Equine practitioner F. Richard Lesser DVM '81 became a new member of the Zweig Committee in 2004. Lesser and his wife, Marilyn Schmidt DVM '78, own and operate the Equine Clinic at OakenCroft in Ravena, New York. The clinic employs five staff veterinarians, an intern, and numerous support staff who provide ambulatory and in-house services to performance horses, broodmares, and pleasure horses.

Lesser is dedicated to the betterment of equine practice. He chairs the Veterinary Management Group VII, a group of 21 veterinarians with similar equine practices around the country who work to improve their profession. He also is an active member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, serving as the chair of the Equine Technicians Task Force. In addition, he facilitates the Practice Management Forum and is a member of the Student Relations Committee.

On the teaching side, Lesser holds an adjunct position at SUNY Cobleskill where he teaches courses in equine health. He recently has served as an adviser to the Curriculum Committee at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine and is a frequent speaker to veterinarians and veterinary students around the country on management issues facing equine practice.