JILL FELICE
Vice President | 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
CEO | President

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 has been an integral part of Assistance Dogs of the West since December 2008. Her days are anything but routine, with a focus on managing communications with clients, prospective clients, and facility teams. Liz oversees all client-related processes, from initial applications to follow up and accreditation procedures. A Northern Arizona University graduate with a B.A. in English and Creative Writing, Liz brings a rich background in writing and editing to her role. Before joining ADW, she honed her skills at Santa Fean, Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine, and THE Magazine; among others. She now leverages her editorial expertise to craft content for ADW’s newsletters, and to research and write grant proposals. Outside of work, Liz is a devoted mom to two wonderful kids and the proud dog-mom of Decoy, an ADW release dog. She also enjoys dancing and gardening, which provide a perfect balance to her professional life.

MAUREEN NASH
Finance Associate

Maureen Nash is the Finance Associate at Assistance Dogs of the West. She has been in the Accounting field her entire career, and has never had a desire to do anything else. Working at ADW combines the best of both worlds for her, Accounting and dogs. She never dreamed that such a position existed, and she feels so fortunate to have been chosen to fill this role with the ADW organization.

She was first introduced to Gilbert aka “the Professor”, a retired ADW Service Dog, when she interviewed for this position, and so she is posting her favorite photo with Gilbert because he holds a very special place in her heart…he has since crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

DENISE DUMESNIL, CESP, LCSW
ADW Taos - Instructor | Trainer

Denise is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Taos, where she started and runs our Work-Based Learning Student Training Programs and coordinates our Registered Apprenticeship Program. She obtained ADW Clark, a Facility Service Dog, from ADW in 2012 to be her co-therapist – the best decision she has ever made! After seeing the immeasurable benefits Clark brought to her clinical social work, she worked with ADW to bring its student training program to Taos in a way accessible to even more youth: as a paid work-based learning program. This program now also operates at the NM School for the Deaf, Keeping Independent Visions Alive (KIVA) program of Santa Fe Public Schools, Espanola Valley High School, and Taos-area students. Denise is passionate about leveraging ADW’s unique position to engage youth, their families, and community partners to advocate for a more accessible and inclusive society, in the workforce and post-secondary education. 

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.

SHAWN BURCHETT
Instructor | Trainer

As an Army Veteran with a disability, Shawn came to ADW in 2022 to participate in the Owner Self Training Program to train with his Service Dog Beacon. In the process of training Beacon, Shawn fell in love with the atmosphere at ADW and began to volunteer. He found out how therapeutic training dogs could be for him and worked his way to becoming an Instructor/Trainer. Shawn’s favorite part of being here is seeing the improvement in the lives of the people, who they (the dogs) choose. If Shawn and Beacon aren’t at ADW, you can find them volunteering at a local hospital where Beacon also provides his services as a Therapy Dog! 

TRICIA BURCHETT
Administration | Program Assistant

While traveling full-time in their RV, Tricia discovered ADW while searching for an accredited agency offering Owner Self-Training classes for her husband and his dog, Beacon. Their journey took them to Santa Fe, NM, where they connected with the team and were instantly charmed by the people and the organization. Tricia’s involvement began as a volunteer puppy sitter, leading to a part-time role as Puppy Enrichment Center Coordinator. Eager to contribute more, she was soon offered a full-time position in her current role.

When she’s not immersed in her work with ADW, Tricia enjoys scuba diving, quilting, and cooking—hobbies that reflect her adventurous spirit and creative flair.

NIKKI GARDNER
Instructor | Trainer

Nikki Gardner is an animal care professional with over 20 years of experience. She has had the privilege of working in various fields, including veterinary care, doggy day care, animal rescue, and in-home boarding and training. She has six wonderful rescue dogs of her own. Additionally, she is a proud Army veteran. Her passion for animal welfare and commitment to helping people and animals led her to join ADW, whose mission aligns with her core values. She is dedicated to helping prepare our exceptional dogs to provide comfort, companionship, and independence to those in need. She is excited to use her expertise to make a meaningful impact.

MARCO KEISLING
Taos Trainer Assistant

Marco started with ADW as a Student Trainer in 2022, working in the Taos office. Marco's patience, positivity, enthusiasm, and skills are priceless for both his work with the dogs and his coworkers. “I have cerebral palsy which affects one of my arms, but I have one really strong arm!” Though this might seem like a barrier to training, it helps strengthen the dogs’ persistence and problem-solving as they work on their retrieves, positioning, and spatial awareness with his wheelchair. Marco uses an adaptive clicker-treating system, and is also an expert in Snout-to-Tail Assessments, where he has caught several dog health issues early.. Marco loves helping other people, especially children during ADW-Taos’s pop-up child student trainer groups. He mentors our high school students in our Work-Based Learning Student Training Program in Taos. Marco’s interests include all sports, the Army, water aerobics, and volunteering around Taos.

