Danique Masingill
Executive Director
Leading the Way in the Service Dog Industry
Danique's journey as a prominent figure in the service dog industry began with her dedicated service in the U.S. Navy. As a member of naval law enforcement, she worked alongside military police dogs, igniting a passion for working dogs that would shape her career.
Driven by her passion, Danique pursued in-depth studies on working dogs at the prestigious University of Syracuse, eventually earning her master's degree focusing on the subject. Her expertise quickly earned her recognition as a leading authority in the field, attracting the attention of esteemed institutions and organizations.
Juli Rasure
Training Director
Meet Juli, the passionate and experienced head trainer at The Hero Academy, located in the heart of Virginia. With a remarkable track record as a professional dog trainer spanning over six states, Juli has made a significant impact in the lives of both humans and canines. She developed various successful programs before finally co-founding the Hero Academy training program. At The Hero Academy, she has assembled a dedicated team of puppy and dog fosters, contributing to the success of their comprehensive training program.
Throughout her journey, Juli has successfully trained over 40 dogs, transforming them into service dogs for veterans, first responders, and invaluable facility dogs. She continuously seeks out new learning opportunities to grow her toolbox and collaborates with many industry leaders and experts. Her commitment to this cause is deeply rooted in a lifelong love for dogs. From her earliest memories, Juli cannot recall a time when she did not share her life with these incredible creatures.
Our Team is a large group of volunteers who are all united for the common mission at the Hero Academy. We are a social organization with a dog problem. Our volunteers and fosters are truly what make us great and set us apart. The dedication and commitment these fosters pour into our dogs to bring them to their fullest potential in order to serve a hero in the future is nothing short of astounding. Our all volunteer team does so much more than raise and foster dogs, we are fortunate to have a variety of talents that help us with administrative support, accounting, social media, fundraising, community engagement and of course training our dogs. This incredible family of volunteers dedicates their time and talents to allow us to use donor funds where they are most critical- our program and our dogs.