Our Team

The Rescue for PTSD is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Not a single cent of R4PTSD funds goes to any of the generous folks on this page. They all donate their time simply for their love of Veterans, dogs, and the mission of Team Rescue.

The Board:

Laura Murray | Founder & CEO

Laura works as a Geologist by day, but her true passion is her animals. For years, she spent most of her spare time riding & training her horses for eventing competitions or working with her Labrador Bolo, visiting local venues as a Therapy Dog Team. She now trains Team R4PTSD pups and her baby, Tyton. Laura has had dogs as part of her family since she was born and has developed a knack for training them. Coming from a military-background family, she thought it would be a great combination of skills and passions to train rescue dogs for Veterans in need. Thus, The Rescue for PTSD was born!

SSgt. Jason Presley, Ret. | President

Jason has been a part of the Rescue Family since nearly the beginning! He was one of our first veterans to be paired with a service dog, his precious girl Hailey! To learn more about Jason, check out his Blog Post (Life Story of a Veteran). You can learn more about his service dog Hailey on her page! He is brother-in law to Vice President Jennifer O’Connell and is the reason she was led to become a part of the Rescue. He brought his wife, Advisor Holly Presley, into the fold, as well. He is uncle to Winston and Maverick, and father of two energetic daughters who love their sister Hailey very much! He also rescued and fostered Freddy, adding to the canine family at Team R4PTSD. Jason brings his vast experience in management, logistics, and safety to the Rescue. His professionalism, organizational skills, and military experience help our Veterans join the Rescue family with confidence.

Jennifer O’Connell | Vice President

Jenn is a Tennessee girl who made the trek to Colorado with her two “babies,” Layla and Piper. There she met Winston and his dad, Advisor Andrew Moore, and fell in love with both… Winston first, of course. Jenn practices law at Queener Law in Denver, Colorado, as well as being a full-time dog mom. Her pups spend most days at the office with her. Jenn is aunt to Hailey, one of our first service dogs, and sister-in-law to Hailey’s Veteran and President of the Rescue, Jason Presley. She is now mom to K9-Recruiter Maverick. She comes from a military family and was raised by a forester/conservationist, so her passion for supporting Veterans and animals has been a part of her life from birth.

Aric Murray | Treasurer

Aric is a Principal at a consulting engineering firm in Houston – Smith, Seckman, Reid, Inc. – and when he’s not working, you can find him outdoors hiking or swinging a club. He also enjoys fly fishing with his wife Laura, pheasant hunting with his Labrador Retriever Bolo, mountain biking, skiing, and supporting Laura at equestrian competitions. Aric’s passions clearly involve getting outside and enjoying life with the family. Wherever Aric & Laura go their Lab, Bolo has always been at their side, as they wouldn’t have it any other way! Now, Bolo has passed the torch to Tyton, who has big shoes to fill!

Mitzi Morton | Secretary

Mitzi is proud to serve as Secretary for The Rescue for PTSD. Having owned many rescue dogs over the years, she knows how much joy and companionship they can offer. By saving a dog’s life, she believes we can also save the life of a Veteran suffering from PTSD. She has been a registered and certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist for 25 years. She enjoys spending time with her dogs and family in her spare time.

Samantha Scott | Director of Training

Samantha started training police dogs at a German Shepherd training facility in 2011. She then expanded her work to include training military and family dogs. She went to dog training school in 2015, where earned her Master Trainer certification. After training school, she opened Working Paws Canine Training. With her two German shepherds and husband, she continued to run her K9 training business while supporting Team Rescue. Sam is also a therapy dog team with her German Shepherd, Astrid. Sam and Astrid train all of our service dog teams, both canine and human components. They also run our monthly group classes, engage in Veteran check-ins, and ensure the important care and wellness of our dogs and Veterans. Their level of care and skill are unmatched.

Advisors:

John Scott | Advisor

John is not only the dear friend of Laura and Aric Murray, he is also – and most importantly – husband to our Director of Training, Sam Scott and dad to Astrid. John has been involved with the Rescue since its inception, whether by choice or by marriage. At any given time, John can expect to be awakened by the six or eight Rescue fosters being housed and trained by himself and Sam. If his work life weren’t trying enough, John can also be found at every single training and fundraising opportunity for the Rescue. He is as dedicated to the mission, dogs , and Veterans as any other member.

Holly Presley | Advisor

Holly is wife to President Jason Presley, mom to Hailey, and foster mom to Freddy. She is also aunt to Therapy Dog Winston and K9 Recruiter Maverick. Did we mention the Rescue for PTSD is one big family? Holly, too, splits her time between her zoo of children and animals, working with Vice President Jennifer O’Connell and her clients at Queener Law, and furthering the mission of the Rescue.

Andrew Moore | Advisor

Andrew is Vice President of Sales for Sierra Container Group, and continues the theme of family with the Rescue. He is partner to Vice President Jennifer O’Connell, father to Winston and Maverick (and Layla and Piper), brother-in-law to Holly and Jason Presley, and uncle to Hailey. He brings his sales and financial background to the Rescue, as well as his newly honed dog training skills, thanks to the help of Director of Training Samantha Scott and Founder/CEO Laura Murray. He is an avid foster dad and trainer for the pups coming through the R4PTSD family awaiting their forever homes.

David Roth | Advisor

David and his wife Erin are parents of two gorgeous children and one loving pup named “Chunk.” David owns a law firm, Roth Law Group, and his wife Erin comes from a background in event coordinating. Both bring their skills in fundraising, finance, and events to the Board to ensure we can maximize our outreach to the community. You will find David, Erin, and Chunk at Rescue events, or you’ll run into David, Andrew, and Aric brainstorming the next Rescue event on a local golf course.

Kurt Woods | Advisor

Kurt, like President Jason Presley, is one of our Team Rescue Veterans. He is paired with our beloved Honor. You can check out their story here. Kurt and his wife Peggy are the biggest givers in the Rescue family. They are continuously connecting us with more Veterans, sponsors, donors, and volunteers. And if that weren’t enough, they foster and train service dogs like Justice. Kurt, too, comes from a background in finance, helping the Rescue stay in tiptop shape and making our funds go to the best use to accomplish our mission.