Our Leadership Team
We are honored to have a team of dedicated Basset Hound owners with over 350 combined years of experience on the BHCA Foundation Board of Directors. Our leaders hail from seven different states with vast experience in canine health, rescue and education. In order to keep operating costs to a minimum, NONE of our leaders receives a salary or monetary compensation — they are all volunteers, experienced in their individual areas, who have dedicated a significant portion their lives to the Basset Hound breed.
Before any grant is approved, our team comes to consensus by investigation, research and input from individual experts. Our team’s goal is to ensure your donations are applied to important and worthy Basset Hound projects, with the goal of always seeking a positive outcome for the hounds.
Mimi Tysseling — President
Mimi has owned Basset Hounds since 1982. She is a Life Member of Basset Hound Club of America, a past BHCA Corresponding and Recording Secretary, a Life Member of Scottsdale Dog Fanciers Association and the current Secretary and Show Chairperson for Valle del Sol Basset Hound Club. Having a lifelong career in health care, she is passionate about the health of canines. She is the creator of both the AKCCHF FIESTA!, a fundraising event for canine health research at Fiesta Dog Shows in Arizona and “The Bling Project” to support bloat research for the BHCA Foundation. In addition to Basset Hounds, she has owned PBGVs, Dachshunds and Pointers — all of which breeds she is approved by the American Kennel Club to judge. She served as a Director for the BHCA Foundation from 2015 through 2023, also coordinating fundraising. Mimi and her husband, Jim, exhibit their Basset Hounds under the “Silverado” kennel name and reside in Arizona with their six Basset Hounds and two macaws.
Jeanne Dietrich — Vice President
Jeanne grew up with beagles but says she “discovered the error of her ways” and has owned Basset Hounds for over 30 years. She joined the Basset Hound Club of America in 2006 while still involved with Guardian Angel Basset Rescue. While she was volunteering with the rescue, she fostered over 70 Bassets, handled many promotional/outreach opportunities, coordinated fundraisers for GABR and served as its president for eight years. She later obtained her first show dog and started exhibiting in AKC events, not only in Conformation but in Obedience and Rally, and now Tracking as well. Since joining BHCA, Jeanne has served as Chair of the Rescue Committee and Chair of the Membership Committee. She has also chaired the Obedience and/or Rally Committee and served as the Nationals Auction and/or Raffle Chair. Jeanne is a member of Ft. Dearborn Basset Hound Club and currently serves as Vice President of the Timberline Basset Hound Club in Colorado, where she and her wife, Elisa, reside.
Richard Nance — Secretary
Richard is an active participant in several Basset Hound organizations, including Basset Hound Club of America and Basset Hound Club of Greater Fort Worth. He and his wife, Sharon, have had much success in Conformation and Performance competitions with their Bassets, identified by the “Bobac” kennel name. He has served as Director, First Vice President and President of the Basset Hound Club of America as well as the BHCA 2022 National Specialty Show Chair and Chair of the Judges Education Committee. Richard is approved by the American Kennel Club to judge Basset Hounds, Bloodhounds and Junior Showmanship, and he and Sharon reside in Texas.
Brian Pechtold CPA — Treasurer
Brian has been a member of the Basset Hound Club of America since 1980, and in 2016, he was honored with Life Membership. He has held numerous positions within BHCA: Treasurer, Director and Second Vice President. Brian has served as Treasurer of The BHCA Foundation from the year it was founded in 2009, and he was President of the Foundation from 2012 until 2023. He is also a Life Member of the Fort Dearborn Basset Hound Club. He was approved by the American Kennel Club to judge Basset Hounds in 2001 and has judged at numerous all-breed shows, local specialties, BHCA Regionals and BHCA Nationals.
Brian is a Certified Public Accountant. He retired in 2013 from the investment management business after 34 years. He currently spends most of his time volunteering for the Kane County, Illinois, Office of Emergency Management. He holds an elected position in his community as a Trustee of the Hampshire Fire Protection District as well as President of the Hampshire Firefighters Pension Fund.
Bethany Berger — Director
Bethany has been involved with dogs her entire life and has been an active member of Badgerland Basset Hound Club in Wisconsin for almost 30 years. She has been a member of the Basset Hound Club of America since 2005 and has served as the Member Education Committee Chair for the last eight years. Bethany currently owns five Basset Hounds and is an owner-handler in Conformation competition. In her professional life, she is a veterinary office manager and “unlicensed” veterinarian technician participating in the testing and care of her clinic’s patients. Bethany is passionate about the health of our pets and strives for our breed to be as healthy and happy as possible.
Shelly Gordon — Director
Shelly has an extensive history in Basset Hound rescue. She is the President of All Bassets Cherished Basset Hound Rescue (ABC). In 2002, she created and implemented “The Slobber Shoppe” — ABC’s biggest source of income with over 350 Basset Hound-themed products for sale to Basset lovers. She competes in Agility Trials with her Bassets and has qualified twice for the American Kennel Club Agility Invitational. She and her husband, Don, own and operate Premiere Dog Sports, a canine training and event center in Lancaster, New York, outside Buffalo.
Pam Heine — Director
Pam’s love of the breed began in 1978 when she acquired her first Basset Hound. She began participating in Conformation competitions in Southern California under the mentorship of Sue Shoemaker of Shoefly Bassets. Pam is a Past President of the Basset Hound Club of Southern California and has been a Basset Hound Club of America member since 1990. She is a member of Timberline Basset Hound Club and Long Peaks Dog Training Club in Colorado, where she currently is taking classes in Rally, Tracking and Scent Work. In late 2023, she acquired her latest Basset Hound, a male puppy, and will compete with him in Conformation in 2024.
Sherry Moore — Director
Sherry and her husband, Clyde, are originally from Tennessee, and they have also lived in Michigan, New Jersey and Arizona. Sherry got her first Basset Hound in 1977 from an Arizona breeder, and she has owned several since then. She joined the Basset Hound Club of America in 1994, coming in through volunteering with BHCAres, which was the original BHCA’s original rescue committee. She served on the BHCAres board as Secretary, then Rresident, before it was dissolved in 2000. She has served several terms on the BHCA Rescue Advisory Committee, was awarded the 2021 BHCA Sportsman of the Year award, is a Director of Valle del Sol Basset Hound Club and an active member of both Kachina Kennel Club and Phoenix Field and Obedience Club. She and her current hound Logan (CH Silverado Succession RN CGCA TKN) compete in Conformation, Rally and Obedience.
Dr. Norine Noonan — Director
Norine Noonan has been a member of the Basset Hound Club of America since 1974 and has served on the BHCA Foundation Board since its inception. She currently serves as the American Kennel Club Delegate representing BHCA and is a BHCA Life Member. She chaired the BHCA Health and Research Committee for a decade and has also served the club as Nationals Agility, Rally and Obedience chair on multiple occasions. Norine is an AKC approved Rally judge and Agility Course Test Evaluator and competes regularly in Agility, Obedience and Rally trials. In her professional life, Dr. Noonan served as a university faculty member, Dean and Provost, as well as a senior executive within a U.S. government agency. She is now Professor Emerita.