MEET THE TEAM
Arin
Arin is a young entrepreneur and the inspiration for Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats. In 2009, Arin met Posie, her service dog, who has always been called “Good Girl” by Arin. After years of feeding Good Girl countless homemade all natural treats, Arin’s hobby became her career after graduation from Webb Street School. Arin has an infectious personality, an endless love for animals, and loves making people smile! Arin is passionate about being able to earn her own living, run her business, and encourage the differently abled community.
Isaac
Isaac is in his last year of high school and is excited to gain some work experience. He has learned how to be organized, punctual and a team player. Isaac enjoys making fresh and delicious dog treats and meeting new people. His vision for the future is having more social enterprises like Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats that give people with special needs an opportunity to make a difference and enjoy having a meaningful job.
Nathan
Nathan likes making dog treats, especially when he gets to give his sister’s dog, Parker, treats! He also loves to play sports, showcasing his talents on the Carolina Fireflies Baseball team, in softball, soccer, and bowling with the Special Olympics of Gaston County. He also likes listening to music and playing his guitar. He enjoys being around other people and making them laugh. Nathan showcases his talents as a hard worker and learning how to do new things. He envisions a future for the differently abled community where everyone else gets to live in their own place, hang out with friends, and have a good job doing something that makes them happy.
Andrew
Andrew is a graduate of Webb Street School where he got some great experience making dog treats. He learned discipline, respect, and work ethic, through the work program at Webb Street School. He has a good memory and pays great attention to details! Andrew’s vision for the future of the differently abled community, he says “I want to keep working at Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats. Everyone should be able to work at a job they like. Everyone can work and help others if they are given the opportunity.”
Alexandra
Alexandra has a passion for helping people, participating in adaptive sports, and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes! Her discipline, respect, work ethic, enthusiasm, and commitment to redefining the labels about her disability has allowed her to flourish in the many activities she involves herself in. When envisioning the future she dreams of for the differently abled community, Alexandra says,”I hope to see more access in public for those with a disability, and access to the things that able bodied people have. I also want to see more able bodied people accepting of those with a disability.”
Kyra
Kyra is a high school junior at North Carolina Virtual Academy and will be starting classes at Central Piedmont Community College in 2022. She loves art and is planning on specializing in graphics in college. Kyra’s greatest strength is doing her best in whatever she does and trying her hardest.
Due to a traumatic brain injury from a car accident as a baby, Kyra has faced obstacles throughout her life but nothing makes her happier than proving people wrong when she is told she can’t do something. Her vision of the future for the differently abled community is one where all people understand that “differently abled” translates to unique, gifted and competent. There shouldn’t be one standard for success, achievement and effectiveness. She says: “Those of us who have challenges in our lives can and do overcome those challenges in ways that make us stronger and more capable than those who don’t. I want everyone to know that just because I do things differently or reach a goal in a different way doesn’t mean that I am any less worthy of consideration for whatever it is I am seeking to do or be in life”.
Jacob
Jacob Conley is a freelance journalist that lives on his family’s farm in Rutherford County, NC. A 2008 graduate of Gardner-Webb University, Conley has covered a wide variety of sporting events from Little League Baseball to NFL Football. In his free time, he enjoys reading, going to concerts, handcycling and many other activities. In addition to Gabe, Conley has three cats, Poirot, Misty and Peaches and two pet ducks, Corona and Virus.
Gabe
Gabriel Noel Conley, Gabe for short, is an AKC registered Chesapeake Bay Retriever. After an extensive search for the perfect dog, Gabe joined the Conley Clan, coming from Hassell’s Hunting Dogs in Creswell, NC during the Christmas season of 2021. He enjoys working off his energy running around on the farm, playing fetch, taking naps with Jacob, and of course snacking on Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats.
Joe
Joe enjoys watching videos and movies on his computer or iPad and is an avid Disney fan and hopes to visit Disney on Christmas someday. He is very detail oriented and does a fantastic job completing his house chores and helping his family in any way possible as well as volunteering at his local library branch every week. He loves making the Dragon Slayer treats at Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats since they are his dog Griffin's favorite treat. Joe’s vision for the future of the differently abled is that every person has their own place to live.
