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.  

Coming Soon

  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.

 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. 

  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 2018, Laurel adopted a dog named Howie who had been rescued from a shelter in Utah. He was one of the dogs she had grown to love as his pet sitter. The family asked her to adopt Howie when they moved back to Utah because Howie was enamored with sunshine (and hates cold weather and snow).    

   Coming soon