Board Members
Executive Officers
- Melissa L. Weisse, President and Chief Executive Officer
- Lorene Suidan, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
- Dani Landolt, Vice President and Chief Impact Officer
- Missy Aupperle, Chief Philanthropy - Marketing Officer
Officers
- John Reed, Board Chair
- Kathryn Davis, Immediate Past Board Chair
- Mark Guthrie, Vice-Chair
- Michele Honomichl, Treasurer
- Avril Rinn, Secretary
Trustees
- Franklin Carmona, DVM
- Anthony Costanzo
- Paul Edwards, MD, FACS
- Jill Gaus
- Kim Gorman
- Steve Guarini
- Diane Henderson
- Brian Hock
- Justice Marilyn Kelly
- Maria Kristic
- Thomas O’Masta
- Daniel Spriet
- Kurt Terrien
- Marc Wisniewski
Honorary Trustees
- Celia Domalewski
- Lon Grossman
- Paul Hemeryck
- Daniel Markey
- James Platzer
Board Committees
In addition to the board members who serve on our committees, we also have a dedicated group of volunteer non-trustees. Volunteer non-trustees are professionals who have experience that they would like to share as a member of a board committee but who are not members of the Leader Dog board.
The Assistive Technology, Accessibility and Advocacy Committee oversees the organization’s use and implementation of assistive technology, ensures adherence to Leader Dog’s accessibility philosophy and makes recommendations to Leader Dog on matters relating to client advocacy.
The Audit Committee oversees the organization's annual external audit and its system of internal controls over financial reporting.
The Ethics Committee's purpose is to ensure that the Leader Dog mission is executed with the highest ethical standards and in alignment with organizational values and to review, interpret and monitor the organizational Code of Ethical Standards.
The Executive Committee conducts such business as is necessary or desirable during those periods when the Board of Trustees is not in session.
The Finance Committee oversees the fiscal accountability and budgetary affairs of Leader Dogs for the Blind.
The Governance Committee establishes and maintains a dynamic, diverse, engaged and knowledgeable Board of Trustees that has received a comprehensive orientation and is fully aware of board responsibilities to enhance the quality and viability of the board on a consistent basis.
The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility Committee ensures organizational commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion at the highest level and throughout the organization.
The Information Systems Committee serves as a strategic partner for the Leader Dog team, focusing on the alignment of core business and technology so that the organization remains in the mainstream of continually evolving technology and IT solutions.
The Leader Dog Foundation group manages the foundation fund.
The Marketing/Philanthropy Committee researches and develops strategies to ensure the growth and sustainability of Leader Dogs for the Blind, to include increasing revenues and number of clients served. Ensures that philanthropy is a valued and mission-aligned component of the organization’s overall work and that a culture of philanthropy permeates all constituent groups.
The Medical Advisory Committee provides an avenue of collaboration and outreach to expand awareness of Leader Dog programs and services within the vision-related medical community and ultimately grow the number of client applicants.
The Mission Assurance and Quality Committee oversees performance metrics, outcomes, quality, continuous improvement and strategic plan progress and ensures alignment with the mission statement of Leader Dogs for the Blind.
