Sera Nelson is a woman of many talents, she is the Executive Director for the “Charity That Cleveland Grew”, Working Animals Giving Service for Kids. Sera is a graduate of Gilmour Academy and Ohio University. She received her degree in Communications, with a focus on Marketing & Promotions. With Gilmour’s focus on community service guiding her, Sera spent her early career working in non-profit development and brand management for Higher Education. Sera was a founding Trustee and Board Member in 2004, shaping and supporting the W.A.G.S. 4 Kids mission of training and placing Service Dogs exclusively to children with disabilities in the Northeast Ohio area. At an early age, Sera’s own diagnosis of epilepsy fueled her passion and drive from a personal understanding of all the abilities that can exist in the life of a child faced with the challenges of disability.

Sera has previously served as Director of Development & Special Events for Working Animals Giving Service for Kids. In 2012, Sera left the corporate world to devote a full time effort to her niche in the non-profit sector, leading W.A.G.S.’ development team and advocacy efforts. Her success in building relationships, creating awareness and support, has statistically doubled W.A.G.S. 4 Kids paw print on the community and in the organization’s financial stability. In 2013, she created the W.A.G.S. 4 Kids Youth Empowerment Program, “Kids Who Can!” Relationships were built through 4-H clubs, The Boy Scouts of America, High School and Middle School groups, and the nationally recognized “Magnified Giving” organization. Sera’s program teaches today’s youth to participate and do the things they love in such a way that will lead to the betterment of another child with developmental disabilities who needs their help.

As Executive Director she now oversees all training aspects of the W.A.G.S. 4 Kids programs including in home interviews with applicant families, puppy selections, inmate training instruction and evaluations and transition training of specific dogs into each partner family. She is a Provider Member of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP), and a proud graduate of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, cohort 16. It is under Sera’s direction that W.A.G.S. 4 Kids continues its legacy of growing possibilities, one child at a time.

Sera has stayed involved in her community in other ways having volunteered with 100+ Women Who Care - Cleveland, City Dogs Cleveland, Cleveland Young Professional Senate, United Way’s Youth Opportunities Unlimited, and Ohio Homecoming’s CLE NYE.

Certified by the W.A.G.S. 4 Kids Dog Trainers' Apprenticeship Program at North Central Correctional Complex, Josh received his certification in 2008 and helped train 18 service and skilled companion dogs during his apprenticeship. Since his release in December 2011, Josh has stayed dedicated to W.A.G.S. 4 Kids assisting with our in-home transition training. As a certified W.A.G.S. Staff trainer, Josh's responsibility is to lead and execute the W.A.G.S. 4 Kids Service Dog Trainers' Apprenticeship Program curriculum at Grafton Correctional Institution and educate the Grafton Project participants.

Certified by the National School for Dog Trainers' Master Training Course, Lisa has been a professional dog trainer since 1995. Lisa came to her role as Senior Trainer at Working Animals Giving Service for Kids through her work raising and breeding golden retriever puppies with Misty Meadows Kennels. Many of her puppies have graduated the W.A.G.S. 4 Kids training program and have gone on to serve the needs of children with disabilities and families across Northeast Ohio.

Lisa has previously served as Director of Training for Working Animals Giving Service for Kids and overseen W.A.G.S.' programs since its founding in 2004, leading W.A.G.S.' service dog training program at North Central Correctional Facility in Marion, OH, Grafton Correctional Institution in Grafton, OH and Mansfield Correctional Institution in Mansfield, OH. In addition to training service animals with W.A.G.S. 4 Kids, Lisa also serves the NE Ohio animal community with her business Dog Watch of Cleveland - Hidden Fences. Her greatest accomplishment, however, is her daughter, Madison.

In October of 2014, Nick began his journey with us at W.A.G.S. 4 Kids. He quickly realized this program was a great opportunity to utilize his time wisely, while giving back to others at the same time. In 2017, after fulfilling a required 4,000 hours of training and classwork, he was certified by the W.A.G.S.-4-Kids Dog Training Apprenticeship Program at Grafton Correctional Institution. Over the next 5 years, Nick continued to grow with the program. He was not only an essential part of the training and placement of our service dogs, he continued to develop new skills which included: leading classes to train new recruits as well as dog grooming.
 

At the end of 2022, Nick was released from Grafton. He now resides in Columbus, OH where he works full-time as CAD Operator and is pursuing his Bachelor's Degree from Ashland University. As Nick begins this next chapter, he is excited to work in this new capacity within the organization. As an Associate Trainer, he will work with families in the Central Ohio area on their journey to accept a service dog into their home.

Wendy brings a lifetime of experience to W.A.G.S. 4 Kids. A second generation dog breeder and trainer, Wendy began participation in Junior Showmanship at the age of ten. Over fifty years later, she has never stopped her involvement in the rearing, training and caretaking of dogs. Her training experiences include both pure and mixed breed dogs, wolf hybrids and behavior modification training for problem behaviors and rescue dog socialization issues from trauma or mistreatment in group classes and as a private instructor.

In 2006, Wendy authored "Dog's Don't Speak English", a training manual that helps the layman pick a puppy and teach it to be a service dog, skilled companion animal or simply a tremendous pet. Her book has been the core protocol for The Accredited Apprenticeship Service Dog Training Program of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections in Grafton, Ohio. In 2013 it was named “Best Inmate Program in Ohio” by MTC. After years of putting into practice this successful program and training methods, her new expanded training program, including W.A.G.S. innovative Autism Spectrum Disorder Service Dog Training , “Step By Step”, will be published in 2016.

Wendy is a member of the Delta Society, a Provider Member of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) and was chosen by the American Kennel Club as a registered evaluator for their Canine Good Citizen's qualification certifications. It is under Wendy's direction that W.A.G.S. 4 Kids has taken shape with a very specific agenda. The animals we train will meet the specific needs of children : to aide and assist, to involve and engage, to give opportunities for social interaction and emotional support, and to bring joy!