Hero Dogs Inc.

• Jennifer Lund, Ph.D. - President & Founder
• D. Jeanie Wade, COL USAR (Ret) - Vice President
• Brian Bender, CPA - Treasurer
• Joseph A. Pulver, Esq. - Secretary
• Joann Amann - Board Member
• Lynne Bettinger - Board Member
• Marcie Engel, DVM - Board Member
• Ilene A. Glassman - Board Member
• Carl Phipps, LCDR (Ret) - Board Member
• Harold Chernoff - Board Member
• Rena Dye - Board Member
• Rob Grubbs, COL USAR (Ret) - Board Member

Jennifer Lund, Ph.D. - President & Founder

Jennifer is a former research scientist with experience at the University of Michigan, Medtronic Inc., and IBM. She specialized in neural prostheses - electrode arrays implanted in the brain to control prosthetic devices such as an artificial eye, ear, or limb. Her interest in "putting people back together" coupled with her love for dogs led Jennifer to start Hero Dogs, Inc. She is passionate about providing service dogs to people who deserve them most but often go unnoticed: our wounded warriors. Jennifer is a "dog expert" having raised and trained dogs all her life, including assistance dogs for Leader Dogs for the Blind, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Inc. and canines for the Connecticut State Police. She is certified by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers and owns and operates a highly successful dog agility and obedience business in Montgomery County, Maryland. She is an instructor for Kutztown University's Level II Canine Training and Management Program, a long time member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and has served on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jeanie Wade, SGT USMC (Ret) - Vice President

Jeanie Wade works as a Program Director for Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Medaille College and served in the United States Marine Corps. She is a certified Continuous Improvement Black Belt. She has previously volunteered for the Niagara County (New York) SPCA and for the Tails of Hope Sanctuary. She is a member of the Marine Corps Association, the Marine Corps Aviation Association, the Women Marines Association, the Association of the United States Army, and the American Society for Quality. Pictured with Jeanie (from left to right) are Ditto, Sidney, and Webster, her three adopted dogs.

Brian Bender, CPA - Treasurer

Brian is a member of the Reznick Group National Nonprofit Practice, a top 20 public accounting firm based out of Bethesda, MD. He has five years of experience serving for-profit commercial businesses and nonprofit clients, including foundations, trade associations, membership organizations, charities, and social clubs. He is a member of Reznick Group's Nonprofit audit methodology and efficiencies committee, which oversees and develops accounting and auditing best practices and keeps professional staff abreast of all technical developments related to nonprofit organizations. Brian received his Bachelor of Science in business administration in accounting from West Virginia University and is now in the process of earning his MBA from Suffolk University's Sawyer Business School. He is an active member in both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA) and is also currently volunteering on the VSCPA 2009-2010 Government & Non-profit Task Force Committee. Brian adopted his first rescue dog, a black Labrador Retriever mix named Roxie, in 2004; having grown up in a family with several dogs, Brian is a firm believer in the mutually beneficial relationship between humans and their canine friends. He, his wife Mary-Lynn, and Roxie reside in Gaithersburg, MD. Brian has an older brother who is currently serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Joseph A. Pulver, Esq. - Secretary

Joe is a commercial law attorney at Leitess Leitess Friedberg + Fedder PC in Baltimore, Maryland. He has a JD and MBA from the University of Baltimore and an undergraduate degree in business from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park. Joe worked with multiple non-profit organizations in and around the Baltimore/Washington area as a member of the Community Development Clinic at the University of Baltimore School of Law, helping them to meet their organizational goals, maintain non-profit status and comply with federal and state regulations. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Lawyers' Campaign Against Hunger, an organization that raises money for the Maryland Food Bank and Capital Area Food Bank to serve the hungry across all corners of the State of Maryland. Joe and his wife, Caitlin, live in Elkridge, Maryland.

JoAnn Amann - Board Member

JoAnn has extensive experience in the assistance dog training industry having been partnered with her own hearing dogs for 15 years as well as working in several capacities as a volunteer for an Assistance Dog International (ADI) accredited member organization. JoAnn was partnered with her first hearing dog, Belle, a Cardigan Welsh corgi, in 1996, a partnership that thrived until Belle was retired from service in 2006. JoAnn's current hearing dog, Hope, a standard poodle accompanies JoAnn 24 hours a day and has even traveled with JoAnn to such locales as Peru, London, California, and Colorado. As a result of her personal experience, JoAnn and her dogs have conducted hundreds of community education presentations and workshops on the rewards of working with an assistance dog. JoAnn's passion is mentoring clients-in-training as they work their way through the training process and learn to manage the challenges of working with an assistance dog at home and out in public. She developed and instituted a client services program and served as Director of Client Services for eight years. Her accomplishments include developing a client handbook for working with an assistance dog, serving as chairperson for the client review committee responsible for interviewing prospective assistance dog applicants, developing training related documentation to guide clients through the training process, and personally mentoring clients from orientation through graduation from the program. In addition her responsibilities included maintaining detailed client training records, managing assistance dog training records and veterinary records, and directing a vacation home provider program for puppies in training. JoAnn is a member of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), a member of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) and is a recognized authority by several members of Assistance Dog International (ADI).

