NEW YORK, NY– The American Kennel Club (AKC®) is pleased to welcome nine students chosen to participate in the 2006 AKC Internship Program. The program isopen to college students primarily with a background and interest in purebred dogs but  qualified applicants from any background will be considered. The program is designed to further their professional development as well as help AKC identify potential employees with experience in both AKC operations and the sport.

AKC’s interns will work on specific project assignments aimed at their interests and career goals.  In addition, they will receive an orientation to expose them to all facets of AKC. This year, the Performance Events intern is sponsored by Nestlé Purina, and the Marketing intern is sponsored by Chase Credit Card Services. The following interns will be employed at AKC for a period of eight weeks, from June 5th to July 28th, 2006:

New York Headquarters

• Cherie Acierno- AKC Archives. Cherie comes from New York, New York. She attends New York University where she studies Archival Management and Historical Editing.  Cherie has earned a Masters in the Study of Religions and a Masters in Creative Writing. 

• Kelli Herbel- Publications. A third generation dog fancier, Kelly is from Thomas, Oklahoma. She is a junior at South Western Oklahoma State University, studying for her degree in Communications. She has exhibited various breeds in Junior Showmanship, Conformation, Herding, and Obedience. Her main breeds are Border Collies and Lhasa Apsos.

• Adrienne Hill- Marketing. Adrienne is from Alta Loma, California. She is a junior at California State University, San Bernardino, where she is working towards a degree in Social Studies with a Marketing minor. Since early childhood she has exhibited Newfoundlands in Conformation and Junior Showmanship and won many top honors in both competitions at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship and Westminster. She is a two-time recipient of the AKC Junior Scholarship and the Newfoundland Club of America Scholarship.  

• Laurence Owens- Accounting. Laurence is a native of Harlem, New York.  He attends Borough of Manhattan Community College, where he is studying for his associate’s degree in Accounting. He will be attending Temple University in Philadelphia where he plans to work towards his bachelor’s degree in Accounting and become a Certified Public Accountant.

Raleigh Operations

• Loretta Gill- Coonhound Events. Loretta is a native of Louisburg, North Carolina. She is a sophomore at North Carolina State University where she is studying Animal Science. She has been showing Bluetick Coonhounds for 12 years and is completing the application process to earn her AKC Coonhound judges license.  

• Brittany Lloyd- Canine Health Foundation. Brittany is from Oxford, North Carolina. She is a sophomore at North Carolina State University studying Microbiology. She has been field trialing Brittanys since she was a baby, training and winning field trials with her Brittanys at a young age. At the age of 18 she earned her license to judge field trials.  

• Russell Nelson- Performance Events. Russell is from Seattle, Washington. He is working towards his degree in Business Administration at the University of Washington. He grew up showing Irish Water Spaniels, and has won many prestigious awards with dogs he has bred. Russell currently works as a trainer at The Academy of Canine Behavior.

• Brandi Smith- Companion Events. Brandi is from Birmingham, Alabama. She attends the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she is completing her Master’s in Public Administration. She is a former Junior Handler who is active in Conformation and Obedience with her Labrador Retrievers and German Shorthaired Pointers. Brandi is a three-time AKC Junior Scholarship recipient and has earned her Junior Showmanship judging license. She is an active member in both local and national breed clubs.