Board of Directors
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Jennifer Ackley
Founder, President and Executive Director
Jennifer received her B.A. in Psychology in 1989 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a concentration in animal behavior. After working in the communications industry, she followed her passion to become a dog trainer. In 2013, she graduated with honors from Animal Behavior College, and became a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) in March 2017.
As a certificant of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), Jennifer adheres to their Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics Policy and follows the LIMA (Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive) principle in all her training. She continues her professional development by reading relevant material and attending conferences, workshops, and online webinars, in order to keep up-to-date with the latest research and training methods. She has attended several educational seminars at Wolf Park to learn more about canine behaviors.
Jennifer lives with her husband, Jeff Talman, and their 2 dogs Red and Xena and cat Felix.
Helen Aurenz
Treasurer and Director
Sponsor of Spirit and Venus
with her husband Michael
Helen moved to Dandridge from Chicago in late 2017 and immediately contacted Wolf PAWS to volunteer. After volunteering for 2 years, Helen was invited to serve on the Board of Directors and subsequently elected as the Treasurer.
Helen's background and experience:
She has worked for several years as a customer service manager in the manufacture can industry and currently in the distribution industry.
“ I absolutely love all things animals. One of my favorite rescues (besides Wolf PAWS) is Best Friends in Utah, their mission statement is 'To Save Them All'
Anything I can do to give back to these animals is the most rewarding thing in my life”
