News Release

INDIANA — Beginning April 1, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health will have a new program division: Avian Health. BOAH Veterinarian Maria Cooper, DVM will serve as Avian Health Division Director.

“Formation of the Avian Health Division reflects the significance of poultry production to the state of Indiana,” said Indiana State Veterinarian Dr. Bret D. Marsh. “The agency has had a long history of working with the sector through multiple highly pathogenic avian influenza events. This new division reflects BOAH’s commitment to safeguarding the health of commercial poultry from high-consequence diseases.”

Poultry and eggs make up the fourth largest agricultural commodity in Indiana—with more than $1 billion in sales. Indiana ranks number one in the nation in duck production and number three in total egg production and pounds of turkey raised.

With the launch of the new division, Dr. Cooper transitions from her current position as Senior Director of Planning, where she oversees BOAH field veterinarians and leads disease containment and eradication efforts across all animal species, to the Avian Health Division’s leadership role in which she will focus almost exclusively on poultry.

Avian Health will become the fourth public-facing division within BOAH. The move brings together three of the agency’s most poultry-knowledgeable staff members to coordinate health programs with all of Indiana’s poultry sectors. Working with Dr. Cooper will be Dr. Michael Kopp, who has served the commercial poultry sector at BOAH for 40 years, and Chelsie Leatherman, who joined BOAH in November 2023 as a Poultry Health Specialist to work with producers on National Poultry Improvement Plan certification.

“I have had the opportunity to wear many hats here at BOAH, working across all divisions and all species of animals to support our missions of emergency preparedness, animal health, animal care, and food safety. These duties have provided a strong foundation for this new role,” Dr. Cooper said. “Over the past 10 years, I have enjoyed working with Indiana’s top-ranking poultry sectors and seeing firsthand the energy, growth, and innovation happening among poultry and egg producing companies. I am excited for this opportunity to focus my efforts fully on poultry health programs, issues, and initiatives.”