2026 Instructor Bios
Jill Oblak
Classes: Wilderness First Aid
Jill has been involved in search with Lower Kiski for approximately 6 years after more than 30 years in EMS as a paramedic and educator, including disaster response with PA-1 DMAT and PA TF-1 USAR. She and LKSAR teammate Tod live in western PA with the two sweetest dogs on the planet, Reggie and Pippi.
Michele Belak
Class: Wilderness First Aid
Michele was first involved in EMS as a dispatcher for a volunteer ambulance service in the late 1970s. She became an ambulance attendant with Advanced First Aid then became an EMT progressing to a Paramedic. Graduating with a degree in education from IUP, she taught at IUP. She then worked as the administrator for the EMS programs there before going to medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. Her residency in emergency medicine was at Geisinger Hospital and since 2000 she has been and continues to work as an ER Physician in Greensburg Hospital
Kathy Otruba
Class: Wilderness First Aid
Kathy has retired from Nursing after having a nursing career in the hospital, emergency room, cardiac rehab, cardiac testing and home care settings. She then went on to teaching both medical assistants and nursing and became an EMT and EMT instructor as well as a CPR instructor. She has been teaching Wilderness First Aid for 4 years and brings experiences from 18 years in Search and Rescue to the classroom
Dan Bacaloglu
Class: Deciphering Pet Food and Pet Supplements, Water Rescue Awareness
Dr. Dan graduated with a degree in veterinary medicine in 1996. He has spent the last 22 years working in veterinary nutrition at Royal Canin and Purina and is currently a Purina Veterinary Consultant working with about 250 veterinary hospitals in North NJ. Dan joined NESAR as a canine search specialist in 1996 and spent 10 years with NJ-TF1 in K9 and technical search. He currently serves as NESAR Canine Coordinator and PSARC Air scent Evaluator. He is a PA Fish and Boat Commission instructor for water rescue for more than 15 years. In his spare time Dan likes to travel, work with his 3 dogs Ink, Fin and Kally and tinker with his 3D printer and computers
Heather Billings
Class: Bone Identification
Heather earned her Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from Rutgers University in 1999. Her research conducted at the University of Michigan, University of Cincinnati, and West Virginia University has spanned topics such as animal reproductive physiology and neuroscience, circadian rhythms, and more recently, anatomy education. She has taught human gross anatomy at West Virginia University for the past 18 years. She joined the Mountaineer Area Rescue Group in 2022, currently serves as president, and is most recently blending her anatomy expertise with improving search teams identification of human skeletal remains
Rudy Ritter IV
Class: Honing your Survival Skills (Fire building, Shelter building, spending the night, Q&A sessions, and Walk up Sessions)
Rudy is with STRIKE K9 SAR, since he was 18, as a support person in trailing/ air scent, as well as being a survival instructor. He has taken multiple classes through the Coal Cracker Bushcraft by Dan Wowak. Rudy grew up on a farm spending most of his time playing outside and building forts all around the woods by his house. He became involved in survival by attending a class by Ziggy, who was an old SAR EX instructor, teaching survival at his first PSARC SAREC. It built a fire for him to expand his knowledge and skills, which he brings to search and rescue to better equip searchers, in equipment and knowledge techniques to better serves those who are lost. Rudy has pushed himself to spend over a week outside in December with just a tarp and equipment that he carried in to survive and improve his skills. With just the knowledge one can overcome any situation and surpass oneself in helping others.
Marnie Powell
Class: K9 GPS Track Analysis for Handlers and Search Managers
Marnie is the Deputy Chief of Pennsylvania Wilderness Search and Rescue. She is a founding member of PaWSAR and has also served as the teams K9 Captain. She has 25 years of experience as a K9 handler (currently both IPWDA and NAPWDA certifications), Search and Rescue Technician, and Search Manager (MSO, SARIA). Over the past 5 years she has focused her efforts on search management, analyzing maps and GPX track information in order to determine the value added in post tracklog analysis. This has led to proving the relationship between log files, terrain, and scent theory exists, and can aid in follow up actions to find lost subjects.
