The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) is pleased to announce that Dr. Maggie Baldwin has been named state veterinarian. In the role, Dr. Baldwin will manage CDA’s Animal Health division through planning, directing and executing all programs, policies and cooperative agreements with other governmental agencies.
Implementation of secure food supply plans and emergency response plans, enhanced animal disease traceability, education, and robust stakeholder engagement are among Dr. Baldwin’s priorities for the position. She is also making history as the first ever female state veterinarian in Colorado.
"Time and again, Maggie has proved her mettle in crisis management, animal disease complexities, and excellence in service to the veterinary profession," said Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg. "Coloradoans will benefit from the skill and dedication that Maggie brings to the people and animals of our state."
Dr. Baldwin joined the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Division in January 2017, focusing on emergency response, incident management, and public outreach. She has served as Epidemiology Traceability Veterinarian and most recently as the Colorado Assistant State Veterinarian, a role that focused on emergency management and disease response activities, overall management of division activities, and supporting the mission of the Animal Health Division.
"Maggie has been a valued and steadily increasing asset to CDA's Animal Health Division and to our agriculture producers since she began in her initial role with us developing emergency response plans," said Keith Roehr, retiring state veterinarian. "She has earned the much-deserved respect from veterinarians, emergency responders, livestock producers, and more. I am so pleased that Colorado animal regulatory medicine will be in such capable hands."
"Among the breadth of her animal disease work statewide, Dr. Baldwin has worked closely with Colorado's pork producers to exercise scenarios should a disease outbreak occur in Colorado and surrounding states," said Brett Rutledge, Colorado Ag Commissioner and Colorado Pork Producers Council board member. "Maggie will be a seamless transition into this critical state role for Colorado agriculture."
In her previous roles at CDA, Dr. Baldwin has worked closely on a variety of complex animal disease responses, including a tuberculosis trace in beef cattle, an Equine Infectious Anemia trace investigation, the largest vesicular stomatitis outbreak in state history, and most recently, the introduction of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus Type 2, a new foreign animal disease in rabbits.
“I grew up with a love for the country and my community, and a passion for animals and agriculture which has been, and continues to be, a driving force in my career,” said Dr. Baldwin. “I am honored to lead our animal health division in this new role and continue to support a strong agricultural community in Colorado.”
In addition to animal disease control, Dr. Baldwin has assumed a key emergency management role for CDA and the state in last year, having been closely involved with all hazards incidents, including many significant wildfires and the state COVID-19 response. She was named 2020 Veterinarian of the Year by the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association in recognition of her tireless effort, unparalleled enthusiasm, and outstanding service to the veterinary profession and the entire state of Colorado throughout a difficult year in her role as the Assistant State Veterinarian.
Dr. Baldwin earned her DVM from the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine in St. Paul. She began her career in public service as a Supervisory Public Health Veterinarian with USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service and Veterinary Medical Officer with USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Dr. Baldwin grew up in a small town in rural west-central Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota, Morris before entering veterinary school. She is an avid reader and member of a local book club, and loves spending time with her husband and two sons on their small hobby farm near Johnstown, Colorado.