With a strong love for animals and a commitment to the people who love them; I help people connect with animals for a stronger future!

I believe in the concepts of leading from YOUR strength and helping others find theirs. The idea of benevolent leadership fit with the mission of most non-profits but are not learned in business schools and HR coursework. This philosophy comes from the heart and meshes well with the mission of non-profits. Where it is important to remember non-profits are still businesses and need to respond to economic trends and sound principles, leading with heart and remaining mission focused will lend credibility to your organization.

Lynn Connell Olenik

Lynn spent over 25 years in the animal welfare field serving 20 years as an executive director of the Humane Animal Welfare Society before retiring. Her hallmark energetic, positive and strategic leadership style not only drove the growth of her organization, but made her loved and respected by her employees and community. Her career left her with many stories to share. With humor and compassion, she led others through the often-emotional world of animal welfare, believing that through humane education, we could change the mind set of our electronically focused youth and build a stronger, more compassionate community.

Her life has always been full of animals. She has taught and participated in a variety of dog training sports and disciplines. With her K9 partner Mason, she was a search and rescue dog handler. An avid recreational dog musher, she got to explore trails and woods with her teams made up of mainly of rescued Siberian Huskies, with a few Malamutes throw into the mix.

Lynn now shares her life with two German Shepherds and her spouse in a semi-rural community in Wisconsin. She enjoys the outdoors, nature and visiting their cabin in the north woods where "life is simpler and the beer is cold".