Michaela Hruskova
Class: Child Development and Anticipated Behavior
Michaela is a Forensic Registered Nurse currently serving with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, where she collects and preserve medical evidence to support criminal prosecution while providing trauma-informed, evidence-based care to victims. Her work emphasizes compassionate communication, strict adherence to protocol, and multidisciplinary collaboration within the justice system. In addition to her forensic role, she has been an Emergency Department nurse with Atlantic Health System since 2013, serving both as a staff nurse and Nurse in Charge. In this capacity, she implements and evaluates complex plans of care, collaborates closely with interdisciplinary healthcare teams, and promotes evidence-based practice for patients and their families while upholding the organization’s PRIDE core values.
Michaela’s emergency response experience includes deployment during Hurricane Harvey through the New Jersey Nurses Association, where she supported the implementation of emergency medical services in both hospital and public settings. Michaela is also a K9 Handler with extensive deployment experience in search and rescue operations, including air-scent live find, trailing, and human remains detection on land and water. She has successfully certified and deployed multiple K9s and regularly conducts public presentations to educate communities on SAR operations and the role of K9 teams. Within NESAR, Michaela serves as a Lieutenant and Chair of the Medical and Training Committee, ensuring comprehensive and diverse training opportunities for team members. She also serve as Committee Chair for the PSARC Summit 2025, leading planning and coordination efforts for the event. Michaela’s service and leadership has been recognized with the Hometown Hero Award, presented by the U.S. House of Representatives and Congressman Josh Gottheimer. Michaela holds an Associate of Applied Science in Business/Marketing from SUNY Suffern and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Walden University. Her certifications include ACLS, PALS, BLS Instructor, Wilderness First Aid Instructor, SARTECH II, DCNR FTL/FTM, Lost Person Behavior Instructor, and MLPI
Ken Chiacchia
Class: Hybrid FUNSAR/SARTECH II
Ken has been an operational SAR dog handler since he first certified with Search Dogs Northeast (SDNE) of Antrim, NH, in 1992. He is currently a dog handler and search manager with the North Division of Mountaineer Area Rescue Group (MARG), based in Butler County, Pa., as well as a firefighter/EMT with Harmony Fire District there. He is also a lead evaluator and instructor in the NASAR GSAR program and an evaluator with the Pennsylvania SAR Council air-scent dog testing program. Ken has responded to searches in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and elsewhere.
John Norris
Class: NASAR Track Aware
John is a West Virginia native, who from a very young age, spent many hours with his father hunting, hiking, gathering, and tracking in the wilderness. John joined the Army right after high school. During his time in the Army, John attended the Tracking/Counter-Tracking Course taught at the JFK Special Warfare Center at Ft. Bragg. It was during this course that John was able to bridge the gap between his hunting knowledge and Mantracking. John’s combat tours include Hati, Bosnia/Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and South East Asia. Before leaving active duty, John became and Army Master Instructor and Training Developer. As a Army Civilian (DA Civil Service/GS), he continued his career as an instructor and training developer until 2019. John currently works in a Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) branch of the Army at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, and volunteers his time to Search and Rescue, serving on the Board of Directors, and as Chief of PaWSAR’s Eastern Division. John is a SARTECH I, NASAR Certified Tracker I, Certified Government Tracker (Forensic Spoorology) and became a Tracking Fundamentals instructor and SARTECH Tracker Evaluator to help bring those skillsets back to local SAR teams.
Fernando Moreira
Class: SAR Tracker
For more than 35 years, Fernando has trained trackers from Search & Rescue Teams, law enforcement officers, military personnel and outdoor enthusiasts across the United States as well as in several foreign countries. He initially became interested in the art of man-tracking while serving in the Portuguese army in Angola. He has utilized his skill in tracking on a nearly daily basis since then. Fernando has also assisted law enforcement officers in finding crucial evidence in many high-profile missing persons and homicide cases across the United States including Alaska and Hawaii.
