Greetings from the Land of Enchantment. My name is Steph and I’m your treasurer. I am originally from Hamburg, Germany. When I first moved here, I spoke very broken English and couldn’t find a job. In 2016, at almost 50 years old, I decided to go back to school and got a BA in Finance and International Management. In 2019, the Air Force picked me up as a Program Manager and also paid for my Master in Project Management. I love my current job and am proud to support our military.

To find a work/life balance, I was looking for an opportunity to volunteer and give back to the community. Since my kids were little, I volunteered in all kinds of different settings. Because dogs and obedience were already my passion for the past 40 years, I was looking for something where I could enjoy both.

That’s how I got into pet therapy. Back in 2018, I had a very well-tempered Labrador girl Lucy, and had just finished and passed my training with her, when my daughter decided she needed her as a de-stressor at Vet school. So, I waited 9 months and took Diesel, our then 13-months old chocolate lab, through training and finally started to visit in March 2019. Since then, I also certified our German Shepherd/Border Collie mix, Sammy.

I’m regularly visiting at Presbyterian Main hospital after work and try to visit at as many outreach events as possible. I also take Diesel or Sammy to the office (under a different “work” insurance!) where they make all the airmen happy.