Team

Dr. Lori friesen, Founder

Dr. Lori Friesen's passion is teaching children to become stronger, more confident readers and writers while developing compassion for animals. She is a sought-after expert in the area of animal-assisted literacy and her work has been published in academic journals worldwide.

Dr. Lori completed her Ph.D. in Education at the University of Alberta in Canada. Dogs Help Kids Read and Succeed was created from 20 years of teaching experience and government-funded doctoral research by Dr. Lori. The innovative program was first offered at San Diego’s prestigious Elementary Institute of Science in 2013. The following year, Dr. Lori was awarded an Innovation Grant to pilot the program at Rio Vista Elementary School in Palm Springs Unified School District. This early pilot was quickly adopted by other California Gold Ribbon Schools.

Dr. Lori has been awarded numerous national and provincial scholarships for her research, including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada doctoral scholarship and the President’s Doctoral Prize of Distinction. The response from both academia and the families they work with has been so overwhelmingly positive and supportive that Dr. Lori Friesen has determined her goal is to have her program adopted statewide by the end of 2020.

Holly Carinci, media & Sponsor/Investor Relations

As a young up-and-coming actress during Vancouver’s early boom in film and television, Holly needed a personal publicist who could promote her career to the decision-makers down south. When she couldn’t find one, Holly “switched hats” and went from aspiring actress to publicist-in-bootstrap-training.

Over the last twenty-plus years Holly has built herself an envious list of media and studio contacts worldwide and she has worked with dozens of famous actors, directors and producers. She has accompanied clients to huge Hollywood red carpets, including the 2016 Academy Awards, and arranged photo opportunities with stars like Leo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Christoph Waltz and many more. Holly also created and produced a worldwide award show honoring animation, video games, and visual effects. Over the 3-year run of the show, Holly brought in as her Hosts William Shatner, Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy) and Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants).

When Holly was introduced to Dr. Lori and listened to the appalling statistics behind the passion in the doctor’s story, Holly didn’t hesitate to jump onboard. “Besides,” she says, “there are far fewer bad wolves in this children’s story than there are in Hollywood.”

Stephanie Michelle scott, Digital media

Stephanie's extensive background in Vancouver's feature film art departments is apparent in her work in digital content creation and Social Media. A technology early adopter, she surfs the trends of an ever-expanding ocean of social media, interactive mashups, and fan engagement to curate 'fun' social media and digital campaigns that supports Holly's carefully crafted media hooks.

Being a part of Dr. Lori's game-changing message is an honor Stephanie treasures. She is keen for the opportunity to introduce the 'Dogs Help Kids Read and Succeed' adorable characters to online audiences across North America. 

"Special thanks to our many supporters including Walter Green, Loving All Animals, The Anderson Children’s Foundation, Catherine Montes, and everyone who contributed through the original Kickstarter Campaign ... THANK YOU!"                   

- Dr. Lori Friesen