Alex Tkacenko
Class: Canine Trailing – Advanced
Alex is a EMT and OEM Deputy Coordinator K9 SAR of Plumsted Township NJ, and graduate of Cape May County Sheriffs K-9 Association making him a certified K-9 officer and is certified Police K9 Trainer and Instructor responsible for canine search and rescue and recovery missions in NJ. Alex has been working in training all types of K9’s since 1992. He has instructed & evaluated and certified for himself different types of disciplines in the canine world, for Live find Airscent, HRD, Mantrailing, Narcotics, Explosives K9’s are some of the types he has personally Handled and certified with. He train’s K9’s 2 the standards of NJPP CCA, US PCA to certify police canines for Patrol, Explosive, Narcotics, Cadaver, Accelerant Detection, Mantrailing and Live Find Search Dogs. Alex was president for SARCNJ for 6 years, and cofounder and chief and K9 Instructor/Trainer of Central Jersey K9 Search and Rescue. He has been a member of the Berkeley Township Underwater Search and Rescue since 2017. He hold’s a TEEX Canine Search Specialist FEMA & US&R and Task Force Leader certification as well is a NASAR Canine Evaluator Certification.
Alex has trained and handled dogs in human remains detection(HRD), Live Find Airscent, Mantrailing, Narcotics and Explosives K9’s. He has personally handled and trained many various types of dogs for sheep dog competitions especially border collies, and hunting type dogs for competitions. As well it’s a basic and advanced obedience dog trainer and behavioral dog trainer. Alex believes in building the bond with dog and handler so that the handler TRUST THEIR DOG/PARTNER. The Motto Alex goes by is TRUST YOUR TRAINING, TRUST YOUR DOG. Alex currently handles and is certified with K9 Rusty & Piper Bloodhounds for Mantrailing both very successful, K9 Raven a GSD certified in HRD, Live Find, K9 Tequila Belgium Malinios certified Narcotics and Trailing, K9 River a GSD certified in Explosives. Alex has handled many dogs and certified many in different disciplines and with different breeds of dogs. K9 Vegas a GSD was certified in Mantrailing, HRD, Live Find with success in all 3 disciplines.
Jason Berthelette
Class: Canine Trailing – All levels and Documentation and Accountability
Jason has been a police officer for 23 years, serving as a patrol officer for a larger city police department in the State of Rhode Island for the most recent 19 of those 23 years. He has been assigned to the patrol division having served there for 7 years before being promoted to the rank of detective. While in detectives, he was assigned to the Juvenile Detective Division where he was assigned cases involving juveniles, specifically sex crimes and abuse cases. He officially transferred to the K9 unit in 2015. This is his current assignment. He has 3 retired dogs; a single purpose patrol dog, a single purpose human remains detection dog and a dual-purpose patrol/narcotics dog. He is currently handling a dual-purpose patrol and narcotics detection dog. His canine experience began in 2002. He actively trained with several working dogs, working dog clubs, and police canine training groups in Western Massachusetts. Studying under trainers and master trainers for several different nationally recognized training and certification organizations in the following disciplines: obedience, tracking/trailing, protection work, and scent detection. It was during this time that he began to develop a focus on tracking/trailing and detection work. Specifically, the application of the sciences to help develop better, more effective tracking/trailing and detection dogs. He is a credentialed trainer with an international canine training and accreditation organization as is tasked with the training and certification of working dogs in all disciplines of scent and police patrol work. Current and ongoing work includes development of handler school curriculum, and implementation of accreditation standards for working dogs through a non-profit organization. He holds a Master of Science degree in canine developmental biology and is a candidate for a Doctoral Degree in behavioral neurology. The focus of his education is neurology, olfaction and their application in keeping dog training current for handlers in the industry.
Athena Haus
Class: Canine HRD – Advanced
Athena has 28 years of experience in the field of Search and Rescue with 26 of those in public service, as a Firefighter/Paramedic and Fire Officer. She was a Founding Member of FEMA Ohio Task Force One where she served as a Search Team Manager, Canine Coordinator and Canine Search Specialist when the team was in its infancy, helping to build the training program and current disaster site. She has also served as a Canine Search Specialist for FEMA California Task Force One and Indiana Task Force One, working both human remains detection and live find canines. Athena has deployed as a Canine asset with all three FEMA teams while she was a rostered member. She is the founder of K9 Karma, a canine training business, specializing in the working canine and behavioral canine issues. For the past 20 years, she has traveled the country as an instructor, evaluator, and facilitator for search and rescue, as well as, tactical medicine classes and workshops. Athena specializes in live find disaster search and wilderness, as well as, human remains detection land and disaster. She has responded to countless disaster and missing person searches for local, state and federal agencies. She has managed several large scale local incidents as the Commanding Fire Officer operating in a Unified Command Structure. She frequently consults as a subject matter expert for large scale disaster training exercises, providing guidance in search strategy and planning and resource management. During her years as a disaster and fire service responder, Athena repeatedly saw that there was a lack of resources and training opportunities to fully prepare canine handlers and teams to manage canine injuries. She established BARK; Basic Aid to Responder K9 program, partnering with Tri-Med Tactical, providing training at the Ohio Fire Academy, Ohio Tactical Officer Association, IDHS as well as other organizations. This training ensures that teams with canines embedded in the disaster and tactical environment have access to basic, real world, hands on canine medical training. – Jen Woolever will be assisting Athena.
