R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-25-3

The governor shall appoint a board of veterinary medicine. The board shall be composed of six (6) members whose terms of office shall extend for three (3) years and until a successor is appointed. Five (5) members of the board shall be veterinarians licensed in the state, one of whose practice shall include the treatment of equine or large animals, and one member shall be a public member. No member shall serve more than two (2) consecutive, three-year (3) terms. Former board members are eligible for reappointment no earlier than three (3) years following the expiration of their last term. The governor shall appoint one member for a term of one year; two (2) for a term of two (2) years; two (2) for a term of three (3) years; and one public member for a three-year (3) term. Initial appointments to the board shall take effect as of the date of appointment, however, the initial terms shall be calculated as though the date of appointment had been July 1, 1986. Appointments made subsequently shall be for three-year (3) terms. Terms shall begin on the first day of July of the year in which they are appointed and expire on the last day of June of the last year of their appointment. Any vacancy on the board caused other than by expiration of term shall be filled in accordance with the provisions of this section. The governor may remove any member of the board for cause.