Board Of Directors

Susanne DelGrosso

Originally from Ohio, Susanne worked for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company for 24 years as a credit analyst and later in community relations, managing $2.4M in corporate charitable donations. Then, at the United Way of Summit County, coordinating grant requests and leading the Corporate Volunteer Council. She moved to Surf City, NC, in 2008 and is the Director of Administrative Services for Plantation Village.

Cara Arrans

Chair

Cara is the Accounting Director for Plantation Village, a Life Plan Community. She graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Business Administration. Before moving to Wilmington in 2015, she spent seven years in Chicago working in the trading industry as a Financial Analyst. Cara is a lover of animals, especially her two rescue pups, Miles and Wrigley. She is both the daughter of and sister to Marine Corps Veterans

Caulin Collier

Caulin Collier is a US Navy Veteran who served as a Surface Warfare Officer. A native of Duluth, GA he now resides in Castle Hayne, NC with his wife, daughter and rottweiler, Georgia. Now a Portfolio Analyst for Live Oak Bank, Caulin was looking for a way to serve his community and was introduced to CFS through the Veteran Business Collective

Dr. Kurt Ehlert

Secretary

Kurt Ehlert, MD is a retired orthopedic surgeon with over 35 years of experience in the medical field. He began his medical career with the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps in 1993 in Arizona and worked in practices as both a practitioner and a leader in Wisconsin and North Carolina.

Dr. Christian Bolz

Christian received his Bachelor of Science degree from North Carolina State University and his veterinary degree from Tuskegee University. After several years of gaining experience as an associate small animal veterinarian in New Jersey and Massachusetts, Dr. Bolz moved to North Carolina. For over three years, he practiced at Animal Emergency and Trauma Hospital in Wilmington, broadening his skills before opening Myrtle Grove Animal Hospital in 2009.

Kirk Pugh

Vice Chair

Kirk is a 25-year hospitality executive turned real estate investor, general broker, and co-owner of KBT Realty Group – Keller Williams INNOVATE. Originally from Kentucky, Kirk’s hospitality career has taken him around the country. He has lived in Wilmington for 18 years and is active in the nonprofit community. He and his wife, Janine, have two sons and a daughter.

David Barr

David Barr is a retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant with 20 years of active service. David completed multiple active combat deployments to Iraq & Afghanistan, as well as numerous other deployments across the globe. David holds a BS in Psychology from Campbell and is currently undertaking a Master’s program in psychology while working as a realtor for the Castro Real Estate Team. He is a Scottish immigrant, husband, father and currently resides in Coastal NC.

Olivier Van Dierdonck

As a healthcare professional, Olivier has held operational positions with rural and urban hospital systems and national physician practice management organizations. Throughout his career, Olivier has gained extensive experience recruiting healthcare CEOs, CFOs, CNO, CIOs, CMOs and other executives who specialize in hospital and physician alignment, clinical integration networks and value-based care development.

Wesley Walker

Treasurer

Originally from Northern Virginia, Wesley has been a Wilmington resident since 2019 along with his wife, sons, two dogs, and five chickens. A US Army Veteran with multiple combat deployments, he has spent his post-service career working in the defense and intelligence technology sector where he currently serves as Vice President of Product at Washington DC based company.

Mario Galante

Mario is retired high school principal originally from Pennsylvania. After visiting their daughter and her family here in Wilmington for over ten years, he and his wife decided to make North Carolina their home. Mario has been part of several non-profit organizations in PA, including two that provided service dogs to Veterans. He is excited about becoming part of Canines for Service and contributing to the realization of its mission.

Amy Taft

Amy has been associated with the military her entire life and loves serving the community. As the current Chief Growth Officer for the COMMIT Foundation, Amy brings with her knowledge of the nonprofit space, fundraising, and programmatic metrics and measurement. Amy was drawn to Canines for Service because of the deep love and appreciation she has gained for the value of service animals after her husband received one. Amy saw first hand how service animals can change someone’s life. Her passion for connecting people fuels her desire to see all people become the best version of themselves.