Directors. They will be installed Dec. 9 during the AAEP’s annual convention in Denver, Colo.

Adam served on the AAEP Board of Directors from 2021-2023. She chairs the Member Engagement Committee, while previously serving on the Racing and Nominating committees. Adam is the vice president of the Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners.

“Dr. Adam possesses unique perspective, having practiced in four countries on three continents and in positions encompassing clinical practice, research and academia with a focus on industry outreach,” according to the AAEP. “In her current position, she supports the profession and equine industry, conducts equine research, mentors and teaches undergraduate and veterinary students and assists with the pre-vet program at the university.”

Cordivano started an equine ambulatory practice in 2010, focusing on sport horse performance issues and alternative and emergency medicine.

“In 2020, Dr. Cordivano launched The Whole Veterinarian Podcast committed to holistic professional wellbeing,” according to the AAEP. “She also supports the professional growth and retention of early career veterinarians as an equine cohort facilitator for MentorVet and of mid-career equine practitioners as co-founder of the Sustainability in Equine Practice Seminar series, which in 2025 merged with Decade One. Dr. Cordivano co-chaired the AAEP’s Practice Culture Subcommittee and currently serves on the Healthy Practice Committee.”

Martinez focuses on Thoroughbred farm breeding, mare and foal care, stallions, herd health and dentistry at Hagyard Equine.

“Dr. Martinez chairs the AAEP’s Foreign Veterinary Graduates Task Force, which is working to address the challenges and opportunities of integrating graduates of foreign, non-AVMA-accredited veterinary schools into the U.S. equine veterinary workforce,” according to the AAEP. “He also serves on the Early Career Committee and is the association’s primary representative to the AVMA’s Clinical Practitioners Advisory Committee.”