Management & Board of Directors - Guiding Eyes for the Blind

Board of Directors

Officers

Chair – John L. Donnelly
Vice Chair – Curt J. Landtroop
Treasurer – Matthew E. Zames
Assistant Treasurer – Susan Ludwig, ex-officio
Secretary – Jane Adams
Assistant Secretary – Laura Peterman, ex-officio
President & CEO – Thomas A. Panek, ex-officio

Directors

Eduardo Andrade
Wendy S. David
David Fein
Sue Kelsey
Eli Manning
Jane C. Parker

Andrea Redmond
Cory Shields
Thomas McC. Souther
Cindy Sullivan
Dr. Gaurang Trivedi
Patricia David

Management

Thomas Panek President & CEO
View Thomas’ Executive Profile

Susan Ludwig Controller
Kathryn Zubrycki Vice President of Training Programs

Jane Russenberger Senior Director of Genetics and Breeding
Janine Petroro Director of Human Resources

Development

Elena Consalvo Chief Development Officer
Gail Resnikoff Director of Planned Giving
Rebekah Cross Special Gifts Officer

Rana Liebert Foundation Relations Officer
Bill Totten Director of Digital Marketing

Training, Admissions and Student Services

Jessy DiNapoli Manager of Admissions
James Gardner Director of Home Training
Ellin Purcell Director of Specialized Training

Gerald Brenninkmeyer Director of Canine Program Development
Stephanie Fedele, RN, BSN, Nurse Manager Student Health Services
Ben Cawley Director of Regional Training Programs

Veterinary Services

Dr. Beth Brenninkmeyer, DVM Chief Veterinary Officer
Dr. Shannon Matthies, DVM Staff Veterinarian-PT
Valerie Quick Training School Kennel Manager

Dr. Rachel Albert, DVM STAFF VETERINARIAN
Dr. Marla Nance, DVM STAFF VETERINARIAN

Canine Development Center

Maria Lazzaro Breeding Kennel & Brood/Stud Program
Kerry Lemerise Puppy Program Manager
Jennifer White Whelping Kennel Manager

G-Lee Bridges Early Socialization Manager
Ellen Mitchell Volunteer Services Manager
Dell Rodman Director of Operations, Canine Development Center

We are thrilled to share the addition of a raffle

We are thrilled to share the addition of a raffle with prizes for our virtual Wag-A-Thon challenge coming up this September! All Wag-A-Thon participants registered through September 8th will be entered into a drawing to win one of 3 prize packages generously donated by our friends at @ruffwear:
🐾 Prize 1: Ruffwear Urban Sprawl Bed
🐾 Prize 2: Ruffwear Travel Pack: Haul Bag, Kibble Kaddie, and Bivy Bowl.
🐾 Prize 3: Ruffwear Toy Pack
Click the link in our bio to learn more & register.
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Picture Description: Gibbs, a male black lab puppy, happily runs through the grass on a long leash at the side of his volunteer puppy raiser. Gibbs' raiser holds the bright red leash in his right hand and holds Gibbs' blue Guiding Eyes training vest in his left hand.
Photo Credit: @josephgruber / @bluemarblephotography
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#Wagathon2021 #NationalServiceDogMonth #NationalGuideDogMonth #Ruffwear #ForTheLoveOfDogs #WagMoreBarkLess #ServiceDogMonth #MyDogIsMy #GuidingEyes #RuffwearDog #TheGreatOutDogs #Wagathon #GuideDogMonth #RuffwearDogs #OutdoorPups #HikingDogsOfInstagram #PawsitiveImpact

Happy National Dog Day, fur-ends! Here at Guiding

Happy National Dog Day, fur-ends! Here at Guiding Eyes, we know just how powerful and life-changing the connection between dog & human can be. To celebrate this special day, we collected ten quotes that really capture the heart of our canine companions.
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Click the link in our bio to read the full list.
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Picture Description: A quotation graphic featuring a quote from Orhan Pamuk that reads, “Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.” On the right side of the image is a photo of Larson, a male yellow lab puppy, as he happily sits at the sunflower field and looks up with a big smile. A large, bright sunflower is visible in the background above Larson's head.
Photo Credit: @cjsturges / @nils.raises.geb
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#NationalDogDay2021 #LifeIsGoodWithDogs #DogDay2021 #DogQuotesOfInstagram #NationalDogDay #DogsAndFlowers #DogQuotes #NationalDogDay21 #DogIsGood #DogQuotesDaily #FlowersAndDogs #DogDay21 #TheDogPeople #DogQuote #MustLoveDogs #SunsOutTonguesOut #ForTheLoveOfDogs #ItsADogsLifeAfterAll

