CENTRAL POINT, OR – During Dogs for Better Lives’ (DBL) quarterly meeting on Monday, January 19th, the National Board of Directors unanimously approved new director, George Hines (OR).
With the appointment of George Hines, DBL’s national board moves to 23 voting members. Outside of three directors from across Oregon, the national board includes members residing in eleven other states across the country, including California (3), Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia (2), Massachusetts (4), North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington (4).
“DBL’s National Board is excited to welcome George Hines, whose extensive expertise in technology and business innovation will be a tremendous asset,” stated Board Chair Tim Cibula. “The addition of his skills and southern Oregon presence will strengthen our national board significantly and accelerate DBL’s expanding presence throughout the west coast region.”
Prior to joining the national board George was already engaged with shelter dog organizations, along with recently helping to engage DBL with Lithia’s annual Employee Appreciation Event in August. DBL was the featured nonprofit at the event and was presented later in the fall with a major donation of support.
“As DBL continues to strategically expand its national footprint, George Hine’s invaluable expertise will be crucial in further solidifying our presence in southern Oregon and along the west coast,” stated CEO Bryan Williams. “His deep technology expertise will certainly help further support our continuing innovation and expansion initiatives.”
George Hines and Rocky.
Geoge Hines
George Hines is a technology executive with more than 30 years of experience creating and building technology products to transform customer and team member experience. George Hines serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation & Technology Officer (CITO), leveraging technology to drive innovation within our operations that builds loyalty and expands market share. George and his team launched Driveway, an e-commerce platform that has greatly expanded our customer ecosystem for buying, selling, and servicing vehicles. George also serves as Board Director of Pinewood.AI, a publicly traded automotive retail software and artificial intelligence company on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:PINE).
Before joining Lithia & Driveway in 2019, George held technology and innovation leadership roles at Massage Envy Franchising and Viad Corp (NYSE:VVI). Earlier in his career, he worked with Deloitte Consulting and Ernst & Young Management Consulting in the telecommunications industry. Mr. Hines has lived and worked abroad on long term assignments in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Spain and the United Kingdom, and he is fluent in multiple languages. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Management Information Systems from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. He has completed studies at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University.
“In 2017, Bradley, a rescued rat terrier, came into my life and forever changed how I will look at the human-animal connection. I believe that dogs have a magical power to make a profound positive impact on the lives of people. Dogs For Better Lives’ focus on working with dogs to promote safer and more independent lives for people with special needs or other vulnerable communities is deeply meaningful to me. I am humbled to bring my own professional and personal experiences to help guide this incredible organization as it broadens and deepens its positive impact on the world.”
Also at the January Board of Directors’ meeting, members were introduced to two new University of Washington – Foster School of Business board fellows, Ly Anheier and Christopher Wong.
This is the third year that DBL has partnered with the University of Washington’s Board Fellows program. Board Fellows are non-voting board members and work with local nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits receive both immediate and long-term benefits, including new perspectives on key organizational challenges, access to University of Washington resources, and the chance to help shape the next generation of business and civic leaders.
Graduate students Ly and Chris will attend quarterly board meetings, serve on a board committee, complete a board-level project, and participate in locally planned DBL events, including Bone AppeTREAT in May.
Ly Anheier with her dogs.
Ly Anheier
Ly Anheier is a Financial Analyst at Blue Origin, where she leads financial program performance for the BE-4 rocket engine program with the mission of reducing the cost of access to space for the benefit of Earth. In this role, she manages budgets and financial strategy supporting approximately 400 people across engineering, supply chain, and operations in a complex matrix organization. Ly earned her B.A. in Economics from the University of Washington and is currently pursuing her MBA at UW (expected 2027).
With seven years of experience spanning finance, consulting, and investments across Jones Lang LaSalle, Amazon, Microsoft, and Russell Investments, Ly brings a strategic lens to resource allocation, donor engagement, and corporate partnerships. Her expertise in financial planning and cross-functional collaboration positions her to help Dogs for Better Lives (DBL) expand its reach and impact. As a Board Fellow member, she is focused on increasing organizational awareness, building sustainable funding strategies, and fostering partnerships that advance DBL’s mission.
“I am passionate about supporting DBL’s mission of bettering lives through the transformative partnership between people and service dogs,” stated Ly. “I’m looking forward to leveraging my experience to help the organization achieve even greater impact.”
Christopher Wong with his pup.
Christopher Wong
Christopher Wong is an experienced Technical Program Manager whose work centers on turning complex technical initiatives into durable, well-executed outcomes. His experience spans large-scale software and hardware programs, where he has led cross-functional teams through ambiguity, aligned stakeholders, and delivered high-impact products. Across his career, Christopher has developed a strong focus on building high-trust, high-production engineering organizations, with a particular interest in health technology, artificial intelligence, and cultivating psychologically safe team cultures that enable sustained excellence.
Christopher holds a bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information Systems from the University of Washington and is currently pursuing his M.B.A. at the University of Washington Foster School of Business, where he continues to sharpen his leadership and strategic decision-making skills.
“I’m motivated by opportunities to give back in ways that create both personal and scalable impact. I’m excited to join a board of such talented and experienced leaders, aligned around a shared mission to strengthen the life-changing bond between service dogs and the people they support through Dogs for Better Lives.”
Christopher Wong is currently working for Uber Eats
To learn more about DBL’s National Board of Directors and/or with inquiries in joining the board, visit… https://bit.ly/2BrQZfU. You can also visit DBL’s profile on cariclub and Boardlead to learn more.