Lynne Bettinger - Board Member

Lynne has been training dogs professionally since 2007 and became a CCPDT-certified dog trainer in 2009. She earned certificates in Canine Training and Management (2008) and Canine Behavior (2009) from Kutztown University. Lynne teaches dog obedience classes, and in early 2010 she will join Kutztown University as an instructor for the Level I Canine Training and Management program. She also is an adjunct faculty member of Anne Arundel Community College. Lynne earned a B.A. in history from the College of William and Mary and an M.S. in telecommunications from The George Washington University. Lynne is a volunteer and board member of Oldies But Goodies Cocker Rescue which serves the mid-Atlantic region. Her involvement includes fostering dogs, researching grant opportunities, assisting with the Combined Federal Campaign, providing training and behavior advice, and producing the organization's newsletter. Lynne has been teaching American Red Cross pet first aid classes since 2001, and she has trained in canine massage. Lynne is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Baltimore Dog magazine and The Humane Society of the United States' All Animals magazine. She currently writes for Examiner.com as the DC Dogs Examiner.

Marcie Engel, DVM - Board Member

Marcie is a native of Silver Spring, MD and graduated from the University of MD, College Park with a Bachelor of Science degree. Marcie has over 20 years in the veterinary profession. She graduated from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine with honors, in 1988. She has owned and operated Brookeville Animal Hospital, LLC, in Brookeville, MD since 1998. Marcie enjoys treating dogs, cats, birds, reptiles and exotic pets. She has 2 llamas, 2 miniature horses and 4 sheep which reside at the hospital. Brookeville Animal Hospital was voted one of Washington's Best Vets by Washingtonian Magazine. Marcie is a founding member for The Emergency Animal Hospital in Ellicot City, MD and sat on the board of directors for over 5 years. She is a member of the AVMA, MVMA, and AAV. Marcie is passionate about veterinary medicine, as well as helping people. She has donated her time and veterinary services for puppy raisers for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Marcie lives in Brookeville, MD with her husband Kerry Hemphill and their 2 dogs, 2 cats and 2 birds.

Ilene A. Glassman - Board Member

Ilene is the co-owner of an Internet Consulting Company, Professional Solutions, LLC of Mt. Airy, MD. She is a Maryland native who graduated from the University of Maryland, University College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. Ilene loves marketing and the internet. Her focus is helping non-profit organizations raise awareness and donations, and small businesses increase their web presence and profits through the power of the internet. Her business offers customized website and email marketing solutions to a wide array of clients. Ilene is also a dog lover who adopted her last 4 dogs from different rescue organizations in the DC Metropolitan Area. In November 2008, and for the first time in more than 20 years, Ilene adopted a 12-week old puppy "Meeka". It is because of "Meeka" and "Bennie" (pictured) that the chance to help Jennifer Lund and Hero Dogs came into her life. Knowing firsthand the amazing joy and unconditional love that dogs bring to people's lives, Ilene welcomed the opportunity to use her online marketing knowledge to help move the mission of Hero Dogs forward.

Carl Phipps, LCDR (Ret) - Board Member

Carl retired from the U.S. Navy after serving 24 years. Commonly known as a 'Mustang' Carl served 10 years in the Enlisted ranks advancing from E-1 to E-7 (Chief Petty Officer), then receiving his commission under the 'Limited Duty Officer' (LDO) program and advanced from O-1 to O-4. He currently works for the Federal Government, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) as the Supply Manager for the Navy Bases at Indian Head, MD and Dahlgren, VA. Carl received his Bachelor of Science in Management and a Master of Public Administration from Troy University and is currently working on a dual Masters degree from Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School pursuing a Masters in Business Administration and Masters of Science in Information and Telecommunications Systems. He and his wife Linda, who is a retired Navy CDR, reside in Waldorf, MD and have four rescued Lab mixes; Bear, Buddy, Duchess and Jester.

Harold Chernoff - Board Member

Harold grew up in Missouri and earned a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Missouri Science & Technology (formerly University of Missouri-Rolla). He is a board member of the Students' Educational Loan Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization promoting engineering education in Missouri. Harold spent the first part of his career working for utilities involved in the construction, operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants. He is currently working as a Branch Chief with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. His branch has oversight responsibilities of licensing activities for power reactors in the Northeast. He enjoys fishing, gardening, and building computers and other things. Harold lives in Glenelg, Maryland with his wife Margaret, son Aleks, and an assortment of four-footed and finned pets.

Rena Dye - Board Member

Rena has worked for the United States Patent and Trademark (USPTO) for 21 years. She is currently a Supervisory Patent Examiner and oversees the work of patent examiners working in the area of chemical and chemical engineering related technologies. She grew up in Texas and moved to Virginia while in college. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from George Mason University and a Masters in Business Administration from the Johns Hopkins University. She has been actively involved in the Combined Federal Campaign at the USPTO for many years and played a leading role in helping her agency to raise over $1.4 Million during the 2010 campaign. She enjoys camping in the summer, volunteering at local schools, and playing the piano. She currently lives in Northern Virginia with husband, Kirk, daughter Kate, and three four-legged friends.

Rob Grubbs, COL USAR (Ret) - Board Member

Rob is a program manager who works at the Headquarters, US Army Corps of Engineers in Washington DC. He is an Army brat and a Virginia native, and retired from the US Army Reserves in 2008. He graduated from the US Military Academy with a BS degree, and has earned master's degrees from Boston University and the US Naval War College. He has worked for the past 18 years in emergency management for the Corps, both domestically and internationally, interspersed with two mobilization tours as a Reservist, serving in Bosnia in 1999 as the battalion commander of a NATO battalion, and for two years in the Pentagon in the Army G-3. He has volunteered with various organizations over the years, to include youth soccer, Kemper Open and US Open golf tournaments, Celebrate Fairfax, Rock and Roll Half Marathons, and the Society of American Engineers. He and his wife, Jan, have two grown children, and reside in Fairfax Station, VA, with their rescue dog Pungo.