Southwest Training Center

The Southwest Region of Canine Companions was founded in 1986. We serve Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Southern California, Southern Nevada and Hawaii. The Southwest Regional Training Center is named the Dean, Gerda and Trixie Koontz Campus after our campus benefactors: bestselling author Dean Koontz, his wife and their late Golden Retriever adopted from Canine Companions after being retired from service.

The Dean, Gerda and Trixie Koontz Campus is located in Oceanside, California. We invite you to explore our volunteer opportunities, make a donation or attend an event. Presentations are also available for your group by Canine Companions representatives. Our monthly public tours are held on the third Thursday of every month at 1:30 p.m. PT.

If you are interested in attending a tour, please RSVP to Carrie Linden at 760-901-4300. For groups larger than 10 people, please contact Gwen Seah to make arrangements.

Southwest Region Staff:
Alaina Purcell Schroeder, Director of Philanthropy | Vicky Williams, Office Manager
Carrie Linden, Philanthropy Assistant | Gwen Seah, Volunteer Manager
Kyle Kensing, Manager of Public Relations and Marketing | Karen Noble, Grants Specialist | Senna Saurino, Manager of Philanthropy Events 

Shelley Dickinson, Program Director | Chuck Dickinson, Training Manager | Izzy Park, Puppy Program Manager | Zyla Guthrie, Puppy Program Assistant |  Kerri de Jager, Client Services Manager | Morgan Galovic, Graduate Services Manager | Patti Irby, Program Assistant | Madeleine Cullen, Kennel Supervisor | Sam Ponciano, Canine Wellness Tech 2 | Makayla Mahajan, Canine Wellness Tech 1 |Elsie Baumgartner, Canine Wellness Tech 1 | George Carter, Canine Wellness Tech 1 | Grace Hardy, Program Field Representative | Lindsay Taylor, Senior Instructor |  Sarah Nigoghossian, Senior Instructor | Aimee Schildt, Instructor | Ashley Wilt, Instructor | Katie Lake, Apprentice Instructor 3 | Kat Wynd, Apprentice Instructor 3 | Chelsea Velez, Apprentice Instructor 2 | Rachel Maddox, Apprenctice Instructor 2 | Jamie Gifford, Apprentice Instructor 2 | Jennifer Higbee, Apprentice Instructor 2 | Jasmine Harper, Apprentice Instructor 1 | Dennis Rock, Apprentice Instructor 1 | Jennifer Hof, Campus Caretaker |  

Southwest Region Board of Directors:
Nick Kemp, President | Dr. Susan Ryan, Vice President | Leslie Hennessy, Ph.D. | Alessandro Papa | Elizabeth “Betsy” Knight | Karen Sealander, Ph.D | Sondra Thiedrman, Ph.D. | 
Barb Beier | Alison Gilmore | Cynthia Yankovich | Jennifer Halstead | Melayne Yocum | Molly Berman