Sunny Weber, Chair
Sunny Weber has over 30 years in animal welfare advocacy. She has experience in rescue, fostering, medical care, service and therapy dog evaluation and training, shelter and sanctuary work, and specializes in the rehabilitation of fearful animals. Sunny has rehabilitated then re-homed hundreds of dogs, cats and horses.
Sunny’s Pups & Purrs Children’s Book Series addresses the importance of teaching humane education through storytelling. Each dog protagonist narrates in “first-pup” (person), to instill empathy in young people, and to help them see the world through their pets’ eyes. The series utilizes complex coming-of-age story structures with engaging characters, who go through what children do–bullying, ridicule, search for identity, and positive decision making. Each book has placed as #1 Amazon Best Seller in multiple categories and rate consistently high in Children’s Books/Ebooks listings. All three books have won numerous accolades and awards. She advocates for the education of children to avoid “The LINK”–animal abuse that escalates to violence against people.
Sunny’s Pups & Purrs Adult Nonfiction Books fulfill her mission to save more dog lives by educating the people who care for them. They provide common-sense relationship building between people and dogs that not only saves dogs, but enriches the lives they share. These books are rated as #1 Amazon Best Sellers in multiple categories. Each one has garnered prestigious awards and won highly coveted endorsements from animal welfare experts.
In addition, Sunny has served as a volunteer, board member, and officer of many nonprofit animal welfare groups.
Janet Rasmussen, Treasurer
Janet served as Consultant, Comptroller and Vice President, Finance for OpenEye Scientific Software Inc., (OpenEye), from 2001 – 2015. OpenEye is an innovative Santa Fe based corporation, which develops large-scale modeling applications and toolkits, primarily geared towards drug discovery and design. Janet was responsible for all day-to-day office operations, supervision of Human Resources and administrative staff, payroll, financial reporting to the company CEO and Senior Vice Presidents, tracking revenue/expenses and accounting responsibilities.
Janet handled finances, payrolls, P&L and Balance Sheet reporting while serving as liaison between OpenEye and its subsidiaries in England, France, Germany and Japan. She managed and coordinated accounting for the subsidiaries, prior to tax returns completed by international accountants for each subsidiary.
She coordinated and had oversight for OpenEye’s annual CUP meeting in Santa Fe, as well as international event planning and conferences in Europe and Japan.
Prior to joining OpenEye, Janet was sole proprietor of an office bookkeeping management support firm. She set-up, organized and helped manage offices for numerous nonprofit and entrepreneurial firms in Boulder, Colorado and Santa Fe, New Mexico. While living in Boulder, Janet worked with Project WILD, an international interdisciplinary, supplementary environment and conservation education program for educators.
Michele Kland, Secretary
Michele serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for Black Ops Rescue, bringing a unique combination of healthcare expertise, legal knowledge, and technology experience to the organization.
A retired professional with a diverse career spanning nursing, law, and healthcare information technology, Michele has dedicated her career to serving others and improving systems of care. Her multifaceted background provides valuable insight into the complex needs of both veterans and animals in crisis.
Growing up in California surrounded by a menagerie of animals including dogs, cats, birds, chickens, sheep, pigs, turkeys, and a goat, Michele] developed a lifelong passion for animal welfare. This early connection to animals, combined with strong family ties to military service through multiple veterans in their family, creates a natural alignment with Black Ops Rescue’s mission.
Now residing in Boulder, Michele embraces Colorado’s outdoor lifestyle through hiking, cycling, skiing, and gardening. This active connection to the natural world reinforces her commitment to the healing power of the human-animal bond that is central to Black Ops Rescue’s work.
Michele brings essential organizational and administrative skills to the board through her role as Secretary, ensuring proper governance and documentation of the organization’s important work supporting veterans and rescue animals.
Walt Boner
Growing up in Rapid City, South Dakota, as part of a family of seven, Walt was always surrounded by a variety of animals (dogs, cats, horses, chickens, and turkeys as a 4H project). He joined the US Navy and worked as a propulsion engineer specializing in diesel propulsion. Walt rose to the rank of Chief Petty Officer acting as a buffer between the enlisted personnel and the officer community. Unfortunately, in 2002, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which ultimately led to his retirement after 21 years of military service.
