Board Members
DSA is looking for volunteers to serve on planning commitees! If you are interested in helping DSA grow and improve, please submit an application for a commitee.
DSA By-Laws
"Exemplary Values and the Ripple Effect" Code of Ethics
"Making a difference" Statement of Corporate Responsibility
DSA OFFICERS
President: Chris Puls
Mrs. Puls found out about DSA in 2000 and since that time has spent countless hours in volunteer service to the organization in many different roles. The experience she brings to DSA includes over 8 years as a Police Officer patrolling Cincinnati, Ohio as well as other law enforcement roles, as of 2011 she has 26 years of dog training experience and 27 years of experience instructing adults in various skills from personal safety, to horsemanship skills, to dog training. She is an author and Professional Speaker who travels the country to share her knowledge about personal safety as it relates to in-home careers. As soon as she found out about DSA she started a troop, and led that troop, helping it grow for 10 years before turning over leadership to others. Currently, Mrs. Puls serves DSA as an Instructor and Administrative Assistant during each camp, as the Certification Program Director helping new and existing troops, as the Secretary for the Board of Directors and as President of the organization.
Organization Secretary (and Founder): Lonnie Olson
Ms. Olson founded Dog Scouts of America. Her experience involves handling every aspect of running the organization, but over the years has delegated most of the key positions to others, and now acts as simply as Recording Secretary. Lonnie's original training was in secretarial work, but later pursued a career as an interpreter for the deaf. In the evenings, she taught obedience classes for 30 years, and became involved in many avenues of dog training and dog sports over the years. She is a published author and speaker, giving seminars on clicker training and flyball in the states, Australia, Canada, and Japan. Lonnie has won the Maxwell award from the American Dog Writer's Association, and was awarded honorary Life Membership from the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI), she is also a past President of NADOI. Her proudest accomplishment is in creating DSA. Seeing how far it has come, and how it has changed peoples' lives is very gratifying. Lonnie is constantly inspired by the contributions of others within the organization, and will continue to not only mentor, but to learn from them.
Treasurer: Barb Whiting, CPA
Ms Whiting first attended DSA camp in 2009 with her dog Danny and is now the Treasurer for DSA. Barbara has over 20 years experience providing tax consulting, research and wealth management services to a variety of high net worth individuals, executives, and businesses. She currently works for Whitnell & Co., a registered investment advisor firm in Oak Brook, Illinois. A Chicago-area native, Ms. Whiting in 1979 graduated with high distinction from the University of Colorado, where she received a bachelor’s degree in accounting. In 2003, she received a master of science in taxation from Northern Illinois University. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Illinois Association of Certified Public Accountants. She has held the position of Treasurer for the Andover HS Band Parents in Bloomfield Hills, MI and as volunteer foster home for Great Lakes BC Rescue. Her dog Danny found his forever home when Ms. Whiting "failed fostering" and couldn't give him up.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chairman: Lowell Schmorrow-Zuckerman
Lowell has been a board member since March of 2010 and has recently taken on the role of Chairman of the Board. He is very excited about the 5 year strategic planning process that he has initiated and which should prepare the organization for a strong future. He and his wife Angela have been DSA members since 2001 when they attended their first camp with their original two dogs, Tristan and Jade. The family has expanded to 5 dogs and two cats and this summer will mark their 11th year of attendance at camp. They are as active as their border collies, their chosen breed, both regular competitors in agility, triathlon and running and are involved in a number of outdoor activities, including orienteering, hiking, biking, camping, skiing, running, swimming, kayaking, and building campfires. Lowell works for a large information solutions firm where he has been in a number of different roles that involve personnel management, knowledge management, instructional design, training, technical writing, project management, database design, and data analysis. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Masters in Social work with a concentration in non-profit management, both from the University of Michigan.
Vice President: Martha Thierry:
Ms. Thierry loves to share the Dog Scout mission with anyone who will listen. She looks for opportunities to meet and greet the public with her dog Maia and other Dog Scouts by helping coordinate volunteers for dog events such as dog shows and the Mackinac Island Lilac Festival. A Dog Fancy magazine article on taking your dog on vacation introduced her to the Dog Scouts of America and positive training more than 10 years ago, when she wanted to take her rescue dog, Murphy, on vacation. Before DSA, she was involved with horses and horse shows. Since then, she became a regular staff member and photographer at camp, member of the board of directors and self-described DSA missionary, learning and teaching the Dog Scout Way. She became an assistant troop leader for Troop 104 in southeastern Michigan and volunteers at dog training classes. As an artist at the Detroit Free Press, she promotes dog stories whenever possible. She believes that DSA can change and improve the lives of dogs. She is happy to represent the interests of all dogs and the people who love and care for them.
