CENTRAL POINT, OR – In early April, Dogs for Better Lives’ (DBL) Board of Directors unanimously approved two new members, Henry Kisor and CarrieJo Hoelzel. With these appointments, this brings DBL’s national board to 17 members. Outside of eight members from Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley, the national board now has members residing in six other states across the country, including Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina (2), and Washington (2).
CarrieJo Hoelzel.
“The Board of Directors are pleased to welcome Henry and CarrieJo onto DBL’s national board,” stated Board Chairman David Hollingsworth. “Henry as a long-time client and donor, brings a full understanding of DBL’s mission and how we better the lives of clients, pairing them with amazing dogs. CarrieJo provides an extensive background in the hearing technology field along with her senior leadership and passion for how dogs better others’ lives.”
Henry Kisor is a Dogs for Better Lives client, having been partnered with Hearing Assistance Dog Trooper since 2015, and is an advocate for rescue dogs as well as people with disabilities. Retired from an illustrious 41-year career in the journalism field, Henry now keeps busy authoring books on a variety of subjects. As part of the leadership team at Lantos Technologies, CarrieJo oversees the customer experience while personally having a love of animals, specifically the compassionate connection between humans and dogs.
Henry Kisor with his Hearing Assistance Dog Trooper.
“As DBL further advances its regional and national reach, community partnerships, strategic marketing, and client experience have been and will continue to be critical to our success,” stated CEO Bryan Williams. “From committee participation to philanthropic engagement, Henry and CarrieJo will play strategic roles in helping to further advance DBL as a national leader in the Assistance Dog world.”
Henry Kisor
Henry Kisor is a Dogs for Better Lives client, having been partnered with Hearing Assistance Dog Trooper since 2015, and is an advocate for rescue dogs as well as people with disabilities. That’s one reason why he chose to apply to DBL (then Dogs for the Deaf) for an Assistance Dog. Another is DBL’s reliable nationwide reputation as an Assistance Dogs International affiliated nonprofit.
“I’m honored to join the board of an organization that has meant so much to me,” stated Henry.
At 80, Henry is a retired journalist and still active author, having written ten books, including Traveling with Service Animals: By Air, Road, Rail and Ship Across North America, with Christine Goodier, also a DBL client. They are at work on a new post-pandemic edition of that book.
Henry is a graduate of Trinity College (CT) and Northwestern University, and spent a 41-year newspaper career as an editor, critic, and columnist for the Wilmington (Del.) News Journal, the Chicago Daily News, and the Chicago Sun-Times. Henry, his wife Debby, and Trooper winter in a retirement community in Evanston, Illinois, and summer in a log cabin on the shore of Lake Superior near Ontonagon, Michigan.
CarrieJo Hoelzel
CarrieJo Hoelzel was born and raised in Minnesota and currently resides in Vancouver, WA, with her husband and fur family. CarrieJo’s career in the hearing healthcare industry provided an opportunity for her to relocate to the Pacific Northwest, where she and her family enjoy the amazing beauty of the Columbia River Gorge, mountains, and towering pines all around us.
As a lover of all animals, it was only later in life, that she realized the importance of the animal/human connection; CarrieJo trained her dog Shep to receive his Canine Good Citizen (CGC), allowing them to visit Memory Care Units. Seeing the joy, love, and connection a dog can make with humans has forever changed CarrieJo.
“Through my own experiences, it was important to me, to join an organization that represents a blend of dog lovers, and people who want what’s best for their well-being,” stated CarrieJo Hoelzel. “It’s an honor and privilege to serve on the Dogs for Better Lives’ Board.”
Over the past 13-years, CarrieJo’s career in the hearing health industry has allowed her to work closely with providers and doctors who serve patients with an array of hearing health challenges. Currently, CarrieJo works as the Senior Director, Customer Experience, leading the Customer Experience Team for Lantos Technologies 3D ear imagining.
To learn more about DBL’s National Board of Directors and/or with inquiries in joining the board, visit… https://bit.ly/2BrQZfU.
[Read full news release as PDF here]