Greyson
Greyson loves animals, especially dogs and cats. She loves taking care of her dog Mattie, short for Matilda. Greyson enjoys caring for her dog and also working at childcare at her local YMCA. She is looking forward to enrolling at her local community college to study early childhood education. Her other passion is music and learning about the different bands. Greyson has a strong work ethic, respect, enthusiasm, and a passion for helping others. Greyson’s vision for the differently abled is “being able to work and really love what they are doing. Just because we might be different doesn't mean we can’t make a difference.”
Hayden
Hayden loves meeting new people at work and cutting out dog treats. He also loves sports, especially softball and volleyball playing for Special Olympics as well as playing for the Fireflies team. He enjoys music and spending time with family. Hayden's strengths are paying attention to detail making sure to get the job done. He envisions a future where people are more accepting of the differently abled.
Barbie
Barbie loves spending time with family and friends and participating in Special Olympics. She enjoys learning new things and hopes to live on her own. Barbie has a strong work ethic and likes finishing projects she starts as well as caring for the people around her. She enjoys her work at Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats because directions are clear and simple to follow and she feels proud to be a part of the team. Her hope for the differently abled community is that more jobs opportunities for the differently abled become available.
Jesse
Jesse introduces himself as a dedicated team leader who values spending quality time with his friends and family. He enjoys swimming, going on walks, and watching his favorite TV shows like *Spongebob* and *Dukes of Hazzard*.
At work, Jesse is known for his punctuality and his ability to help and support his team members effectively. He loves the camaraderie at Arin's Good Girl Dog Treats, where he finds a shared outlook and values with his colleagues. Outside of work, Jesse dreams of exploring new places and hopes to travel to the Outer Banks or Disney with his loved ones. His dedication and passion make him a valued member of our team.
Emma
Emma sees herself as an independent worker whose dedication to learn how to master hard tasks and punctuality make her a valuable asset to our team. At work she enjoys the flexibility of differentiating stations each time she’s working. In particular she likes the bagging station because she enjoys the counting aspect and ingredient prep because of the combining aspect. In her free time she enjoys going on walks, hanging out with family and watching her favorite show “The Office”. In the future she hopes to travel to Japan with her family one day to see the Cherry Blossom Trees. We are so happy to have her on our team here at Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats!
Daniel
Daniel is a native of Gastonia, North Carolina, and holds the position of Job Coach. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and holds a BS in Psychology. Daniel has two years of professional job coaching experience. While attending UNCG, one of his Professors stated, “People with disabilities are different but not less than.” Daniel said that this resonated with him and is his core belief. He believes that working with individuals with intellectual disabilities is rewarding and states “Watching someone accomplish something that they thought they could not do is an awesome feeling.”
Abigail | Co-founder
Abigail is Arin’s younger sister and co-founder of Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats. Abigail enjoys baking dog treats with Arin, and has volunteered within the community with disabilities throughout her life. From cheerleading buddy, to summer camp buddy, to annual fundraising for the Adaptive Sports and Adventures Program, Abigail recognizes the potential for individuals with disabilities and sees investing in them as a means to build a more inclusive and prosperous community. As a student at North Carolina State University studying Mechanical Engineering, Abigail has connected to resources such as the Entrepreneurship Clinic at NCSU helping bring Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats to life through a host of valuable mentors, community events, and supportive partners.
Talia | Director / Co-founder
Talia is a special education teacher and co-founded Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats. She believed Arin (her oldest daughter) had something special to offer the community around her. She began by baking treats with Arin for Posie (AKA Good Girl) and determined Arin’s passion was all dogs. Talia adapted Arin’s favorite recipes for dog treats and Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats was born.
