OUR TEAM
JILL FELICE
Founder | Program Director
As a child, Jill Felice started training dogs for her sister who had cerebral palsy. Jill learned from this formative, early experience how the union of two species that bond as a team can navigate the world and build the resources to achieve solutions to many challenges. Jill is a graduate of Bergin University of Canine Studies, the only accredited academic institution in the world solely devoted to advanced canine education and research. She began ADW with one dog and one client. Her embrace of positive reinforcement training to produce assistance dogs who serve with confidence and joy remains distinctive to ADW’s entire approach to training dogs without ever resorting to dominance- or punishment-based instruction.
LINDA MILANESI
Executive Director
In 2006, Linda Milanesi began her career with Assistance Dogs of the West when she apprenticed to become an instructor/trainer in the school programs. She served as Vice President of the ADW board until 2011, when she was named ADW’s Executive Director. Linda oversees a whole-systems team approach for ADW. She supervises and manages policy and procedure, advocacy, board relations, finance, development and grant-writing. She is responsible for creating and nurturing donor and foundation relations and earned income projects. She produces the annual graduation ceremony celebrating the dogs that have been successfully trained for client placements and facility placements.
LIZ NAPIERALSKI
Client Liaison | Grant Writer
Liz celebrated her tenth year at ADW in December 2019. Except for the morning coffee, there’s no such thing as an average day. She is the point person for communications with clients and prospective clients and facility teams. She coordinates the details for all ADW’s client materials, from applications to Client Placement Training, and manages the client application process. In addition, Liz puts her B.A. in English and Creative Writing to use by writing and editing ADW’s newsletters, and by writing grants.
DENISE DUMESNIL, CESP, LCSW
Instructor | Trainer | Grant Writer
Denise is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Taos, NM, where she works with several nonprofit organizations to provide Canine-Assisted Therapy to their clientele, with ADW’s serviced dogs-in-training. She obtained Clark, a facility service dog, from Assistance Dogs of the West in June 2012 to be her co-therapist – the best decision she has ever made! After experiencing the immeasurable benefits Clark brings to her work, she has worked with Assistance Dogs of the West to bring therapeutic Student Trainer and Warrior Canine Connection programs to Taos.
AIMEE BROWN
Lead Instructor | Trainer
Aimee has been caring for and training animals all her life. Her experience with positive reinforcement training began working with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, harbor seals, California sea lions, and a variety of birds and reptiles in Florida. Aimee joined ADW in 2018 and is deeply engaged in Facility Dog, Courthouse Facility Dog and Crisis Response Canine placement. She also assists individuals with disabilities through ADW’s One Dog: One Person and Owner/Self-Training Programs. She holds a B.S. in Zoology and Psychology from New Mexico State University.
MARA PERRIGO, CTC
Instructor | Trainer
Mara has always been drawn to the science of animal behavior. She started her college studies in marine biology, and worked at the Marine Mammal Center of Santa Barbara. After completing her undergraduate education in Psychology with a focus on Animal Behavior and Cognition, she enrolled in the Academy for Dog Trainers, where she earned her certification as a force-free trainer in 2020. Mara's experience as a Certified Trainer and Counselor with years of hands-on dog training experience, as well as her work with children with disabilities through Challenge New Mexico, led Mara to ADW.
PENNY RYAN
Instructor | Trainer
Penny Ryan met Jill Felice shortly after Jill founded ADW. Penny began volunteering her time in 1995. Her experience as a Narcotic Detection Dog handler and trainer helped with the inception of the ADW Diabetic Alert and Seizure Response Dog program. Penny always told Jill, she would come work at ADW when she retired. She retired from the New Mexico State Police in 2014, and shortly after, began work as a trainer with ADW. Happy to work with wonderful people and amazing dogs, Penny is also our scent-training guru, sharing her expertise with all at ADW.
SUSAN RIVENBARK
Volunteer Coordinator
Susan attended her first ADW Graduation in 2008 and fell in love with our mission. The ceremony showed the powerful connections between the ADW staff, student trainers, volunteers and clients. She began volunteering with ADW in 2016, first as a Puppy Sitter and then as a Puppy Raiser. Volunteers are so very important to the health, well being, development and socialization of these amazing service dogs-in-training. As Volunteer Coordinator she is responsible for recruiting new volunteers, orienting them to ADW and the various volunteer programs, training, scheduling and communications. Since 2016 she has grown our volunteer population and programs, providing meaningful and rewarding opportunities to volunteers and terrific experiences for the pups and dogs.
JENNIFER USNER
Instructor | Trainer
Jennifer got involved with ADW at the ripe, old age of 12, participating in our summer camp. She considered herself lucky when her high school offered a dog training class taught by ADW. Inspired by the work our trainers do, Jennifer later attended Bergin University of Canine Studies, focusing her studies on service dog training. While still at Bergin, she reconnected with ADW founder Jill Felice in the hopes of joining our team. Hired just a month later, she’s never looked back. In addition to training ADW service dogs, Jennifer now teaches the same children’s programs that jump-started her career.
JOHN TODD
Operations Coordinator
John has been rescuing and rehoming bully breeds for 25 years. He is ADW’s organizational hub — triaging inquiries, overseeing project timelines, and producing fund-raising/awareness initiatives. He has over 30 years of experience in branding and content creation with a client roster that includes AT&T, Bloomingdale’s, GM Auto, The Home Depot, IBM, Philips/Sonicare, Ralph Lauren, Walgreen’s and Walmart. Prior to ADW, John was Managing Photo Editor and Sr. Art Director for WebMD. He holds a B.F.A. from The Savannah College of Art and Design and a Masters from The Massachusetts College of Art.
DANI MILLER
Trainer
Dani has loved dogs since she began training her pets in childhood. Before joining ADW’s training staff in 2003, Dani was a volunteer puppy raiser and a trainer at a PetSmart in California. As an adult, she studied how to train dogs in a variety of disciplines including obedience, agility, flyball, herding, clicker and rally. Dani encountered her first service dog in training while living in California, and had skilled dogs who helped her son through a challenging illness. Every dog that has come into her life has a special purpose, teaching her new things every day.
