Kit Perry earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northwestern State University.  She then worked in zoos, caring for and training more than 100 species, including giraffes, elephants, mountain lions, tigers, and condors.  In 2012, Kit started her own dog training company, Creature Coach Dog Training, LLC, and has since trained thousands of dogs for improved manners, reducing fearful behaviors, preparing for therapy dog certification, and performing fun tricks.  From 2013-2021 Kit was the Training and Enrichment Committee Chairperson for Valley Animal Center in Central California, in which she helped create a program for hundreds of shelter volunteers to safely interact with and train dogs awaiting adoption.  Kit has been an authorized mentor for Animal Behavior College, is associate certified with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and is a faculty advisor for the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training and Behavior.  Kit is now earning her master’s degree in Behavior Analysis at UNT with a goal of learning more and training faster and more efficiently.

Hannah D. McGee is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant, and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in behavior analysis at the University of North Texas. A career as a dog trainer led Hannah to discovering the field of behavior analysis and sparked her interest in the scientific study of animal behavior. Hannah’s current research centers around the concepts of consent and coercion in animal training and exploring ways we can better understand our animal’s communication. Hannah has always shared her home with a variety of animals, from dogs and cats to snakes and tarantulas, and is always ready learn about and work with new species. Additionally, Hannah has a passion for the skill of teaching and believes that we can enhance our interactions with animals by first refining our own skills. As the President of ORCA, it is Hannah’s priority to foster an environment where students and professionals can share their ideas about animal training, with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of the animals we work with. 

Sarah began UNT’s graduate program in behavior analysis in 2021 and serves as the vice president of ORCA. Before changing career paths, Sarah worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, as well as in marketing. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Arizona State University. She has spent her lifetime with animals and currently lives with a cat and two dogs, all of whom are clicker trained and have helped her refine her teaching skills. Sarah is both a certified professional dog trainer and a certified canine behavior consultant; she works primarily with dogs displaying aggressive or fearful behaviors. She also teaches or has taught group training classes, puppy socialization, dog sports, and service dog training. Sarah is especially interested in studying the controlling stimuli of dangerous or aggressive animal behavior, stimulus discrimination, and cue transference. 

Maggie is a graduate student at UNT who got her undergraduate degree at University of Wisconsin Eau Claire in psychology with an emphasis in behavior analysis. During this time she mostly got experience working with children with developmental disabilities but knew her passion was with working with animals. 

Maggie has a cat named Ziggy and has gotten some practice training her but ultimately wants to be a dog trainer. She recently got her first dog training job and has had fun applying what she has learned in the program to that job. Through her own experiences and ORCA, Maggie has become interested in applying the constructional approach to fearful dogs.