Jack Thorpe
Classes: Canine HRD – Shoreline
Jack is a K9 Deputy with the Nash County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina. He and his dog Fiji are the only HRD K9 team on the department. In addition, Jack is the Director of the NC Trooper’s Association K9 Search and Recovery Unit. NCTA K9 provides HRD K9 services across the state of North Carolina. Prior to joining the Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Jack was a Sergeant with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, of which he retired in 2023. Jack started in Search and Rescue in 2001. He is a K9 handler, Side Scan Sonar operator and previously served as the Assistant Chief of NC K9 ERT. In 2018, he started the NCTA K9 Search and Recovery Unit. Jack has worked several dogs over the years, and his latest dog Fiji is both Land HRD and water HRD certified through the International Police Work Dog Association. He has 25 years of experience handling K9’s for Human Remains and Live Find, including extensive deployments such as Western North Carolina. Annissa Justice will be assisting Jack.
Lisa Rice
Class: Canine HRD – Foundation
Lisa Rice is a certified NASAR SARTECH II and PSARC HRD Handler. She is a NASAR Instructor for FUNSAR and MLPI, Lead Evaluator for SARTECH II as well as an Evaluator for NASAR and PSARC Area Search and Human Remains Detection. Lisa has been actively involved in the FIRE and EMS services since 1990 and presently is the Director of Emergency Services in Tioga County, PA. She co-founded Laurel Mountain K9 Search and Rescue, which serves Northern Pennsylvania, in 2017. Lisa continues to work 9-year-old golden retriever Patriot in HRD as well as Trailing and has been able to bring answers to several families. She has recently certified K9 Freedom to carry on the tradition as Patriot approaches his “Golden Years” and she looking to add a pup soon. Lisa works to tailor training based on the experience level and needs of each individual team. Whether beginner or operational, she focuses on the team in front of her, to assure that each handler leaves her class with a better understanding of what is needed to succeed in the world of HRD search and recovery.
Howard “Howie” Mousley
Class: Canine Air Scent Beginner – Intermediate
Howie is the Assistant Chief and Wilderness Air Scent Trainer for Northeast Search and Rescue (NESAR), with a distinguished career spanning well over a decade. His SAR journey began in 2010, training German Shepherds (GSD). By April 2012, Howie and his first canine partner, Dolche, achieved their first major milestone: certification as a Canine Air Scent Specialist Team through PSARC. Key Certifications and Milestones: Howie has relentlessly pursued advanced qualifications, culminating in his status as a Lead Canine Evaluator through PSARC and NASAR as of April 2024. His other key certifications include: FTM/FTL DCNR certification (2011). NASAR SARTECH II Certificate (May 2021). NASAR SARTECH II Area Search Non-Scent Discriminating with his second canine partner, Mayhem (June 2021) and NASAR Canine SARTECH II – Non-Scent Discriminating with his current partner, Mischeph (September 2024) Howie currently is a PSARC Canine Air Scent Specialist, Mischeph and Instructor and Technician Beyond handling his own teams, Howie plays a critical role in training the next generation of rescuers. As NESAR’s Air Scent Trainer, he educates new handlers in essential skills like search tactics, scent theory, and the crucial ability to understand and interpret their canine partners’ behavior. He is also a certified Rope Rescue Technician and instructs a variety of classes, including: Map and compass skills, Survival techniques , Rope rescue In his limited free time. Howie enjoys exploring the outdoors through hiking and working on his property.
