In the Spotlight: Kelly Forbes

Kelly Forbes, Veterinary Hospital Manager, began her career at Guardian Angels Medical Services Dogs as a Certified Veterinary Technician. In March, she will have been with the organization for two years. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology from the Vet Tech Institute in Pittsburgh and a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science from Pennsylvania State University.

With over a decade of experience, she is a Certified Veterinary Technician skilled in Emergency, Small Animal, and Large Animal medicine. Kelly is married with a two-year-old son and a baby boy on the way. She also has two “spoiled rotten dogs” and enjoys canoeing, kayaking, and outdoor activities when she’s not working.

Kelly’s Passion for Veterinary Medicine Led Her to Guardian Angels

With her love of veterinary medicine and dogs, Kelly sought to use her talents to make a difference.

“I have loved working in Veterinary Medicine but was looking to step away from a more corporate position and do something that makes more of an impact. Guardian Angels seemed to appear at the perfect moment,” Kelly said.

Kelly finds it rewarding and emotional to see the journey of the dogs from their birth to their pairing with the recipients. She said this experience is something that you can’t find in a typical veterinary practice.

Kelly’s Why” for Working With Guardian Angels

Kelly enjoys seeing the tremendous impact they can make on people’s lives when they are paired with their service dog.

“Seeing how quickly these dogs bond to their recipients and the almost instant impact they make on their lives is such a unique and amazing experience that never gets old. We also stay in contact with recipients from pairing until retirement, so we get to continue to experience the amazing bond between recipient and dog for years and years,” Kelly said.

What Kelly Wants You to Know About Working at Guardian Angels

Kelly highlights Guardian Angels’ dedication as something she thinks everyone should know about the organization. At Guardian Angels, the on-site vet clinic not only handles the care of the growing dogs on-site as they go through their training but also stays in contact with the hundreds of paired teams throughout the country. They work hard to ensure they always know what is going on with their dogs.

“Not only is it great because we still get to know what’s going on medically with the dogs we’ve become so emotionally attached to throughout their lives, but I don’t know if there’s any other service dog organization that has that level of involvement with their dogs for their entire lives,” Kelly said.

Want to learn more about working at Guardian Angels? Visit our Careers page.

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Mary Jo Brandt

Mary Jo has an extensive history working with the media as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology at Northern Illinois University. Mary Jo has worked for companies such as Gannett, News Bank Inc., E.W. Scripps Company, Lee Enterprises, Pulitzer, Inc., Arthur Andersen, and has been involved with Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc. since 2011. Ms. Brandt has had many hours of training in leadership, coaching, and mentoring. Her teams have consistently been highly effective in support of organizational mission and goals. She has one son, Paul who is currently in the Navy, and a daughter, Amanda in college and working full-time for a law firm in Naples. Ms. Brandt began volunteering with Guardian Angels after both her father and previous employer received a Guardian Angels Service Dog in 2011. Seeing the incredible difference service dogs could make in the lives of their recipients, she became involved through volunteering her time & talent to Guardian Angels. Ms. Brandt was then asked to join the Board of Directors and has served as a Board Member since 2013. Recently, Mary Jo has been named as a 2021 Patriot Scholarship recipient from Colorado Technical University. When asked why this scholarship and completing her Master’s Degree in Business Administration was so important to her, she responded, “This scholarship represents how important education is to our military/veterans and their families. I am honored to be part of this unique community. I am already in a career that demonstrates my commitment to helping others, I expect finishing this degree will allow me to be much more effective in my pursuit of working with our Veterans. This scholarship isn’t just about me. It is about how I can help others.” Today we face an even bigger challenge that none of us saw coming during the midst of the pandemic and worldwide economic collapse beginning to unfold. Yet again, Mary Jo is stepping up to the plate to be sure that our organization continues to serve those that need us, as we triumph in the face of untold adversity of today’s world. Businesses will only survive these difficult times because of leaders like Mary Jo.

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