Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--The senior development officer for Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine is the newly elected president of the Association of Veterinary Advancement Professionals.
Keith Gaskin recently assumed his duties during the organization's summer meeting held in conjunction with American Veterinary Medical Association's convention in Washington, D.C.
Gaskin, a certified fundraising executive, has served the MSU Foundation in various fundraising roles since 1997. A native of Laurel, he holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master's in public policy and administration from MSU. He also has completed certification in fundraising management from the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy.
The AVAP works to support and enhance the professional skills of development officers at the nation's colleges and schools of veterinary medicine. Other new officers represent Tufts University in Massachusetts and Purdue University in Indiana, as well as the University of Minnesota.
In addition to his duties as AVAP president, Gaskin will be serving on the advancement committee for the Washington-based Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, an American Veterinary Medical Association affiliate that coordinates national and international affairs for all 32 teaching and research facilities in the United States and Canada.
"Keith has a proven track record of successful fundraising at MSU and we are pleased that he is being recognized by his peers on a national level," said veterinary dean Kent Hoblet, in congratulating Gaskin on the honor.