ERIN “SCOTTY” MANCHESTER JONES
Work Based Learning Program Assistant Taos

After trying many other jobs throughout high school and feeling no satisfaction, Scotty applied to ADW’s Taos-based Work-Based Learning Student Training Program after learning about it at a High School career fair. Since then, 2019, Scotty has found joy in dog training. Scotty is an invaluable leader of our Work-Based Learning Student Training Programs in Taos, with NM School for the Deaf, and with the Keeping Independent Visions Alive (KIVA) program of Santa Fe Public Schools. She provides mentorship to the youth not only with the dog training tasks, but also as a Paths to Health self-advocacy workshop facilitator, and as leader of our assistive technology job coaching program. She is passionate about helping student trainers become more independent. Scotty is working on her Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE) Certificate, and continuing to learn American Sign Language.

TIANA MARTINEZ
Work Based Learning Program Assistant Taos

Tiana Martinez has always had a love for animals, especially dogs. Tiana started with ADW’s Work-Based Student Training Program in Taos, in 2016. After graduating Taos High School in 2019, she became a Program Assistant. She loves this job because there is never a dull moment: whether it be the dogs or the students, they keep it interesting and the energy high! Tiana feels this job is super rewarding seeing these amazingly smart dogs get a job helping many people. Tiana is also busy as a Licensed Esthetician and mother to a beautiful baby girl, but her dream is to continue to work with ADW forever even if it's volunteering or working one day a week! “ADW will always hold a special place in my heart.“ When not working, you can find Tiana enjoying the mountains with her fiancé and their daughter, and snuggling with their two English Bulldogs.

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.

MARA PERRIGO, CTC
Instructor | Trainer

Mara has been captivated by the science of animal behavior from an early age. Her academic journey began with marine biology, during which she gained hands-on experience at the Marine Mammal Center of Santa Barbara. She then shifted her focus to psychology, completing her undergraduate studies with a specialization in Animal Behavior and Cognition. Driven by her passion for animal welfare, Mara pursued certification at the Academy for Dog Trainers and became a certified force-free dog trainer in 2020.

With extensive experience as a Certified Trainer and Counselor, Mara has cultivated her skills in dog training and behavioral counseling. This diverse background has led Mara to join ADW, where she continues to apply her expertise and dedication to both animals and people.

SUSAN RIVENBARK
Volunteer Coordinator | HR Professional Consultant

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.

PENNY RYAN
Instructor | Trainer

Penny Ryan met Jill Felice shortly after Jill founded ADW. Penny began volunteering in 1995. Her experience as a Narcotic Detection Dog handler and trainer contributed significantly to the inception of the ADW Diabetic Alert and Seizure Response Dog program. Upon retiring from the New Mexico State Police, Penny joined ADW as a trainer. Penny is also ADW's scent-training guru, sharing her expertise with everyone at the organization.

Penny enjoys spending time with her German Shepherd, Kyber. Another of Penny's passions is her Mustang. She enjoys adding aftermarket accessories to make it uniquely hers, and driving it gives her an adrenaline rush.

JENNIFER USNER
Program Assistant | 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 at Bergin, she reconnected with ADW founder Jill Felice and was hired a month. In addition to training ADW service dogs, Jennifer now teaches the same children’s programs that jump-started her career

JOHN TODD
Communications Design & Project Management Consultant

An avid dog-lover, 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.

FREDERICK WILLIAMS
PEC Coordinator - Instructor/Trainer

Frederick has over twenty years of professional pet care experience and his passion for animals comes from years working as a veterinary technician in private animal hospitals, emergency rooms, specialty care practices, and shelters in Washington DC, Santa Fe, NM and other communities (domestic and international) with the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Frederick is CPR certified and received the highest level of Fear Free certification. He has specialized expertise in oral medication administration; first aid/CPR; special needs dog experience; injected medication administration; senior animals; behavior; and optimal daily exercise.

Frederick currently lives in Santa Fe with his wife and two dogs. In addition to his passion for animals, he loves house music, hockey (go CAPS), exploring the outdoors, and good times with good friends. 

KAT TREASAIGH
Kennel Manager

Kat began her journey with ADW in 2022 at the Taos, NM location, where she first worked with trainer Denise. The experience was transformative, sparking a deep passion for the field and a clear vision for her career. By 2023, Kat had advanced to a position with the Santa Fe team and now serves as the Kennel Manager. With a lifelong passion for working with animals, Kat finds immense fulfillment in her role, particularly in witnessing the remarkable progress of the dogs and their successful placement with new families. She is dedicated to her team’s exceptional work and is committed to the ongoing success of ADW.