Board of Directors

 In her 30 year career as a management consultant at The Gallup Organization and her own firm, Steph has worked with a variety of notable leaders across the globe. Her team designs and implements systems that empower people to develop a well-being path to flourishing.
Steph taught Sustainable Business Strategy at Presidio Graduate School, and remains an advisor to many former students. She co-authored ‘Purpose Drives Performance’ and is currently writing ‘Connection Over Perfection’. With a Global MBA from Thunderbird School of Management, Steph believes that multi-cultural awareness is key to deepening our awareness of humanity.
Throughout her life, Steph has been fortunate to be inspired by many black dogs, who taught her unconditional love. Notables include a poodle who adopted her at birth, a 12-week rescue who won 4-H Obedience Champ, and an indigenous street dog from India who still stashes his treats.
Steph and her husband Keerat live on an acreage in Longmont, CO. When Steph is not behind a laptop, a tractor, or the reins of one of her horses, she jogs, bicycles, camps or hikes with her dogs - Zella and Mowgli.  

Carolyn’s passion for animals began as a little girl when her family rescued their first (of many) Siamese cats from an SPCA in New York City. Since then, she’s always had Siamese cats. She has been involved in animal welfare for 15+ years including rescuing homeless cats, volunteering with local Colorado rescues, and working with Best Friends Animal Society. Carolyn’s father, James G. Coffey, was a B-24 Bomber pilot in World War II. Her dad’s military experience made an indelible mark on him, and greatly influenced Carolyn’s life. Carolyn has a long accomplished sales, marketing and account management career with CSC. She also been a board member of the Society for Corporate Governance. Carolyn’s unique experience encompassing animal welfare, governance and marketing make her a great addition to the Black Ops Rescue. Carolyn is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College and holds her MBA from Iona College. She is also a certified Pilates Instructor. Carolyn lives in Evergreen with her husband Bob, and 3 Siamese rescues, Snickers, Portia and Jazzy. 

  In New York, Amy worked in hedge fund research before becoming the partner’s office and personal assistant.  She has been both manager and administrator for investor relations teams for 3 public companies.  In 2022, while overseeing the largest departmental budget in the firm, she  created a budgeting process that became a template and was used interdepartmentally. She has worked in administration for wealth management companies and managed the day-to-day transactions, trades and quarterly presentations for clients.

Amy has always been interested in animal behavior and the bond between people and pets. Her circle of family and friends are a majority mixture of healthcare workers, veterans, and animal lovers.  When she got her first dog, Marley, in 2007, they would visit nursing homes and sub-acute units and Amy experienced the positive influence that Marley had on the patients, residents, and staff. This led her to fostering and walking dogs at Denver Metro shelters with a particular focus on senior dogs. She also assists with matching dogs with homes at a local breed specific rescue.  She is passionate about finding the right home. 

When she is not volunteering, she works for a company that believes in sustainability and aquaculture with a focus on sense of place. Land or sea, Amy loves all animals and looks forward to being a "geezer guardian" when the right senior dog comes along.

 Laurel Burnett grew up in Los Alamos, NM, and currently lives in Albuquerque, NM. She attended the University of Arizona for her BA degree concurrent with a 4-yr ROTC program. She served in the U.S. Air Force for 25 years (12 years on active duty and 13 years Reserve). As a second career, Laurel attended Webster University to obtain her Masters degree in Counseling. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in NM. 
Laurel's love for dogs soared over the past 10 years. She worked for two pet sitting companies and provided care for dozens of wonderful pets. The best part of the care was establishing long term relationships with the animals and their families.  

In 2024, Laurel adopted a 16-yr old dog who was found running loose on the streets of Albuquerque. The dog was rescued by two caring neighbors and then taken to the ABQ Shelter. The dog has a microchip; yet, unfortunately, the phone number and address were outdated, and she was not claimed. After staying in the shelter for 7-days and having surgery to remove twelve teeth, sweet "Poppy" was adopted. She is thriving, and is so loved!

 Sunny Weber has over 30 years in animal welfare advocacy. She has experience in rescue, fostering, medical care, service and therapy dog evaluation and training, shelter and sanctuary work, and specializes in the rehabilitation of fearful animals. Sunny has rehabilitated then re-homed hundreds of dogs, cats and horses.

Sunny's Pups & Purrs Children's Book Series addresses the importance of teaching humane education through storytelling. Each dog protagonist narrates in "first-pup" (person), to instill empathy in young people, and to help them see the world through their pets' eyes. The series utilizes complex coming-of-age story structures with engaging characters, who go through what children do--bullying, ridicule, search for identity, and positive decision making. Each book has placed as #1 Amazon Best Seller in multiple categories and rate consistently high in Children’s Books/Ebooks listings. All three books have won numerous accolades and awards. She advocates for the education of children to avoid "The LINK"--animal abuse that escalates to violence against people.

Sunny's Pups & Purrs Adult Nonfiction Books fulfill her mission to save more dog lives by educating the people who care for them. They provide common-sense relationship building between people and dogs that not only saves dogs, but enriches the lives they share. These books are rated as #1 Amazon Best Sellers in multiple categories. Each one has garnered prestigious awards and won highly coveted endorsements from animal welfare experts.

In addition, Sunny has served as a volunteer, board member, and officer of many nonprofit animal welfare groups.

  Growing up in Rapid City, South Dakota, as part of a family of seven, Walt was always surrounded by a variety of animals (dogs, cats, horses, chickens, and turkeys as a 4H project). He joined the US Navy and worked as a propulsion engineer specializing in diesel propulsion. Walt rose to the rank of Chief Petty Officer acting as a buffer between the enlisted personnel and the officer community. Unfortunately, in 2002, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which ultimately led to his retirement after 21 years of military service.

After retiring, Walt moved to Colorado where he certified as an Emergency Medical Technician. He uses his EMT skills to work with children who are in the foster care system through a 501(c)3 organization called Camp for Change. In addition, he’s active with the Camp leadership team responsible for fundraising activities. He served on the Board of Directors for the Rocky Mountain Riding Therapy program, a nonprofit organization that provided therapeutic riding to riders with physical or developmental challenges. HIs role as a Board member placed him in a position to help with fundraising activities in support of program and facility operational costs.

In 2017, I graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Social Sciences with a minor in Emergency Management.

Today Walt lives outside of Longmont, Colorado with his wife Carrie, five dogs, three cats, four birds, two horses, (all rescues), three goats, and fifteen chickens; so, life is never boring!