Talia believes that all individuals have potential and by cultivating that potential any individual can reach success. She has been instrumental at helping fundraise and build the only inclusive accessible playground in Gaston, NC, develop an outdoor interactive classroom and vocational training program for students with significant disabilities while fostering parent involvement in school by establishing a PTO and community partners. Talia has a BA in Political Science and Urban Studies from Elmhurst College and a master’s degree in the Art of Teaching Special Education with a focus on adaptive curriculum from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.
Josette Duncan | Kitchen Manager
Josette Duncan is the kitchen manager for Arin's Good Girl Dog Treats and the mother to Nathan who works for the company as well. She began going to work with Nathan to help him when he didn't have a supported employment worker. She quickly realized that working at Arin's Good Girl Dog Treats was incredibly rewarding and brought lots of joy into her life. Thankfully, she was able to join the team and continue working with Arin and the other hardworking and dedicated individuals.
Josette is also the founder and president of the Special Needs Community Initiative (SNCI) whose mission is to create and sustain an affordable co-housing community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities so that they may independently live in a safe environment that is rich in opportunities for personal growth through their LEARN, WORK, and PLAY program. She created the nonprofit organization after Nathan expressed a desire to live independently and do the same things other young adults were doing but realized there were no options that allowed him to live the life they envisioned. It is her hope to change the way adults with IDD live in their communities and that it becomes the model for other communities in the future.
April Little |
Social Media Intern
Meet April Little, our new Social Media Intern and a recent graduate from Queens University of Charlotte, where she earned her degree in Communications. When she's not crafting engaging content, April enjoys hitting the gym and unwinding with a captivating Netflix documentary. She's thrilled to join the Arin's Good Girl Dog Treats team and is eager to bring her fresh ideas and energy to our community!
Debbie Rubenstein | Communication Team Lead
"Debbie is a dynamic connector and innovative leader with a 25-year track record of engaging community members and strengthening democratic engagement. Her career began in the documentary world, transforming Bill Moyers programs into cultural milestones using integrated strategies that combined broadcasts with websites, promotional campaigns, books, and educational curricula. Now Debbie is a respected voice in the Charlotte grassroots community. Leveraging her expertise in strategic partnerships, she has been a driving force behind initiatives promoting public school equity, a co-founder of a social enterprise, a leader in political campaigns, and most recently, a driving force behind the Living Archives project that gathered 430 stories of the pandemic for permanent preservation in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library. And she can go on and on about the three dogs that she has lived with - Poochie, Gaelin and Sir Walter Raleigh. They were all, without exception, very good boys.
Erin Wallace Mejia | Board member
Erin Wallace Mejia is a third-generation Special Education teacher with extensive experience in the field. She holds a bachelor's degree in Special Education, specializing in General and Adapted Curriculum, and a master's degree in administration. With a decade of experience in teaching special education, Erin has been a dedicated advocate for individuals with disabilities.
Michelle Stalder
Michelle Stalder is a former Human Resources Director with over 30 years of professional experience in the aerospace & defense and consumer products industries. Her expertise spanned all areas of Human Resources, and she exemplified the best qualities of that profession. She was known for being a strong leader who showed kindness and empathy to employees along with fostering an environment of collaboration. Leaders viewed her as being a true partner with the business in reaching the company’s objectives. Michelle has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and earned professional designations as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), as well as a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS).
Brandy Paul
After graduating from Baylor with both my bachelor’s and master’s in Computer Science, I spent much of my career architecting software for various financial systems. I have recently moved into the learning management space where I joined the mission to provide the next generation of tools for educating my consumers. I seek solutions with a boundary-less approach that results in building systems with engineering excellence while fostering an environment of psychological safety where everyone is able to do their best work and is inspired to tenaciously pursue the right outcomes. I am well-known for inspiring optimism, generating energy, and have a resounding reputation for building up others in each endeavor I pursue.
Rick Wucherer
Tresurer
Rick Wucherer brings over 20 years of experience as a full-time product manager in the industrial products sector. Holding a Master’s in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering, Rick is skilled in customer service, pricing, and product management. He is passionate about making a positive impact on others and is dedicated to helping people, both professionally and personally. Outside of work, Rick enjoys spending time with his family and exploring the outdoors.
