PRESS RELEASE
Assistance Dogs International announces new Board.
For immediate release
26 January 2023 - Assistance Dogs International (ADI), the world’s leading standards setter and accreditation body for assistance dogs, today announced a new Board of Directors line-up for 2023 aimed at growing international membership and ensuring the best possible service for assistance dogs and their users.
Incoming Board Chair Danny Vancoppernolle (Belgium) is joined by new Vice-Chair Sheila O’Brien (USA), Secretary Jenny BrodKorb (USA), Treasurer Michele Suchovsky (USA) and members Mark van Gelder (Belgium) and Jody Wilson (New Zealand).
“The new Board reflects the truly international reach of ADI, with representatives from all three of our regional chapters in North America, Europe and Oceania,” said ADI Executive Director Chris Diefenthaler. “We are privileged to have some of the world’s leading assistance dogs experts to lead the organization, and they will significantly boost our efforts to attract members from under-represented regions, as well as strengthening our position as a global advocate for people with disabilities.”
"I am very honored to have been elected Chair of the ADI Board,” said Danny Vancoppernolle, who is also Chair of Assistance Dogs Europe and Secretary-General of Belgian assistance dogs program Dyadis. “We are entering into an exciting new phase for ADI, with new members being accredited all over the world and more candidate programs applying to join. I am looking forward to helping our members continue improving the lives of countless numbers of people with disabilities.”
“I am very excited to join the ADI Board,” added Michele Suchovsky, CEO of Paws with a Cause. “It is a privilege to work alongside other members who also support ADI’s commitment to the assistance dog industry. I know we will continue to join across communities, countries, and cultures with the vision of making a positive impact in the lives of people with disabilities through assistance dogs.”
Vice-Chair Sheila O’Brien, a veteran of the North American assistance dogs industry who is Special Advisor to America's Vet Dogs and the Guide Dog Foundation, said: “With new members and candidate programs coming forward all the time, ADI is better positioned than ever to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and their assistance dogs, especially when it comes to accessing public services, transport and hospitality venues. I am looking forward to working with my fellow Board members to further strengthen ADI and support its members."
ENDS
Note: Jenny BrodKorb (2nd paragraph) is correct - capital ‘K’
For further information please contact:
Martin Atkin, ADI Communications Consultant [email protected]
About Assistance Dogs International (ADI)
Assistance Dogs International is the world’s leading standards-setter and accreditation body for training assistance dogs. As a worldwide coalition of nearly 150 non-profit member organizations spread across five continents, ADI is the world’s most diverse and inclusive assistance dog certification and standard-setting body. For more information visit https://assistancedogsinternational.org