Board Secretary: Julie Benson
Ms. Benson first attended DSA camp in 2010 with her dog Shelby and is now the Board Secretary. Julie has been serving as the Administrative Assistant of Laurel Park Place, a mall in Southest MI, since 2005. She has a business degree, with a specialty in Marketing, from Walsh Business College. Julie loves to share the Dog Scout mission with others and started troop 217 in 2011. Julie and Shelby are active students in both Rally and Agility at Wolverine Dog Training Club. They also spend much of their free time letterboxing, geocaching and enjoying the outdoors. She is thrilled to be a part of DSA's Board of Directors and is looking forward to continuing to spread the word about the Dog Scout way.
Board Member: Brenda Katz
Mrs Katz joined DSA in 2001. She comes to DSA with a background in insurance, marketing and customer service. She has been in various jobs within the insurance industry for the past 21 years; everything from claims to a current agency position. She has also owned and operated a structural engineering company and public adjusting firm. Brenda has been involved with Border Collie rescue, her local no kill shelter and has recently become involved with a new sight hound breed. Brenda takes advantage of every opportunity that presents itself to offer an extra baggie or giving the new puppy owner helpful hints. She is currently the leader of Troop 130. Her newest undertaking is to grow the membership of Dog Scouts.
Board Member: Ann Withun
Ms. Withun graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY with a B.S. in Mathematical Sciences. She started her career as a US Army Officer stationed in Germany, and is currently a Quality Manager and LEAN Continuous Improvement Change Agent for a global logistics company. Ann also runs a growing dog training business, teaching private and group classes and specializing in behavior modification of reactive dogs. Ann is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed, a full member of APDT, a certified Associate-level member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and a longtime volunteer for local dog rescue. She and her dogs enjoy trying a little bit of everything. They compete in Agility, Rally-Obedience, Freestyle, and IMPROV - but while titles and ribbons are nice, their favorite activity will always be just spending time together in the woods. Ann fell in love with DSA at camp in July 2007, and by that September, Troop 161 was up and running under her leadership. She also serves as DSA’s Director of Competition & Titling. Ann has a passion for learning new things, positive training, and spreading the Dog Scout Way far and wide.
DSA By-Laws
"Exemplary Values and the Ripple Effect" Code of Ethics
"Making a difference" Statement of Corporate Responsibility
DSA OFFICERS
President: Chris Puls
Mrs. Puls found out about DSA in 2000 and since that time has spent countless hours in volunteer service to the organization in many different roles. The experience she brings to DSA includes over 8 years as a Police Officer patrolling Cincinnati, Ohio as well as other law enforcement roles, as of 2011 she has 26 years of dog training experience and 27 years of experience instructing adults in various skills from personal safety, to horsemanship skills, to dog training. She is an author and Professional Speaker who travels the country to share her knowledge about personal safety as it relates to in-home careers. As soon as she found out about DSA she started a troop, and led that troop, helping it grow for 10 years before turning over leadership to others. Currently, Mrs. Puls serves DSA as an Instructor and Administrative Assistant during each camp, as the Certification Program Director helping new and existing troops, as the Secretary for the Board of Directors and as President of the organization.Organization Secretary (and Founder): Lonnie Olson
Ms. Olson founded Dog Scouts of America. Her experience involves handling every aspect of running the organization, but over the years has delegated most of the key positions to others, and now acts as simply as Recording Secretary. Lonnie's original training was in secretarial work, but later pursued a career as an interpreter for the deaf. In the evenings, she taught obedience classes for 30 years, and became involved in many avenues of dog training and dog sports over the years. She is a published author and speaker, giving seminars on clicker training and flyball in the states, Australia, Canada, and Japan. Lonnie has won the Maxwell award from the American Dog Writer's Association, and was awarded honorary Life Membership from the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI), she is also a past President of NADOI. Her proudest accomplishment is in creating DSA. Seeing how far it has come, and how it has changed peoples' lives is very gratifying. Lonnie is constantly inspired by the contributions of others within the organization, and will continue to not only mentor, but to learn from them.
