HHRF Welcomes Three New Board Members Committed to Advancing Human-Equine Research
Chagrin Falls, Ohio, April 14, 2018. Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF) welcomes three new members to their board of directors. Evelyn McKelvie, C.E.C., Leif Hallberg, MA, LPC, LCPC and Nancy Waite-O’Brien, PhD recently joined the board bringing a variety of skills and expertise to support this equine assisted activity and therapy (EAA/T) research focused mission.
Leif Hallberg is an internationally recognized author, consultant, licensed mental health professional, educator, and avid lover of nature and animals. Leif’s professional career and life’s work have centered on researching the human-equine bond, and studying the industry of equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAA/T).
Evelyn McKelvie is a certified Executive Coach, speaker, and author who specializes in working with teams and individuals who want to create better ways of relating in the workplace and overcoming barriers to performance effectiveness. Before devoting herself full time to her current role as Founder of Equine Coach, Evelyn worked for many years in business leadership positions, most recently as a senior manager for IT at the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Nancy Waite-O’Brien is a psychologist, educator and author with over 30 years of experience in addiction treatment both in the United States and in the Caribbean. In 2004, she was named one of the sixty most influential women in the field of addiction treatment by Counselor Magazine. She has a private practice in Rancho Mirage, California; provides Equine Assisted Therapy to clients of drug and alcohol treatment programs in Palm Springs, California; and is a consulting psychologist for the ABC Recovery Center.
These new members will join in procuring future sustainability and direction for HHRF. Leif Hallberg expressed the board’s commitment when she said “Including horses in human healthcare is emerging as an increasingly popular therapeutic approach. And although most who experience equine-assisted activities or therapies can attest to the healing qualities found in coming to the farm, spending time in nature, and being around animals, there is much we don’t know about what happens when horses and humans come together for human wellbeing. I believe the work of HHRF is critical to the advancement of this knowledge, and I am proud to do whatever I can to help in this endeavor.”
###
Mission: Through sustained investment in rigorous research, HHRF serves as a catalyst to advance global knowledge of horse-human interactions and their impact on health and wellness.
Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF) is dedicated to funding research to investigate the equine-assisted activities and therapies field. Since its founding, HHRF has awarded over $450,000 in professional research efforts led by eleven research teams in the United States, Canada and Germany. HHRF is a non-endowed foundation dependent solely on donations. To make a donation and/or learn more about this and other Horses and Humans Research Foundation projects visit http://www.horsesandhumans.org