Meet the Team!
Kate Graham
Owner, Director of Training
Kate has been involved in the canine industry for over 15 years, competing in conformation, obedience, rally, agility, tracking, nosework and hunt tests. She graduated from the State University of New York at Cobleskill with a bachelor's degree in canine sciences and went on to work with breeding programs for several national service dog schools. Kate worked at a private practice veterinary hospital as a head vet tech and reproductive services manager. During her time working at the veterinary hospital, Kate taught dog training classes for pet owners, focusing on basic obedience, puppy foundations, and competitive obedience training.
Since 2013, Kate has been breeding and training detection K9s that have been sold to police departments, government agencies, and search and rescue teams under the Katalyst Kennels name.
Kate is an active Associate Member of the North American Police Work Dog Association, International Police Work Dog Association, and various sport dog clubs, and holds her Certified Professional Dog Trainer credentials through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.
Kate is an active search and rescue handler with two operational dogs; Taboo, who is certified in human remains detection, and Wicked, who is certified in trailing and article search.
Senior Lead Trainer
Avery Schneider
Avery’s passion for dog training began at an early age when she participated in 4H and local training classes with her family dogs. Avery studied animal science and canine behavior at SUNY Cobleskill. She was an intern at University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Working Dog Center (Penn Vet Working Dog Center), where she assisted in the training of FEMA Search and Rescue Dogs. Avery served as a Canine Search Specialist on the Vermont State Urban Search and Rescue Team (VT-TF1) as well as on Colchester Technical Rescue. She brings experience as an instructor in police detection work; including five years as an instructor for canine teams at the Vermont Police Academy.
Avery currently serves as a Patrol Deputy at the Rutland County Sheriff’s Department in Vermont. Avery is a member of North American Police Work Dog Association and handles Charge, who is certified in human remains detection.
Olivia Hall
Assistant Trainer, Animal Caretaker
Olivia has worked for Katalyst Kennels since 2021 and has loved every second of it! She currently owns and competes with her Katalyst Lab, Marty, in AKC obedience, rally, and scentwork. Her interest in dogs comes from 9 years in the 4-H Dog Program.
Olivia is currently studying Criminal Justice with a concentration in Investigative Services at the University of New Haven and hopes to pursue a career in Law Enforcement.
SUNY Interns
Katalyst Kennels is proud to host interns from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cobleskill’s Canine Training and Management program.
Student interns spend a semester working at Katalyst Kennels to learn industry best practices and hone their hands-on skills. This program is the first four-year degree program of its kind in the country.
You can learn more about the SUNY program here: cobleskill.edu/academics/schools/agriculture-and-natural-resources/animal-science/canine-training-management.aspx