Our team is dedicated and passionate about the work we do to enhance lives. We come from many backgrounds – personally and professionally – but we share a deep love for our horses and making a difference in the world. Our horses were born for this role. It takes a special animal to do this work and we know how to identify the right horse for our programs – each and every time.
Meet the Team
Meet the Team
Leadership Team
Lisa Laughlin
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Amy Causey
Director of Program Quality & Development
Lucy DeShazo
Finance and Reporting Manager
Malcolm Hodge
Senior Director of Advancement
Teresa Thomas
Chief of Staff
Courtney Utter
Director of Counseling, LPC, ESMHL, LCDC- I
Staff
Administration
Angela Escamilla, Registrar
Bobby Valdez, Facilities Manager
Advancement
Ellie Grant, Director of Volunteer Services
Susan Liepins, Volunteer Coordinator
Alyssa Rasmussen, Development Associate
Christine Volkmer, Director of Advancement
Counseling
Katelyn Jones, Counselor
Debbie Utterback, Counselor
Program
Kim Burris, Equine-Assisted Learning Coordinator
Kristen Cozart, Education Coordinator
Laura Decou, Program Manager
Michaela McKinney, Equipment Coordinator
Boaz Or, Head Instructor
Liz Pemberton, Horse Show Coordinator
Ruth Shim, Veterans Program Coordinator
Stable
Leslie Andringa, Stable Manager
Carol Chamberlin, Assistant Stable Manager
Christina Baroody, Stable Hand
Lindsay Loe, Stable Hand
Canaan Massie, Stable Hand
Ryan Wolf, Stable Hand
Board of Directors
Officers
Pia Ackerman
Treasurer
Amy Green
Vice Chair
Tim Gavin
Chair
Brooke Bailey
Secretary
Carolyn Anderson
Harley Cozewith
Elizabeth Dacus
Marianne Fazen
Teresa Fishman
Prisma Garcia
Clint Haggerty
Lindsay Kirton
Elissa McClure
Megan Martin
Nancy Natinsky
Julie Sherman
Steve Swenson
Daniel Valentine
Bill Woodall
Ex Officio
Lisa Laughlin
Interim CEO/ Women's Auxiliary
Alex Miller
Junior League of Dallas
Advisory Board
Kenton Arnold
DVM
Stephen Barnett
Clint Bruce
Navy Seal
Chastity Carrigan
Nancy Carter
Patricia Clements
Calvert Collins
Robyn Conlon
Lisa Cooley
Katie Cox
Leslie Golden
Louise Griffeth
Bert Headden
Carol Huckin
Reverend Ramsey Jay
Lili Kellogg
Lynn and Allan McBee
Ron Natinsky
Timmy Newsome
Elsa Norwood
Pamela Petty
James Sackett
MD
Susan Schwartz
Bo Slaughter
Andrew Steingasser
Cynthia Thomas
Patrick Walsh
PhD & Navy Admiral
Phillip Whitcomb
Margaret Wolf
Join Our Mission to Help Others
There’s always an opportunity to volunteer at Equest and learn more about our equine therapy programs and our state-of-the-art facility. That’s a great way to see what our organization is all about and the opportunities our program provides. Or, if you would like to join our team full time, we invite you to send us your resume here and we’ll be in touch if we have any openings that match your skills.