– Staff/Board

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Staff/Board

The Saint Francis Service Dogs staff works tirelessly to help people with disabilities to better experience the world through partnership with a service dog.

Name Title Email Ext
Wes Burrow Staff Trainer wburrow@saintfrancisdogs.org  
Debbie Clifton Training Manager debbie@saintfrancisdogs.org  
Deborah Duerk Operations Director dduerk@saintfrancisdogs.org 403
Kari Grim Philanthropy Manager kgrim@saintfrancisdogs.org 409
David Henry Maintenance and Groundskeeping    
Bob Lee Bookkeeper rlee@saintfrancisdogs.org 408
Kathy Marr Breeding Program and Puppy Procurement Manager kmarr@saintfrancisdogs.org 410
Erin Morris Marketing and Public Relations Manager emorris@saintfrancisdogs.org 409
Kris Sorensen Services Coordinator ksorensen@saintfrancisdogs.org 410
Maggie St. John Administrative and Volunteer Coordinator maggie@saintfrancisdogs.org 401
Cortney Thibodeau Staff Trainer cthibodeau@saintfrancisdogs.org  
Loreen Thompson Puppy Program Manager lthompson@saintfrancisdogs.org 406
Andrew Via Kennel Manager avia@saintfrancisdogs.org 413
Marilyn Wilson Operations Coordinator malowi@saintfrancisdogs.org 407
Jennifer Williams Grant Writer jwilliams@saintfrancisdogs.org 405
Cabell Youell Executive Director youell@saintfrancisdogs.org 402

Board of Directors

The Saint Francis Service Dogs Board of Directors is comprised of a diverse group of people that bring their unique talents to the service of Saint Francis. Their collective experience, expertise, and commitment to the Saint Francis mission is key to our organization’s success.

Board of Directors:

Krista Sinnott:  President
Jo Lynn Draper:  Vice President
Anne Jenkins: Secretary
Marie Wimmer, CPA: Treasurer
Mark Finkler:  Veterinary Advisor
Nadia Summo:  Past President

Craig Balzer
Julie Boxley
Dr. Julie Cecere, DVM, MS, DACT
Sally B. Craver, MSW
Quinn Graeff
Annette Kirby
Paula Mitchell
Jim Petrine
Ben Rottenborn
Steven S. Strauss
Kathy Baske Young
Courtney Wiegard, DVM

John Carlin, Media Advisor

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Eligibility Requirements

  • Applicant must be seeking partnership with a service dog for support with a physical or developmental disability or a facility dog serving people with physical or developmental disabilities or in a courtroom setting.  We do not place emotional support, therapy, psychiatric, guide, or alert dogs.
  • Applicant must reside in the Commonwealth of Virginia and/or in the area within a 3 hour drive of our facility in Roanoke, Virginia at the time of application and final placement.
  • Applicant must have a fenced in yard with minimum dimensions of 36’ x 12’ x 4’ or the ability to construct a fence of these dimensions.  (This guideline does not necessarily apply to facility dog applicants.)
  • Applicant’s home must be a safe, healthy and loving environment for a dog to live in.
  • Applicant must demonstrate ability to provide for dog’s care monetarily, including feeding high quality dog food, providing for regular check-ups, purchase of flea and tick control, heartworm preventative, and any other medications, treatments or surgeries that may be needed.
  • Applicant may not have a pet dog in the home, unless an exception is made due to age or sickness of the pet dog. This guideline does not apply to service dogs already in the home or facility dog applicants.  
  • Applicant must show ability and willingness to keep service dog under control at all times.
  • Applicant must show ability and willingness to travel to Roanoke for screening, classes, interviews, 5-day training, and scheduled certification and recertification tests. Applicant must be able to pay for all travel expenses, including overnight stays during 5-day training (this includes in-town applicants). 

Founding Big Dogs

Mr. and Mrs. Jake Allison
Kenneth “Andy” Anderson and Dr. Marti Anderson
Mike and Carol Anderson
Dr. Timothy Andriano
Peggy Bizjak
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Brunette
Mr. and Mrs. Sam Craver III
Ms. Jo Lynn Draper
Duffy Family Foundation
Mr. Peter Emch
Dr. and Mrs. Mark Finkler
First Four Petroleum LLC
Linda and Frank Foti
Mr. and Mrs. Victor Foti
Foti, Flynn, Lowen & Co.
Dr. and Mrs. Paul Frantz
Mr. Ed Hall
Happy Endings Bar and Grill
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Milward

Ms. Mary Anne Mullins and Mr. Christopher Robinson
Ms. Yvonne Olson
Mr. and Mrs. John Olver
Ms. Elizabeth Parsons
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Petrine
Mrs. Emily Reynolds
Mike and Krista Sinnott
Mrs. Joy Davis Smith
Mr. Marvin Smith
Mr. Maury Strauss, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Strauss
Ms. Suzanne Thorniley
Varsity Landscaping and Grounds
Karen and Chuck Wakeford
Mr. and Mrs. Barton Wilner
Ann Marie and Reggie Wood
Ms. Dianne Woody