Christine Ronsisvalle
Class: Canine Air Scent – Intermediate
Chris has been an Operational K9 Handler registered with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management for over 20 years and has responded to over 100 search missions throughout Virginia. In her search career Chris has worked a dog in both the Live-Find and Human Remains Detection (HRD) disciplines. Her last operational dog was cross-trained in both Live-Find and HRD as well as water recovery. Chris has been a State Evaluator for the Virginia K9 Air Scent and HRD Teams and has taught at many search and rescue seminars. She instructs Live-Find, HRD as well as water teams. Chris will be assisted by Melissa Parker
Rusty Jones
Class: Canine Trailing – All levels and Problem Solving
Rusty began in law enforcement and served his entire career with the North Carolina Highway Patrol. Having grown up with bird hunting dogs, it was a natural calling when he first began to train toward, and then achieved, FEMA certification in 1996. He applied for and received his first K-9 from the Patrol in 1999. During his career he has served nearly 27 years as a Trooper, Sergeant, District First Sergeant and now Lieutenant in the western half of the state. During those years he has served as an Instructor, Interdiction Team member, and K-9 Training Coordinator for the Patrol.
He holds a Specialized Law Enforcement Instructor certification in North Carolina and is a lifetime member of NAPWDA. Rusty received his NAPWDA Trainer accreditation in 2004 and Master Trainer in 2008. He has served as an Assistant State Coordinator and State Coordinator and since 2016 serves as National Secretary. He has been recognized by the courts as a subject matter expert in police canine training and deployment.
Lindsey Taylor
Classes: Crime Scene
Lindsey is a Patrol Sergeant at the Norwalk Police Department in Norwalk, CT. She served six years of her career in the Detective Division. She has been a search and rescue K9 handler for 13 years. Her current dog Remy is NAPWDA certified in human remains detection. She is also in the trainer process for NAPWDA.
Kristi Teklinski
Class: Canine CGC
Kristi is a member of Liam Search and Rescue with more than 10 years of experience in Search and Rescue as a K9 handler. She holds certifications including SARTECH II, MSO, MLPI, and SARIA. Kristi certified her first SAR K9, Xito, in trailing through AWDA. Following Xito’s passing, she continued her SAR work with her second dog, Jiska. In her professional K9 career, Kristi has certified two explosive detection dogs with IPWDA. Most recently, she retired her dual-purpose K9 partner, Gyozo, who was certified through NAPWDA in both explosive detection and patrol
Kristina Opalecky
Class: Fitness & Conditioning for the Wilderness SAR K9
Kristina Opalecky is a veterinarian and a Certified Canine Athlete Specialist (CCAS). She additionally has experience as a certified human personal trainer. Kristina is a certified airscent canine handler with Northeast Search and Rescue and extensive experience in canine sports medicine. In addition to her training at PennVet and through the CCAS program, Kristina has externed with Cornell University’s Sports Medicine, University of Missouri Sports Medicine, and Veterinary Orthopedic and Sports Medicine
Julianna King
Class: Strength & Conditioning for the Wilderness SAR K9
Julianna King is a student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine with her VMD anticipated May 2026 and is a Certified Canine Strength & Conditioning Coach (CSCC). She is a certified airscent canine handler with Northeast Search and Rescue. Jules has worked through PennVet Sports and Performance Medicine service, externed at Florida Veterinary Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, University of Tennessee Sports Medicine and Physical Rehabilitation, and Cornell University’s Sports Medicine.
Evan Scott
Classes: K9 High-line & Personal Evacuation/Rescue Kit (P.E.R.K.) Workshop
Evan has been in public safety for the better part of 20 years. Emergency medicine, structural firefighting, and now the last 12 years in technical search and rescue. As the chief of Pennsylvania Mountain Rescue, he oversees the teams training curriculum and maintains their readiness to respond to wilderness emergencies around the region.
Justin Kukuruda
Classes: CalTopo – Field Use
Justin has been an active member of the Search and Rescue community for 5 years, currently serving as the Chief of PaWSAR West. An avid outdoorsman based in Western Pennsylvania, he brings a wealth of field experience and a deep commitment to regional emergency response. His expertise extends beyond field operations into mission planning and digital navigation; he has been teaching CalTopo for approximately two years, helping teams leverage geospatial tools for more effective search management.