Danny was elected ADI Board Chair and started his term at the beginning of this year. With nearly 20 years in the assistance dog sector at Belgian, European and international levels, Danny brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the post.
How did you get involved with assistance dogs?
I’ve actually had three very different careers. I studied law and journalism and worked as a lawyer at the Bar in Brussels specialising in labour law. After ten years I was ready for a change and I worked in my family’s textile business - at the time we were setting up an import division in South East Asia so spent my time setting up factories in China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan - that was really interesting. A decade later we sold the business and I was looking for another job again!
I did a lot of thinking and it became clear I wanted to work in the non-profit sector - I wasn’t sure exactly what and where, but I thought somewhere there must be a non-profit interested in my skills and experience. A friend told me that the Dyadis assistance dog school in Brussels was looking for an Executive Director so I applied - I didn’t know anything about assistance dogs but they must have liked what they saw because I started there in 2004 and I’ve been with Dyadis ever since.
Can you tell us a bit about about Dyadis?
We place dogs in both the French and Dutch speaking parts of Belgium - around 15 dogs a year on average, working for wheelchair users, but also dogs for children with autism. We organise PAWS (Parents Autism Workshops and Support) programmes giving advice and support to help families with an autistic child to get the most out of their relationship with their pet dog.
How did you get involved with ADI?
When I went to my first ADEu conference, I liked what the Board was doing so I asked if they would be interested in having me as a member. A year later I was on the European Board, and after a few years I was elected Chair of ADEu which led to a place on the International Board. I did several terms before taking a break during the Covid pandemic, but now I’ve been elected not only back onto the Board but as Board Chair.
How do you feel about becoming Chair?
To be honest, I had somewhat mixed feelings - of course it is a huge honour to be elected Chair by your peers, and it’s great to work with Chris and the Executive Team - I like their energy and it’s a pleasure working with them, that’s the fun part. But being Chair also entails a significant amount of extra work and I am still working out the best way to deal with that - but I’m sure it will become easier!
I also feel it’s really important for the ADI board to reflect the truly international nature of the membership. I only realised recently that I’m the first non-native English speaker to be elected Board Chair. That’s important because it suggests to me that a new chapter has been opened. ADI was very North American in the beginning, and most of the member programmes are still from that region, so this evolution feels even more special. It’s interesting to have that challenge towards the last years of my professional life!
What will your focus be?
I would like to be a team player and help to achieve the goals in the Strategic Plan. I believe in those goals because they came from the ground up, from the members - they weren’t imposed by the Board. We are a member-driven organisation and as a Board we have a duty to carry out the wishes of the members.
Maybe it’s because I’m a lawyer, but I also believe we have a responsibility to stay up to date with the rapidly-evolving legislative environment - in Europe especially, but also in other parts of the world, there
are new laws on animal rights, welfare and ethics. Here in Europe huge changes have been made to legal codes on animal rights - and that may also lead to changes in the assistance dog industry. Questions may be raised about whether the dogs are happy to do the work we ask of them, and we need to be able to answer those questions and criticisms.
The recent joint IGDF-ADI statement on closer cooperation is a good case in point. I’ve seen that side of the industry grow significantly - the guide dog world and the assistance dog
world have grown closer and that makes us stronger, more efficient, and puts us in a better position to serve our clients. I see that as a major plus. I’m happy that my term as Chair coincides with a period where ADI and IGDF are growing closer - for example, I’ve been invited by the IGDF President to attend their conference this year, and I really appreciate that. We have interesting times ahead, considering that 20 years ago we really were far away from each other. It’s part of an evolution and I am happy about that.
Do you have a message for members?
I can assure all members that I will use my time as ADI Board Chair to ensure their views are always heard and valued. Apart from that, I am looking forward to welcoming as many members as possible to the 2023 ADI Conference in Zagreb, Croatia, in September - it’s the first time since before the pandemic that we have hosted the conference in Europe and it’s going to be a great celebration and a chance for all members - not just those in Europe - to get together.