About Washoe County K9 Partners
K9 Partners in Washoe County is a Nevada Non-Profit organization formed to provide financial assistance for the Washoe County Sheriff’s Department K9s in order to ensure they have protective equipment, training and necessary gear to do their jobs. Our purpose extends to assistance in purchasing dogs when necessary, but does not replace the Sheriff’s Office budget for K9s.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
K9 Partners is a volunteer organization. All Board of Directors members are volunteers and take no compensation from the organization.
PRESIDENT – DIANA LEE
With a background in accounting for construction, Diana decided to exit that field to become a Pilates instructor, which would allow her to dedicate more time to the community. She has taught for about 15 years at Red Hawk Golf & Resort, Double Diamond Athletic Club, and VESyLab. This has allowed her to become active on the Board of Directors for Secret Witness, TIP-Trauma Intervention Prevention, Hot August Nights, and K9 Partners. She is also an Honorary Deputy for the Washoe County Honorary Deputy Sheriff Association. She was also Chair for the JTNN (Join Together of Northern Nevada) and Chair for Domestic Violence formerly known as Committee to Aid Abused Women. She is a 40-year resident of Nevada.
Diana says, “Being a huge animal lover is what brought me to Washoe County K9 Partners. I have immensely enjoyed working with this wonderful nonprofit by helping out where needed for these beautiful K9s, such as assisting with raising funds for equipment needed or if there is a new K9 that needs to be purchased.
I am also a huge Wolf Pack fan and attend all the basketball and football games with family and friends. I also love attending fundraisers that benefit our local community!
I am beyond thrilled and grateful to be a part of this great organization!”
SECRETARY – KAREN TAYLOR-PICKENS
VICE-PRESIDENT – Currently open
TREASURER – STEPHANIE CLINE
A native of Reno, Nevada, Stephanie says she can’t imagine a more beautiful place to live. As the owner of two small businesses, she is responsible for managing the financial affairs, including budget, bookkeeping, and investments. She brings her extensive skills to K9 Partners as treasurer.
Her interest in K9s started with a litter of German Shepard puppies Lucy, the family dog, had when Stephanie was nine. Some of the puppies ended up as K9s for the Nevada Highway Patrol. She is honored to be part of this organization.
MEDIA DIRECTOR – JJ
JJ rounds out the board as the person responsible for all media presented by K-9 Partners. While her direct efforts are on Facebook, she coordinates with Diana, who handles Twitter and Instagram, and Rene, who is the website guru.
WEB GURU – RENE AVERETT
A resident of Reno, Nevada since 1977, Rene worked as a computer operator, supervisor, trainer, and documentation specialist for First Interstate Bank in data processing, then International Game Technology (IGT) in progressive games. She built and maintained the department web pages while also working on website designs for other clients.
Upon retirement, she resumed her interest in writing and has published several novels. She designed the original K9 Partners website, which was then redesigned by another person, and has now returned to the position of webmaster. She also has done the layout for several calendars, including three for K9 Partners.
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR – JANETTE OHAIR
Janette Ohair has lived in Reno for over 50 years as her family settled here after her dad retired from the military. When her husband passed away at 44, she devoted her life to raising them. Now they’ve moved out of state, so she has the time to follow her interests. She does accounting for the FallLine Corporation and loves her job.
She volunteers with the Reno Rodeo Association, UNR Football Alumni, Sierra School for Performing Arts, Nevada Gay Men’s Chorus, Reno Wind Symphony, Step 1, Hot August Nights and Washoe County K9 Partners. She is a firm believer in giving back to the community. She is excited to join the K9 Partners Board of Directors and is looking forward to meeting new people.
BOARD MEMBER – PATRICIA KELLY (Patti)
Patricia worked for Harrah’s Casino and First Interstate Bank of Nevada in their Computer Centers. In 1987, she began working for Washoe County Sheriff’s Office administrative services where she supervised six units with a $1.5 million budget. While there, she developed an interest in the K9 units.
She began fundraising for the Washoe County K9 Unit in 1995. Although Washoe County K9 Partners was started in 1997, it didn’t become a 501C3 charity until 2016.
Patti’s goal is to make all residents within Washoe County aware of how wonderful these valiant K9s are and what a valuable asset the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit is to our community.