About Us

ACOSA was founded in Billings, Montana in 1966 by David Parker.  In 1969, David Parker, along with John Conter, incorporated ACOSA . In 1974, John and Claire Conter took over the managerial duties of the Association and ran it for the next 18 years.  While John remained President, the management and registration duties were handed down to Coreen Eaton of New Melle, Missouri on January 1, 1992.  In the summer of 1998 Bob Norton was elected the President of the American Council of Spotted Asses and resided over the organization until Patrice Schwegman took over as president in 2014. 

Patrice did a great job leading the organization during her time as president but stepped down in 2015.  Paula Selgelid took the reins in 2015 and has presided over ACOSA since then.

The Spotted Ass is now an established donkey classification and the registered Spotted Asses bring a premium price.  By continuing to register our Spotted Asses, we work towards making the Spotted Ass a major force in the equine world.

Since 2015 ACOSA has had the privilege of having Lori Howard on board as the Spotlight creator and editor.  She has taken the Spotlight to a different level which now includes many articles covering livestock shows, feature farms, advertising - including creating the artwork, breeders list, and recipes. Truly a professional publication.

Dan Conter has been involved with ACOSA since an early age, since he is the son of co-founder John Conter.  He was asked by John to create a web page for ACOSA in 1997.  He now maintains the web site, manages the memberships and is the official registrar of The American Council of Spotted Asses.