Editorial: August 1, 2025

Reading the American Kennel Club board of directors minutes always proves to be interesting and informative.

For the first time in AKC history, the July board of directors meeting was held in Dallas, Texas — one would assume as a nod to vice chairman Michael Knight and fellow board member Harold Tatro, both residents of the Lone Star State.

The board of directors has announced their selection of the nominating committee for the March 2026 board of directors election, to be held at the March annual meeting. The nominating committee consists of committee chair Gail LaBerge, delegate from the Atlanta Obedience Club; Gretchen Bernardi, delegate from the Mississippi Valley Kennel Club; Ellen Hardin, delegate from the Golden Retriever Club of America; Barbara Shaw, delegate from the Greater Collin Kennel Club, and Matthew Townsend, delegate from the Carolina Working Group Association. The two alternate delegates are Bob Rynkiewicz, delegate from the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America, and Monica Stoner, delegate from the Saluki Club of America. The nominating committee must report to the board its recommendations for which delegates should run for the board. If a delegate was not nominated by the nominating committee, he or she can run from the floor by petition, which requires a certain number of delegate signatures.

While the dust has not really settled after the shocking and abrupt firing of American Kennel Club CEO and president Dennis Sprung, just last week some other surprising firings took place. In total approximately 15 employees from the Raleigh offices of the American Kennel Club were fired. Most were from customer service, but the bold-face names that stand out were executive vice president Mark Dunn and DNA expert Dr. Claire Wiley. If finances were the reason, surely there are other cost-effective measures one could take. As the Raleigh offices have shrunk from four floors to two and a half floors, with a large percentage of employees still working from home, isn’t it time once again to address the consolidation of both offices to the executive offices, with a smaller back-office space that’s commutable from the New York headquarters?

The next board meeting in September will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina.