ABOUT PACCC

Amy Hillis, CPACO

Chair

Amy is Social Pet’s Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Middle Childhood Education from Ohio University and a Master’s Degree in School Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She also earned her Certificate of Leadership and Change from Queens University of Charlotte. During her time as a teacher and administrator, she recognized the power of differentiating instruction to meet each child’s individual needs and has worked to translate that to the pet care industry. Amy has a passion for raising awareness of the need for independent certification in the pet care industry and currently serves as the Chair of the Professional Animal Care Certification Council (PACCC) board and the chair of the International Boarding and Pet Services Association (IBPSA) Education Committee. She is also a Certified Professional Animal Care Operator. Amy lives in Fort Mill, SC with her husband, human son, and 3 dogs.

Nichole Bennett, CPACO

Secretary | CEU Committee Chair

In 2015, Nichole and her family turned their dream of creating a safe, healthy, and fun space for dogs into a reality when they opened Biscuits Doggie Daycare in Tacoma, Washington. Born and raised in Lakewood, Washington, Nichole graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2015 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Being well-educated in everything “dog” is very important to Nichole – she attended the Northwest School of Canine Studies and became certified in Canine Studies in May of 2016 and became a Pet Tech Pet First Aid and CPR Instructor the same year. Nichole will never stop pursuing new opportunities for learning and growth and is excited to help carry on the mission of the PACCC.

Jenn Dahinten, CPACO

Vice Chair

Jenn Dahinten became the owner, and operator of Royal Pets Hotel and Enrichment in 2009 and founded the charitable “Racers Fund”, for retired service dogs shortly after. Having been a pet parent and client of pet care facilities on four different continents she relished the opportunity to provide the kind of loving care, expertise, and professionalism that she always felt our fur family deserved. Before joining the pet care industry, Jenn first was a paramedic (human). Jenn studied Biochemistry at the University of Guelph, Ambulance and Emergency Care at Conestoga College, and then Advanced Life Support Paramedic (L3) at the University of Natal. During her years of providing air/ground emergency care across continental Africa, Europe, and the UK, Jenn was also active in providing veterinary assistance at local small animal practices and shelters. During a subsequent career in pharmaceutical sales, marketing, and training, Jenn returned to Canada and discovered her calling in the pet care and education industry. From the start, Jenn has been an advocate for fear free practices across grooming and training and has ensured that Royal Pets has been at the forefront of setting the standard in pet care. Royal Pets has been a part of both the IBPSA and The Dog Gurus since their inception and is proud to be an active member of the APDT, Fear Free ™ Organization, and PACCC. Jenn continues to provide education and training opportunities locally and within her industry and continues to champion continuing education, certification, regulation, and professionalism as some of the many necessary means to guarantee our pets get the care and attention they deserve.

Tara Crouse

Marketing Committee Chair | Pet Parent

Tara Crouse is PACCC’s Pet Parent Board member and Marketing Professional who is responsible for providing an unbiased perspective on everything PACCC does. Tara’s passion for animals began at a young age when she would visit neighbors to play with their dogs. She’s been a pet owner since childhood and currently lives with her husband and fur kids in New Brunswick, Canada. Her professional work experience includes over 14 years of Consulting experience. She enjoys collecting survey data for the Pet Care industry and has presented some of her findings at the IBPSA Pet Care Conference. Tara has also taught Marketing courses at the University of New Brunswick and worked with the local SPCA on Marketing and Education initiatives. She is passionate about the work that PACCC does and believes independent certification in the pet care industry is imperative for the safety and wellness of all pets.

Kathy Hennessy

Treasurer | Pet Parent

Kathy is a Pet Parent Board member who is a vocal advocate for everything PACCC stands for. She is a pet parent to two giant and high-energy dogs who benefit from a well-structured day camp program and who occasionally require boarding. She has also adopted a donkey who lives at the Irish Donkey Sanctuary and whom she was able to visit while on vacation. It was while seeking the best care for her first dog that Kathy learned about the lack of training requirements or regulations in the pet care industry. She now believes that instead of having regulated standards, a certified provider demonstrates a commitment to standards, safety, care, and accountability that more pet parents would insist on if they were also aware. In her professional life, Kathy has almost 20 years of experience with technical documentation and instructional design which has helped to fuel her passion for educating pet parents on what independent third-party certification means and the level of comfort that it can bring to a pet parent wanting to ensure the best for their family and community. Kathy also provides volunteer support for local rescue groups by helping with dogs in foster care.

Jennifer van Garderen, CPACO

Board Member

Jennifer is the Chief Operating Officer for Kennelwood Pet Resorts, a 10-location pet care business in the St. Louis area. Jennifer began her career in the pet care industry in 2001. During that time, she has worked in many areas of pet care, including Day Camp, Customer Service, Marketing, and leadership roles.

 “I love leading a team of such dedicated pet professionals. We are tasked with keeping pets safe and finding new ways to enrich their lives. I do not take these tasks lightly and value every opportunity to brighten the day of an employee, customer, and pet.” Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in Corporate Communications from Lindenwood University, is a Certified Professional Animal Care Operator, and is Pet CPR and First Aid certified through Pet Tech.

Rich Schlatter, CPACP

Board Member

Rich has been in the professional pet care industry for twenty years holding various management positions and is currently the General Manager of K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel in Hamilton, NJ.
Along with being a Certified Professional Animal Care Provider with PACCC, Rich holds a long list of canine care certifications on his resume’. With pet care as his passion, Rich feels strongly that there is a great need for independent certification in pet care, and is excited about the vision and mission of PACCC.

Sami Engle, CPACO

Board Member

Sami is the Director and co-owner of Pender Pet Retreat and PenderAIR international pet shipping in Northern Virginia. Having started as a kennel assistant at Pender Veterinary Centre in high school, Sami worked in increasingly progressive clinical roles over the next 14 years, eventually moving on to the Pender management team as the Manager of Veterinary Relations and eventually the Human Resources Director. During her years as a Hospital Manager, she achieved Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) board certification in Veterinary Hospital Management (CVPM) after graduating from the Veterinary Management Institute at Purdue University in 2014. In October of 2017, she transitioned from the main hospital in Fairfax to the Pender Chantilly campus as Operations Director. Most recently, Sami completed her MS in Healthcare Administration from the University of Maryland and achieved her PACCC CPACO certification. Coming from the veterinary profession that relies very heavily on credentialing and education, she is very excited to bring more awareness to PACCC certification as a much-needed standardization and continuation of the care provided to our pets outside of the medical field. A small-scale homesteader spends her days outside of work caring for her two horses, one pony, four cats, four goats, twenty chickens (and one duck that thinks she’s a chicken), two parrots, one toddler, and a large veggie garden.