Treasurer: Barb Whiting, CPA
Ms Whiting first attended DSA camp in 2009 with her dog Danny and is now the Treasurer for DSA. Barbara has over 20 years experience providing tax consulting, research and wealth management services to a variety of high net worth individuals, executives, and businesses. She currently works for Whitnell & Co., a registered investment advisor firm in Oak Brook, Illinois. A Chicago-area native, Ms. Whiting in 1979 graduated with high distinction from the University of Colorado, where she received a bachelor’s degree in accounting. In 2003, she received a master of science in taxation from Northern Illinois University. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Illinois Association of Certified Public Accountants. She has held the position of Treasurer for the Andover HS Band Parents in Bloomfield Hills, MI and as volunteer foster home for Great Lakes BC Rescue. Her dog Danny found his forever home when Ms. Whiting "failed fostering" and couldn't give him up.BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chairman: Lowell Schmorrow-Zuckerman
Lowell has been a board member since March of 2010 and has recently taken on the role of Chairman of the Board. He is very excited about the 5 year strategic planning process that he has initiated and which should prepare the organization for a strong future. He and his wife Angela have been DSA members since 2001 when they attended their first camp with their original two dogs, Tristan and Jade. The family has expanded to 5 dogs and two cats and this summer will mark their 11th year of attendance at camp. They are as active as their border collies, their chosen breed, both regular competitors in agility, triathlon and running and are involved in a number of outdoor activities, including orienteering, hiking, biking, camping, skiing, running, swimming, kayaking, and building campfires. Lowell works for a large information solutions firm where he has been in a number of different roles that involve personnel management, knowledge management, instructional design, training, technical writing, project management, database design, and data analysis. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Masters in Social work with a concentration in non-profit management, both from the University of Michigan.
Vice President: Martha Thierry:
Ms. Thierry loves to share the Dog Scout mission with anyone who will listen. She looks for opportunities to meet and greet the public with her dog Maia and other Dog Scouts by helping coordinate volunteers for dog events such as dog shows and the Mackinac Island Lilac Festival. A Dog Fancy magazine article on taking your dog on vacation introduced her to the Dog Scouts of America and positive training more than 10 years ago, when she wanted to take her rescue dog, Murphy, on vacation. Before DSA, she was involved with horses and horse shows. Since then, she became a regular staff member and photographer at camp, member of the board of directors and self-described DSA missionary, learning and teaching the Dog Scout Way. She became an assistant troop leader for Troop 104 in southeastern Michigan and volunteers at dog training classes. As an artist at the Detroit Free Press, she promotes dog stories whenever possible. She believes that DSA can change and improve the lives of dogs. She is happy to represent the interests of all dogs and the people who love and care for them.
Board Secretary: Julie Benson
Ms. Benson first attended DSA camp in 2010 with her dog Shelby and is now the Board Secretary. Julie has been serving as the Administrative Assistant of Laurel Park Place, a mall in Southest MI, since 2005. She has a business degree, with a specialty in Marketing, from Walsh Business College. Julie loves to share the Dog Scout mission with others and started troop 217 in 2011. Julie and Shelby are active students in both Rally and Agility at Wolverine Dog Training Club. They also spend much of their free time letterboxing, geocaching and enjoying the outdoors. She is thrilled to be a part of DSA's Board of Directors and is looking forward to continuing to spread the word about the Dog Scout way.
Board Member: Brenda Katz
Mrs Katz joined DSA in 2001. She comes to DSA with a background in insurance, marketing and customer service. She has been in various jobs within the insurance industry for the past 21 years; everything from claims to a current agency position. She has also owned and operated a structural engineering company and public adjusting firm. Brenda has been involved with Border Collie rescue, her local no kill shelter and has recently become involved with a new sight hound breed. Brenda takes advantage of every opportunity that presents itself to offer an extra baggie or giving the new puppy owner helpful hints. She is currently the leader of Troop 130. Her newest undertaking is to grow the membership of Dog Scouts.
Board Member: Ann Withun
Ms. Withun graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY with a B.S. in Mathematical Sciences. She started her career as a US Army Officer stationed in Germany, and is currently a Quality Manager and LEAN Continuous Improvement Change Agent for a global logistics company. Ann also runs a growing dog training business, teaching private and group classes and specializing in behavior modification of reactive dogs. Ann is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed, a full member of APDT, a certified Associate-level member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and a longtime volunteer for local dog rescue. She and her dogs enjoy trying a little bit of everything. They compete in Agility, Rally-Obedience, Freestyle, and IMPROV - but while titles and ribbons are nice, their favorite activity will always be just spending time together in the woods. Ann fell in love with DSA at camp in July 2007, and by that September, Troop 161 was up and running under her leadership. She also serves as DSA’s Director of Competition & Titling. Ann has a passion for learning new things, positive training, and spreading the Dog Scout Way far and wide.
