Mel Gottlieb joined the national board in 2011. He is a member of the development committee and serves as a corporate ambassador for Canine Companions.
As founder and chairman of Response Systems International, Mel has earned a world-class reputation as a marketer and innovator, having established and managed a wide variety of client relationships with major financial services organizations and their senior executives over the past 40 years in 19 countries.
Mel also volunteers his expertise with other international assistance dog organizations in Australia, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. And Response Systems International Trust has sponsored 10 service dogs to date for Canine Companions and its international affiliates.
For his services to the military, in 1988 Mel became the first Honorary Life Member in the history of the Returned and Services League of Australia, Australia’s largest veterans organization. Canine Companions Southwest Region recently presented him with the Paws of Distinction Award. He has also been named Australia’s Direct Marketer of the Year.