President and Founder

Dara Forleo is the founder of multiple entrepreneurial businesses.

She started The Whole Pet Grooming Academy, an arts and sciences school specializing in training professional pet stylists. She and her husband, Lee, created Come What May Racing, a Thoroughbred racehorse syndicate operation based in Kentucky and the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Dara has been recognized as Educator of the Year, Emerging Business Leader, and a Pet Age Icon Awards honoree for her experience and long-term contributions to the pet industry. She recently was top in her Executive Education Women's Leadership Program class at Yale University and had a B.A. in Business from Ottawa University. Her insights have been featured in multiple publications, and she often shares her expertise, speaking at conferences nationwide.

Dara has honed her education and experience over the last two decades culminating in her mentor program for business owners nationwide. Having experienced firsthand how being a successful business owner can give life to your dreams as with her Come What May Racing passion, she is uniquely suited to help any entrepreneur do the same.

Lory Belanger is an owner and shareholder of the WPGA and serves as the Lead Educator. Her role involves creating a comprehensive academy curriculum, policies, and procedures. This ensures that both aspiring and professional stylists receive a supportive education. Additionally, she oversees the daily operations of the grooming salon located in Portsmouth, NH, under the WPGA. Lory is an experienced Professional Master Canine Stylist and a Master of Holistic Arts who has honed her grooming skills over 15 years. She has worked alongside renowned groomers and has attended multiple grooming expos as a speaker to enhance her expertise further.

Lory holds Pet First Aid and CPR certifications and has undergone Fear Free Grooming training. Additionally, she is recognized as an AKC Salon Safe Groomer. Currently, a member of the International Society of Canine Cosmetologists, International Professional Groomers, and one of the founding participants of the Master Groomer Council of Best Practices, Lory is pursuing her education to be certified with the International Professional Groomers, is completing her Master Pet Aesthetician and Master of Holistic Arts diplomas through the WPGA.