Leadership
Wag Workshops Leadership has a broad range of experiences and deep knowledge in our fields. Our common string is the passion we have for our animals.
Board of Directors
Senior Volunteers and Staff
Rosa Gonzalez
Non-profit Coordinator
Madi Long
Dog Trainer
Carmen Nolte
Social Media
Mary Owens
Dog Trainer
Lori Roper
First Aid and CPR
Jennifer Shearer
Dog Trainer
Kelly St. Marie
Dog Trainer
Elizabeth Ashley, CTC, SDC, FFCP
Elizabeth Ashley and Walter
About Elizabeth
I first fell in love with the dog training profession while volunteering at the San Francisco SPCA in the Maddie Adoption Center. This environment not only supported the hundreds of animals in its care, but it also attracted professional practitioners. Simultaneously, it reached out to the community with education programs and volunteer opportunities. It was a think-tank and proving ground for new strategies, ideas, and people. At the same time, it was accessible to all volunteers at their desired level of participation.
For Southern Maryland, I would love to see the Wag Workshops Community continue to develop with cutting edge information that really works for us. As the daughter and granddaughter of educators, community leaders, and advocates, I believe that our programs can be scientific and practical, be pain-free, flow naturally within the course of lives, and be a ton of fun! Wag Workshops can serve our community and also be a place for inspiring the next generation of animal welfare leaders. We seek to improve the human animal bond and we constantly work to keep pets in their homes. If you want to become a dog professional or if you simply want to volunteer occasionally, this is the place, and we would love to meet you!
Elizabeth's Credientials
Elizabeth Ashley is a member of the Fear Free Speakers Bureau and on the Linda L. Kelley Animal Shelter Advisory Board. Elizabeth holds a Certificate of Training and Counseling from the Academy for Dog Trainers and is a Fear Free Certified Professional. She graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover and she earned her bachelor’s in science and engineering from Princeton University in Operations Research and Financial Engineering. She also earned her master’s at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and is licensed to practice architecture in Maryland and California
Brian Markowich, CPDT-KA, FFCP
Brian Markowich alongside Edge, eco, and kit
About Brian Markowich, CPDT-KA, FFCP
In 1992, I started as a normal student in a traditional dog class that was taught at my local veterinarian. We used prong collars, choke collars, and food. I was good at it and I received obedience competition titles on several dogs and my instructors would often ask me to help out during classes. After several years, my instructors moved out of the area and asked me if I would be willing to take over as instructor. I cautiously accepted and the vets and their staff were some of my first students.
Back then (like now), that is all it took to be a dog training instructor because there is no licensing or regulation for trainers. I hope that changes. After a year or so, I wanted to be certified to whatever criteria was available. I began to study for the Certified Professional Dog Training (CPDT) exam. That’s when I began to study the science and history of dog training and became keenly aware of how little I knew about “professional” dog training and positive dog training. I studied, practiced, found mentors, and I was off to the races. That was almost 25 years ago and now I am referred to as a “cross-over” dog trainer, and we are some of the strongest positive training advocates. We have seen and practiced both methods and there are times when I feel guilty to have used force and threats for training. What motivates me now is what motivated me 25 years ago…advice from my mentor. “Now that you know better, you have to do better”. That’s what our Wag Workshops mission is trying to accomplish – help as many dog owners and trainers to “know better” so that they can “be better” trainers and owners for their dogs and families. I have been married for 31 years, have three Belgian Tervurens (Edge, Ecco, and Kit), and I’m a retired Navy civilian flight test engineer.
Brian's Credentials
Brian Markowich is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and a Fear Free Certified Professional with over twenty years of experience as a Dog Training Instructor. Brian graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and retired from the US Navy as a civilian Flight Test Engineer at Pax River MD.