Our Story

Erick Innis
Executive Board Member

Erick.Innis@rescue22foundation.org

U.S. Army (July 2006-July 2012)
Special Operations Army Ranger: K9 Handler
Coastline K9 LLC. (July 2015-Present)

John Devine
Executive Board Member

john@rescue22foundation.org

US NAVY (2004-2014) Navy SEAL Team 5 (2007-14) Navy SEAL Multi Purpose Canine Handler (2012-2014) Devine K9s (2015-Current)

Angela Connor
Executive Board Chair

angela@rescue22foundation.org

As Board Vice President and CFO, Angela brings over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector. During the course of her career, she has raised millions of dollars in federal, state and private dollars to support 501 (c) (3) organizations.

Willian (Will) Aching
Lead Trainer/Executive Board Member

will@rescue22foundation.org

Will is a veteran of the USMC. He served from 2009 to 2019 as a Marine Special Operations Raider and oversees R22 operations at the Jacksonville, North Carolina campus. He is now the owner of Ridgeside Carolinas LLC.

Greg Hunt
Trainer

greg@rescue22foundation.org

Greg Hunt is a veteran of the United States Marine Corp where he spent nine years in active duty (2010-2019). He resides in Jacksonville, NC with his wife and new son. Greg recently started training with Ridgeside in 2020 and works directly with the R22 service dogs in traning at the Jacksonville campus.

Brett Hurt
Trainer/Executive Board Member

Brett joined Coastline K9 in 2018 and is an original board member of the Rescue 22 Foundation.

When Brett originally transitioned from the Marine Corp in (year) he joined his father’s construction and contracting business. His passion for dogs and assisting veterans brought him to Coastline K9, and the rest as they say is history. Brett believes in the healing power of dogs in all of our lives and especially for veterans working through transition to civilian life.

Byron Beplay
Trainer

Byron served as a member of the US Army (3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Regiment) and deployed a total of 14 times as part of the Global War on Terror. Byron was one of the original recipients of a service dog from R22 and is paying it forward as a trainer at Coastline K9-Emerald Coast. Byron is an outspoken advocate regarding the therapeutic benefit of service dogs for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress symptoms.

AMBASSADORS

Brett Bjelke

Northern Nevada Alliance and Network – Ambassador

brett@rescue22foundation.org

Brett is a high school senior in Reno, Nevada who is dedicated to assisting veterans in his community. In order to address the crisis of veteran suicide, Brett felt compelled to help R22 raise awareness around service dogs and their importance as a part of a comprehensive treatment plan.

Rick Bjelke

Northern Nevada Alliance and Network – Ambassador

rick@rescue22foundation.org

Rick has graciously started our new “alliance” model in the Reno area. The alliance seeks to serve as a hub for veteran referrals to the R22 program while connecting them to other supports in the community. Rick is currently working with Northern Nevada stakeholders to address the pressing needs of veterans in the community.

Aaron Tucker
(Aaron & Archer)

atucker@advonservices.com

Aaron joined R22 as an official ambassador in 2021. Aaron has faced his own challenges with Post Traumatic Stress and through his personal utilization of service dogs to enhance his life, the R22 mission resonated deeply with Aaron. He is a veteran of the Spartan Races and was a Nulo Sponsored athlete, pursuing many athletic endeavors featuring his four-legged partner, Archer. Aaron’s goal is to spread awareness regarding the importance of task trained dogs as an alternative therapy for many veterans and a key way to stay active and in the game. Aaron also leads R22’s partnership with Advon K9 services in the donation of dogs to the foundation on a case by case basis.

Jack Carr

Jack Carr is a former Navy SEAL and New York Times bestselling author. He is the author of the Terminal List, True Believer and Savage Son. Jack is a personal friend of the foundation, as he became familiar with the mission through co-founder, John Devine. Jack is intimately familiar with the challenges transitioning service members experience to civilian life and has seen first hand the powerful asset that service dogs provide in empowering veterans.