After retiring, Walt moved to Colorado where he certified as an Emergency Medical Technician. He uses his EMT skills to work with children who are in the foster care system through a 501(c)3 organization called Camp for Change. In addition, he’s active with the Camp leadership team responsible for fundraising activities. He served on the Board of Directors for the Rocky Mountain Riding Therapy program, a nonprofit organization that provided therapeutic riding to riders with physical or developmental challenges. HIs role as a Board member placed him in a position to help with fundraising activities in support of program and facility operational costs.
In 2017, I graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Social Sciences with a minor in Emergency Management.
Today Walt lives outside of Longmont, Colorado with his wife Carrie, five dogs, three cats, four birds, two horses, (all rescues), three goats, and fifteen chickens; so, life is never boring!
Graciela Guzman, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
Dr. Graciela Guzman is a Colorado-licensed veterinarian, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, and owner of Monarch Animal Health Center. With more than 20 years of experience, she has built a career dedicated to animal welfare, shelter medicine, high-quality high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) surgery, and veterinary public health.
Dr. Guzman earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the Colorado School of Public Health. Her graduate research, conducted in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, focused on the epidemiology of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in Colorado. Her training includes infectious disease epidemiology, zoonotic disease investigation, and emergency preparedness.
She has held clinical and leadership roles in nonprofit and municipal shelters, including over a decade with the Dumb Friends League. There, she led a mobile spay/neuter program performing more than 100 surgeries per week, expanding access to care across urban and rural communities. She later served as a Clinical Instructor Veterinarian, leading a veterinary externship program while mentoring students in surgery and shelter medicine.
Dr. Guzman is committed to education and mentorship, working with veterinary students, early-career veterinarians, and technicians. She also volunteers with international spay/neuter clinics serving underserved communities.
She brings expertise in veterinary medicine, public health, and community-based animal welfare programs to her board service and is an active member of multiple professional organizations. Through clinical practice, education, and volunteer service, she continues to advance animal welfare, preventive medicine, and access to veterinary care.
Carolyn Coffey
Carolyn’s passion for animals began as a little girl when her family rescued their first (of many) Siamese cats from an SPCA in New York City. Since then, she’s always had Siamese cats. She has been involved in animal welfare for 15+ years including rescuing homeless cats, volunteering with local Colorado rescues, and working with Best Friends Animal Society.
Carolyn’s father, James G. Coffey, was a B-24 Bomber pilot in World War II. Her dad’s military experience made an indelible mark on him, and greatly influenced Carolyn’s life.
Carolyn has a long accomplished sales, marketing and account management career with CSC. She has also been a board member of the Society for Corporate Governance. Carolyn’s unique experience encompassing animal welfare, governance and marketing make her a great addition to the Black Ops Rescue.
Carolyn is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College and holds her MBA from Iona College. She is also a certified Pilates Instructor. Carolyn lives in Evergreen with her husband Bob, and 3 Siamese rescues, Jax, Portia, and Jazzy
Board Members at Large
coming soon
Amy Koch
Amy has always been interested in the bond between humans and animals. In addition, her circle of family and friends are a majority mixture of healthcare workers, veterans and animal lovers. When she got her first dog, Marley in 2007, they would visit nursing homes and sub-acute units. This is where she saw first hand the positive influence that Marley had on the patients, residents and staff. It was there that she started to learn more about animal behavior and the human/animal bond.
As Marley became a senior, she started volunteering her time fostering and walking dogs at local shelters and rescues within the Denver Metro area focusing on the senior dogs. In addition, she has assisted with matching dogs with homes at a local breed specific rescue. She is passionate about finding the right home. Since Marley’s passing she has increased her fostering in the hope that she can help many dogs through their transition to their forever homes.
When she is not volunteering with the senior dogs, she works for a company that believes in sustainability and aquaculture with a focus on sense of place. Land or sea, Amy loves all animals and looking forward to being a “geezer guardian” when the right senior dog comes along.