meet the board

Executive Committee

Kathe Neyer, RN, BA, Board Chair
is a retired nurse, with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. She has over 25 years of experience in training and evaluating therapy and service dogs. She previously served as a public access tester and evaluator for a local service dog training program. Kathe is serving as the Director of our local and Outreach Certification Program and is actively involved in preparing the FSDS for ADI Accreditation.

CJ Betancourt MD, Executive Director
is a retired physician and a service dog team member. She has lived with physical disabilities since 1973. She has 35 years of experience in the medical field including the practice of medicine, medical directorship, research, statistical analysis, database design and education. She also reads Braille and will be our Braille material editor. CJ is involved in grant writing, developing policy and procedure and assisting with preparation for ADI Accreditation.

Andrea Kenner, B.S, Board Vice-Chair is a writer with extensive experience in technical and marketing communications. She is a member of the class of 2010 at the University of Maryland University College. Andrea is a Catster mom who shares a lifelong love of animals with every other member of the FSDS Board of Directors. She is actively involved in helping to utilize our website to effectively market our safety and training programs.

Judith M. Lopes-Koressel, Board Treasurer
is an experienced banking professional with 37 years of experience with Bank of America. She has an extensive background in banking management, risk analysis, and team leadership. Judy has several dogs of her own and has a belief in the cause of the Foundation. Judy brings her banking and financial expertise.

Regular Board Members

Michael Somsan JD is a local attorney with expertise in disability issues.

More info pending

Wayne Svoboda DVM is a local veterinarian who has donated his time and expertise for over 20 years to provide canine safety training and veterinary care to police K9 teams. He has joined the FSDS to oversee curriculum for our Canine Safety Program and will lead the efforts to expand our training to include advanced canine life support. Wayne's love for animals, professional expertise and demonstrated commitment to community make him a valuable asset to the FSDS.