ABOUT US

Board of Directors

Robert Crump, J.D., Cleveland, OH
Secretary

Robert Crump is a partner at Walter & Haverfield LLP, Attorneys at Law, in Cleveland, Ohio, where he has represented privately owned businesses, business owners and professionals in Northeast Ohio for over 35 years. He was also a founding trustee at Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center in 1978, illustrating a decades-long interest in equine-assisted activities. Bob has been president of the FFTRC board twice, and also serves as trustee on the the Therapeutic Riding Center Foundation. He holds a BA from Ohio Wesleyan University and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University.

Alison Zack Darrell, Stonington, CT

Alison Zack Darrell is a Senior Major Gift Officer at Connecticut College.  Prior to joining the ranks of higher education fundraising, she spent 13 years as Executive Director of High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc. and continues her involvement at High Hopes as a program volunteer and serving on Benefit Event Committees. 

Alison Zack Darrell

She has an advanced degree in Nonprofit Management from the New School University, Milano Graduate School of Management & Urban Policy in New York City, and an undergraduate degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of CA, Santa Barbara. 
 She was one of the founding members of Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International’s Administrative Committee and has remained a member of Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International for 17 years.  She also served on the Board of Directors of Giant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Petaluma, CA during its founding.

“Having witnessed and embraced the mostly subtle and often profound effects of the horse on the human spirit and body for nearly 20 years through my involvement in the field of therapeutic riding, I feel called upon to serve and support the board of an organization, the first of its kind, dedicated to discovering the truths & putting factual data behind the marvelous benefits we see happening from the dynamic relationships between horses & humans.”

Susan Harding, Bethesda, MD 

Susan Harding, Vice President, Group Publishing Director of Source Interlink Media’s Equine Network, has 20 years in the equine publishing industry. Susan has worked at Newsweek magazine, the Congressional Research Service and McKinsey & Co. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and the Harvard Business School.  Susan has served as President of American Horse Publications, on the Board of Trustees of Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International and on the Advisory Council of the Equestrian Land Conservation Resource (ELCR).  Susan owns a PMU horse, a Thoroughbred/Percheron  named Metaphor, currently in training to be a fox hunter, and two cats, LC and Moxie.

Joanne Hart, Leesburg, VA

Along with being a longtime horsewoman and breeder of Connemara ponies, Joanne Hart has spent the last 30 years developing a deep passion for sharing the knowledge of the benefits of partnering horses and individuals with diverse needs. She is a certified therapeutic riding instructor, and for the last four years has held the position of Executive Director of Loudoun Therapeutic Riding, in Leesburg, VA. She has also served as a PATH, Intl. Regional Representative, President of the Therapeutic Riding Association of Virginia, President of a local school PTO, and is currently associated with nonprofit committees through the local Chamber of Commerce. Joanne resides in Leesburg, Virginia and has three grown sons.

Judith Lightfoot, Lyme, CT
President

Forty years of board leadership, therapeutic riding and horses mark Judy Lightfoot's life. From college to now, those three themes tell who she is. Sure, she is a mom to four and a grandmom to twelve, but it is High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International and the Horses and Humans Foundation which describe her. She was High Hopes' President for five years, The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International'S for three. She was chairman of The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International's Task Force on Accreditation and serves as Vice President of HHF. She also has served her community's public library as its president for the last 18 years. She lives in Lyme, Connecticut, with her husband and a number of horses, sheep and chickens.

Judith Lightfoot

Cynthia Ruiz, CPA, Houston, TX
Treasurer

Cynthia Ruiz, CPA is a financial manager at Tauber Oil Company.  She has over 30 years in all phases of finance and accounting with an emphasis in tax, audit and financial and tax planning for medium and small businesses and non-profit organizations.  

Cynthia was a member of the Board of Trustees of The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International from 2004 – 2008 Chairing the Audit Committee.  She served on the Board of SIREfrom 2002-2008 serving as an Officer and a Chair of the Audit Committee. 

Cynthia competes nationally and internationally in dressage as a Para Equestrian.  She has twice made the US Para Equestrian Team representing the US internationally at the World Dressage Championships.  Cynthia has received incredible benefits from equestrian activities, both physically and spiritually, and has experienced first-hand the lasting benefits that our equine friends provide.  Joining the Board of HHRF will provide the opportunity to support these benefits and educate the world about equine assisted activities.

Lynn Shaw, Aurora, OH

Lynn Shaw received her BA from Middlebury College and MA from Boston College in Sociology/Education.  Before retiring she was the Executive Director of Business Advisers of Cleveland for seven years.  Lynn worked professionally with social service organizations and was involved with management of nonprofits for over 20 years, including at the United Way Services.  Lynn has volunteered in multiple programs serving a variety of disabled populations and continues to find ways she can help others.  Lynn has three children and lives with her husband and mentor, Russ, in Aurora, OH where she enjoys her family, friends and her passion for horses.

“I see HHRF as a window of opportunity for me to help support innovative and valuable research efforts that will prove the undisputed benefits of therapeutic riding programs for vulnerable children and adults.”

Molly Sweeney, Hockley, TX

Molly Sweeney is founder of the Horses and Human Research Foundation. She is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, where she was blessed to grow up with horses in her life. Molly became involved with Equine Assisted Activities in 1990, when she started volunteering for SIRE. Molly has been a volunteer at SIRE for almost 20 years and has also served multiple terms as their board president. She served on the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship InternationalBoard from 1996 to 2002. Molly says she is not a researcher herself, but has never outgrown that childhood phase where one is always asking, “But WHY?”

Molly Sweeney

Leslie L. Williams, DVM, MPH, DACVA

Leslie L. Williams, DVM, MPH, DACVA is Sr. Director of Clinical Operations and Pharmacovigilance at Infinity Pharmaceuticals, a small biotech company with a focus on developing and delivering best-in-class drugs to patients with difficult to treat diseases such as pancreatic cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. She has spent over 18 years in the pharmaceutical industry with several years spent at Astra Pharmaceuticals and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Leslie Williams

Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, she completed her DVM at Oklahoma State University in 1984 and an anesthesia residency/master's program at the University of Illinois in 1989. She joined the faculty of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1989 where she was involved in all aspects of teaching, research and service which included a major amount of time spent with equine patients. Leslie also completed a Masters in Public Health from Boston University in 2005.

Staff

KC Henry, Chagrin Falls, OH
Executive Director

KC Henry has worked with equine-assisted activities programs in nearly every possible capacity for over thirty years, including founding/co-founding three different programs nationwide. As executive director of Fieldstone Farm TRC during their formative years, she provided instrumental leadership, aiding it in becoming one of the largest centers in the United States. KC is presently owner/president of Transitions Unlimited, providing specialty services of strategic planning, board development and project management for nonprofit businesses. To contact KC, please email her or call 440.543.8306.

“I am a believer - I know positively that horses facilitate an accelerated path to healing and personal progress.  What a thrill to support research that encourages the world to make it more accessible."