- Canine-Assisted Leadership Crew Manager
- (575) 751-1420
- denise@youthcorps.org
Denise Dumesnil is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and leader of the Canine-Assisted Leadership Crew. An AmeriCorps VISTA alum (2005), she first worked with RMYC from 2010-12, as Supervisor of the “Community Health Crew.” It was then that she saw the need and opportunity for a new type of crew that could be accessible to youth of all ability levels, be trauma-informed, and teach job skills and social relationship skills. She combined her experience in animal-assisted therapy and service dog training to develop the Canine-Assisted Leadership Crew in partnership with RMYC and Assistance Dogs of the West, an official RMYC crew in 2018. This is her life’s work, and considers it a privilege to work with these special dogs and youth that make our community more inclusive and connected with each other.