Board & Leadership

Anne Gittinger became involved with Canine Companions because she strongly believed in the mission—a marriage of excellent dog breeding and commitment to helping people with disabilities—and saw an opportunity to further the work of the organization.

Barrie Graham was an early and fervent admirer of Canine Companions and became involved with the organization in the 1990’s while working at Exchange Bank. Although active with other non-profits providing services to people with disabilities, Canine Companions’ unique focus in teaming dogs with people with disabilities appealed to Barrie.

Carolyn has been actively involved with Canine Companions for over thirty years. She’s a member of the Western Pennsylvania Volunteer Chapter and held a leadership role with the chapter for seven years. Carolyn has raised numerous puppies and is often out in the community increasing awareness for Canine Companions.

Inspired in 1989 by an article about Canine Companions in Life Magazine, Chris Kittredge immediately applied to be a puppy raiser. Shortly thereafter, her first puppy arrived and the journey to national board membership in 2007 began.

Chris brings a wealth of experience from his 22-year service in the Navy, where he retired as a Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman.

Judge Ed Kinkeade was appointed to the federal bench of the Northern District of Texas in 2002 by President George W. Bush, where he still serves today. Previously, Judge Kinkeade served as a County District and Appellate Judge in Texas from 1981 to 2002.

Darcy is a native Californian entrepreneur with over twenty-five years of experience in management, finance, and community volunteerism and advocacy. She is a passionate professional that brings a strong work ethic, kindness and humility, and a desire for positive impact through hard work, networking, and intellectual curiosity and growth.

In 1989, National Board Member Emily Williams responded to an ad in a local newspaper to adopt a Canine Companions for Independence breeder dog. Since answering that first call, Emily has been a caretaker for 11 Canine Companions female breeder dogs and their 43 litters of puppies.

Former President and Secretary of the Board Jean Schulz became involved with Canine Companions for Independence in 1986. Her late husband, renowned cartoonist Charles Schulz, thought the dogs ‘marvelous,’ and so did Jean.

John Hopen is a retired corporate jet captain and lives in Sebastopol, California. He currently enjoys his hobbies of woodworking, cars, flying, golf, fishing, and travel. Of particular interest to John is music and music production.

John Miller was first introduced to Canine Companions by Jean Schulz in 1998. John became more deeply involved when Jean asked him to serve on the Northeast regional board when he moved back to New York.

Juergen Rottler is a proven business executive, inspirational leader, independent director, and advisor. He has served organizations ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies, such as Oracle Corporation and Hewlett-Packard.

Michelle Ludwig received her first hearing service dog in 2007, Marguerite, and in 2021, received her successor dog, Pam. She and her husband John also serve on the South Central Region Board. Michelle is a physician at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, specializing in radiation oncology.

Robin Sanchez joined Canine Companions for Independence as a volunteer in 2006 after attending a graduation ceremony in Orlando. Robin has volunteered thousands of hours in many roles in the organization.Since 2007, Robin has prepared and served lunch on the first day of Team Training to new students.

Russ Gurevitch is a veterinary surgeon and the owner and chief of staff of Veterinary Referral Surgical Service in Petaluma, California. He has been a Canine Companions donor and providing surgical care for Canine Companions dogs since 1978.

Dr. Teresa Johnson Ramey met her first Canine Companion dog on the campus of Francis Marion University, where the beautiful canine Edna was being raised and trained by faculty member Kathy McCoy. That connection got her involved with volunteer Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consulting and training with Canine Companions, and she later was asked to join the Inclusion and Diversity Committee.