Keelyn is a Senior Manager of People & Engagement at Wellness Pet Company. Previously in her career, Keelyn was the Operations Manager at United Teen Equality Center and a Program Manager at Novell. Keelyn obtained her MBA from Boston College and has a BS from Simmons College. She has served in the community with a range of organizations over the years including Entrepreneurship for All and Neighbors in Need before joining the Board at OpDD. Keelyn is a proud Lowell resident and resides there with her spouse David, son Elijah, and two dogs Beasley and Turk.
Trisha founded Operation Delta Dog in 2013 after learning about the high suicide rate among U.S. veterans. She is the author of six books, including Dog-Friendly New England and Dog-Friendly New York. A former newspaper reporter and magazine editor, she holds a master’s degree in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her award-winning humor column appeared in The Lowell Sun for three years and her articles have appeared in various national magazines and websites. She has also spent more than 20 years working/volunteering for organizations such as the New England Wildlife Center, The Women’s Center of Greater Danbury, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and various animal shelters. For Trisha, Operation Delta Dog is the natural culmination of a life spent as an animal advocate and the proud daughter of a U.S. Army veteran.
Sarah works with high school students in multiple roles in athletics and teaching at Chapel Hill – Chauncy Hall School. Sarah is also a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and in 2016 she worked as the athletic trainer and strength coach for the Collegiate Warrior Athlete Initiative to improve the fitness levels of post-9/11 veterans by pairing them with college athletes. Sarah received her B.S. in Kinesiology with a concentration in Athletic Training from the University of New Hampshire in 2005 and her M.S. in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology from the University of Florida in 2009. She resides in Waltham with her spouse Norm and rescue dog Liko.
Steve is an Assistant Professor of Accounting at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He Received his B.S. in Business Administration from UMass-Lowell in 1996 and worked in financial services for Putnam Investments and State Street for 13 years. He received is M.B.A. in 2004 from Bentley College and spent two years as a product manager for NewRiver/Broadridge. He earned his Ph.D. in Accounting from Bentley University in 2016. From 2010 to 2017 Steve was an adjunct professor of accounting at UMass-Lowell. Steve resides in Dracut with his wife Mary and rescue dog Willow.
Clark Gaphardt is a Captain at the Nashua Police Department. He was born and raised in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. He was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 2004 as a Sergeant and he was named Marine of the year in 2000. In 2004 he received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Rivier University. He is currently working towards his Master’s degree. He was hired by the Nashua Police Department in 2004 and prior to that he worked for the Dover, NH Police Department just shy of 3 years.
