NEADS Announces New Board Chair, New Veterans Services Specialist and Recent Promotions

Worcester MA

26 July, 2022

10:28 AM

Description

Princeton, MA, July 13, 2022 – NEADS World Class Service Dogs, based in Princeton, Mass., is proud to announce a number of recent organizational updates. These will position the nonprofit, which offers the widest array of Service Dog programs in the industry, for continued future growth and the ability to serve more clients: Service Dogs for adults and children with a physical disability, Service Dogs for veterans, Service Dogs for Hearing and Service Dogs for children with autism or other developmental disabilities. Geoffrey H. Worrell of Mortgage Network, Inc., who has been on the NEADS Board of Directors since January 2021, has been appointed Board Chair. Worrell is a Loan Officer with over 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry. Worrell aims to carry on the legacy of his partner and late wife Cindy, who lost her battle with cancer in 2016. To honor her passion for giving back and her genuine love for dogs, Worrell and his three children decided to sponsor a NEADS Service Dog in Cindy’s memory. Four-year-old Bentley is proudly serving Mansfield Public Schools as an Assistance Dog. After seeing the incredible impact Bentley has made, Worrell and his family decided to sponsor another dog, Ruby, who has recently completed training and has been placed as a Service Dog for a Child with Autism. Worrell currently resides in Wareham, Mass. NEADS has also created a new position to enhance its offerings for veterans: Tyler Vincent has been appointed NEADS Veterans Services Specialist. Vincent is an Air Force veteran who served for 21 years and now lives in Ocala, Florida, and spends summers in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Vincent will establish ties with the large veteran communities in both locations, which will allow NEADS to increase the number of veterans served each year. Vincent previously served in roles with the Kentucky State Lottery, where he worked for 25 years, and the U.S. Census Bureau, where he conducted health surveys. “As a retired military service member, I am excited about the opportunity to help other veterans with needs that can be met by these World Class Service Dogs,” said Vincent. “At NEADS, we are poised to grow the number of clients we serve with the recent opening of our new, $2.6 million, state-of-the-art Breeding Center. We need strong leadership to accomplish this growth, especially as we continue to navigate the impact of COVID-19 while supporting our more than 400 active Service Dog teams across the country,” said NEADS CEO Gerry DeRoche. “Our recent appointments and promotions among our talented team will help us achieve these goals.” Recent promotions at NEADS are as follows: Cathy Zemaitis is now Chief Development and Program Officer. Over the past decade as Director of Development, she has systematically and strategically built NEADS’ development operation and spearheaded three highly successful capital campaigns. She will continue to manage and grow development and fundraising while also overseeing client services and playing a lead role in advancing the NEADS brand and advocacy work. Zemaitis currently resides in Westborough, Mass. Katie Hanna has been appointed Manager of Client Services. Hanna, an Army veteran, previously served as the Veterans Client Service Representative at NEADS and will continue her close work with the veteran community in her new role, which will also expand to manage all client groups that NEADS serves. Hanna has an extensive military and management background with the U.S. Army, U.S. Census Bureau and Office of the Surgeon General. Hanna currently resides in Grafton, Mass. Audrey Trieschman has been promoted from Manager of Communications to Director of Communications and Workforce Engagement. Trieschman will continue to work very closely with the development team to strengthen brand awareness and revenue sourcing, with new responsibilities of workforce engagement to navigate the changing workplace and continually enhance the nonprofit’s internal culture. Trieschman currently resides in Concord, Mass. Tracy Kelly, who has been an integral part of the development team and also supports client services, training, canine operations, and the breeding program, will serve in a new role as Data Operations Manager, overseeing all aspects of client and donor relationship management software and managing a new data support position. Kelly currently resides in Leominster, Mass.