Say hello to Henna, this week's Transformation Tue

Say hello to Henna, this week's Transformation Tuesday pup! Henna is a 4-year-old female black and tan German Shepherd guide dog who lives with her handler, Meagan (@the_deafblind_ninja), in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Swipe ⬅️ to watch Henna grow into an official working guide dog!
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Meagan returned to Guiding Eyes for the residential class in February of 2019 to train with her 2nd guide dog. Even before she officially was matched with Henna, Meagan could sense how quickly she would bond with the pointy-eared pup. “On our test route even before I knew we were going to be matched, she came right over and gave me kisses, as if to say 'Hi! I like you!' It was love at first sight. When we were officially matched the next day, we bonded instantly.”
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We are so excited to share that Henna is a finalist for this year's @americanhumane @herodogawards. She has come out on top as the winner of the Hearing/Guide category, and she is now up for the title of "2021 American Hero Dog". You can vote for Henna once a day through September 7th at 3 PM EST. Click the link in our bio to vote.
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Picture Description:
[1] Henna, a black and tan German Shepherd, is pictured as an adorable puppy wearing a red paisley bandana while she lies in the boat.
[2] Meagan & Henna’s official graduation photo. Henna sits while looking very professional in her leather guide dog harness.
Photo Credit [1]: @cml7543
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#HeroDogAwards #DogsOfAlbuquerque #NationalNonProfitDay #GuideDogs #ShepherdsOfIG #DogsWithJobs #HeroDogAwards2021 #GoodNewsTues #GSDForever #GuideDog #HeroDogAwards21 #GuideDogsOfInstagram #NationalNonProfitDay21 #GuidingEyesForTheBlind #DogsOfNewMexico #AlbuquerqueDogs #HeroDogsOfInstagram #DogDaysOfSummer #ShepherdLove #NationalNonProfitDay2021 #AmericanHumaneHeroDogAwards #CharityTuesday

"Meeting Sam and seeing Stan again was truly magic

"Meeting Sam and seeing Stan again was truly magical. I had seen pictures and videos of Stan guiding Sam, but seeing the team work in person made me even prouder. The bond Sam and Stan share is unlike any I have ever seen before — Sam places total trust in Stan, and in turn, Stan keeps Sam safe. There is no doubt in my mind that Stan is exactly where he was destined to be, and being able to say that makes my heart beam with pride."
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Now on the blog: Yfke, a volunteer puppy raiser, reflects on her recent trip to visit with Stan, the second puppy she raised who is now a working guide dog in New Jersey with handler Sam.
Read the full story by clicking the link in our bio.
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Picture Description: Yfke kneels on the stone path with yellow lab pup on program Lancelot in a sit by her side. To her right, Guiding Eyes graduate Sam also kneels on the ground with yellow lab guide dog Stan in a sit by his side. Stan wears his leather guide dog harness, while Lancelot has his blue training vest on.
Photo courtesy of @effiehav
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#PuppyRaiser #RaiseAPuppyChangeALife #PuppyRaisers #InternationalAssistanceDogWeek21 #DogsMakeLifeBetter #GuideDogTeam #AssistanceDogWeek21 #GuideDogsOfInsta #PuppyRaiserLife #GuideDogLife #AssistanceDog #GuideDog #FutureAssistanceDog #FutureGuideDog #AssistanceDogWeek #InternationalAssistanceDogWeek #InEveryGuideDogBeatsTheHeartOfAPuppyRaiser #NationalWorkLikeADogDay #WorkLikeADogDay

This week's Transformation Tuesday features Icarus

This week's Transformation Tuesday features Icarus, a sweet yellow lab. In April, the happy pup completed home training with his handler, Kate. Icarus is Kate's 2nd guide dog from our Specialized Training Program, developed to empower people with vision loss who have additional challenges.
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While training, Icarus impressed Kate with how quickly he caught on to navigating her neighborhood. “I have walking routes around the neighborhood and the second time we returned, he automatically knew where my house was and which driveway was mine. It blew my mind!"
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Kate also highlights how much she enjoyed her time with Andrea Martine, Specialized Training GDMI. "My instructor, Andrea, was wonderful to me. She was very patient and taught me a lot of new things as well as some refreshers, like leash cues and keeping my arm relaxed. She even helped us with the integration of Icarus into a household with two other dogs. We greatly appreciated all her help."
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Icarus was raised by the Yang Family in our @guidingeyes_dominion Region. They sent us this note about their time with Icarus:
"If I had to sum up your journey, I would say 'perseverance'! You were quite the pup, keeping us on our toes. Having three young kids at home we 'persevered' a ton on ignoring stuffed animals and socks and learning good house manners. Perseverance in helping you through your fears of hand dryers and metro gates and all the challenges we have faced together. You paraded through IFT like a champ and persevered through specialized guide training throughout a pandemic. You made it 'Icky', and we are so proud of you and overjoyed!"
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Click the link in our bio to read more.
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Picture Description:
[1] Icarus, a yellow lab, is pictured as an adorable puppy sitting in the grass.
📷: @JosephGruber / @BlueMarblePhotography
[2] Icarus poses for a portrait with Kate in front of a lake at a local park. As Kate smiles, Icarus reaches his head up to give her a kiss.
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#InternationalAssistanceDogWeek #GuidingEyes #AssistanceDogWeek #FromPuppyToGuideDog #DogWithAJob #PupWithAPurpose #GuideDogsOfInstagram #CharityTuesday #AssistanceDogWeek2021 #InternationalAssistanceDogWeek2021

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