Meet the Team
Nina loves all things animal and it was her beloved rescue dog Flo, aka Packs, who led and inspired her to take over the running of The Underdog Project in 2018.
Nina is passionate about this project and really believes that a kind and healthy connection between the human and animal kingdoms makes the world a better place. She is also passionate about her team and loves to lead in a way that encourages each individual to feel confident in the skills they bring and inspired to continuously learn and grow.
Michelle is the heart of all things operational. She brings endless patience and compassion to everything related to the people and animals we encounter. A registered counselor and qualified dog trainer, Michelle is also currently busy with her animal behaviour diploma at COAPE. This unique and powerful combination of skills means that she is constantly adding relevant and meaningful content to our modules and never runs out of dog training skills to keep the youth and dogs busy learning and growing together in a safe, therapeutic and kind space. She is their safe and trusted adult and goes over and above to show up for all of our beneficiaries, two and four legged, whenever they need support.
Emily was the missing puzzle piece and when she joined our team we felt like we unlocked a new level of potential. With an Honors in Psychology and a heart of gold Emily slotted in and quickly became another trusted and safe adult for our youth and dogs. We aren’t sure yet where she gets all her energy and a laugh that makes everyone around her laugh too but it’s safe to say that we wouldn’t have had the growth we have had without her. Emily embodies all our values and has a contagious ‘can do’ attitude.
Sphelele Ndovela (Eazy)
Intern Facilitator
Eazy is an ex-beneficiary who we snapped up and employed as soon as he finished school. Eazy is not only a wonderful mentor to the youth and an incredible and gentle trainer for the dogs, he is also an immensely valuable addition to our team as a kind, grounded and reliable facilitator. He is so keen to learn and grow and we are excited for him to start running his own sessions soon.
Siyamthanda Gqomani
Intern Facilitator
Siya is the second ex-beneficiary to start working at The Underdog Project as an intern facilitator. He started off as a peer leader sharing his passion for dog training. He has such a gentle way with the dogs and a real gift for explaining and demonstrating skills to the younger trainers. Siya is kind and patient and embodies our values. We are so grateful to have him on the team and are excited to see his continued growth.