AHA Staff
	Jacqueline Tiley Executive Director AHAexecutivedirector@gmail.com
Jacqueline Tiley has a BS in Equine Sciences from Colorado State University. Jacqueline is currently volunteering at two local NARHA facilities in northern Colorado. She is a NARHA Site Visitor and NARHA Advanced Level Therapeutic Riding Instructor. While working for NARHA as their Director of Education and Standards she facilitated the first NARHA On-Site Workshop and Certification outside North America, South Korea. She has been working and volunteering in the field of equine assisted activities and therapies for over 12 years at centers in North Carolina, Texas and Colorado. Prior to equine assisted activities being a passion she directed summer riding programs for the Girl Scouts in both California and North Carolina.
Shani Sutton Office Manager shanisutton@americanhippotherapyassociation.org
2010-2011Board Of Directors
Deborah Silkwood-Sherer, DHS, PT President Holt, MI 48842 Silkw1d@cmich.edu
Debbie serves as the AHA research committee chair. She received her bachelor degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Kentucky in 1978, holds a masters degree in Rehabilitation Administration from DePaul University, and completed her Doctorate of Health Science degree in pediatric physical therapy from the Krannert School of Physical Therapy, University of Indianapolis in 2007. She became interested in hippotherapy after her daughters began riding at a local therapeutic riding program in 1995 and she saw how the horses' movement improved movement and balance disorders in children. Debbie added hippotherapy to her treatment regime after attending an introductory hippotherapy course in 1997. As an assistant professor in the Graduate Physical Therapy program at Central Michigan University, she has completed several research projects with PT graduate students on the effects of hippotherapy. She works part-time as a contract therapist with CHUM Therapeutic Riding Center in Dansville, MI, a NARHA premier accredited center. Debbie is a registered therapist with NARHA, a member of AHA, as well as APTA.
	Gina Taylor, MS, OTR/L, HPCS Education Chair Epona_therapy@hotmail.com Equitherapy@gmail.com Bound Brook, NJ
Gina Taylor, MS, OTR/L is a New Jersey licensed occupational therapist. She received her Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy from Philadelphia University and a Bachelor of Science in Equine Studies from Averett University. She is currently a NARHA Registered Therapist and Registered Riding and Driving instructor. Gina had actively pursued a career involving horses and people with disabilities since 1999 when she trained a horse for the World Special Olympics and began student teaching in therapeutic riding. Gina provides hippotherapy services at Somerset Hills Handicapped Riding Center in Oldwick NJ. Gina continues to expand her knowledge and the knowledge of other therapists about hippotherapy through fieldwork student supervision, conference presentations and her involvement with the American Hippotherapy Association.
	Tim L. Shurtleff, MA, OTD, OTR/L Research Chair tshurtleff@wustl.edu
Dr. Shurtleff received his BA in German language and Literature in 1974 from Brigham Young University. He received his MA in Organizational Behavior from the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah in 1976. For 27 years he worked as a consultant in the field of organizational effectiveness and development. He worked for four Fortune 100 companies as an internal consultant and in 1993 became an independent consultant. In 1990 he and his wife founded a therapeutic horseback riding program and he became certified with North American Riding for the Handicapped as a riding instructor in 1996 and a carriage driving instructor in 2001. He began working in the hippotherapy program in a large center part time in 1997 and because of that experience, decided in 2002 to make a career change. He entered the Program in Occupational Therapy in 2003 and completed a Doctor of Occupational therapy degree in 2006. He continues to work on a part time basis as an occupational therapist with children with disabilities using hippotherapy. Dr. Shurtleff was on the staff of the Motion Analysis Laboratory at Saint Louis University from graduation until Summer 2007 when the laboratory moved to the Program in Occupational Therapy at WUSM. He began teaching in the OT program in 2007 and received a faculty appointment 2008.
Raquel Ravinet Treasurer Indianapolis, IN raquel.ravinet@childrenstherapy.org (Photo to follow soon) Raquel Ravinet is the Executive Director of Children’s TherAplay Foundation in Carmel Indiana. She previously had been a volunteer coordinator, part time horse handler, office manager and billing manager at TherAplay and in May 2003 became the full time Director of Operations and Executive Director at TherAplay. She has spent the majority of her career working with non profit organizations. Prior to 2002 Raquel was the Executive Director of the Neighborhood Self Employment Initiative, a non-profit that helps people create and develop their own small business. She also was Program Director for the Indiana Library Federation.
Deb Hauser, PT Secretary Saline, MI Ride4pt@aol.com (Photo to follow soon) Deb received her Psychology and Physical Therapy degrees from Grand Valley State University in 1985 and 1987 respectively. She holds physical therapy licensure in Colorado and Michigan. She has primarily worked in the intermediate school systems providing services to 0-26 year age population, as well as working with adult clients with neurological impairments. Deb lives in Saline MI on a 7-acre farm with her husband, son and 3 stepdaughters. Deb and her husband founded Ride4Fun, Inc a NARHA therapeutic riding facility, which provides Hippotherapy and therapeutic riding for pediatric and adult clients. Deb has been actively involved with NARHA since the National conference in 1994. She has served on three therapeutic riding program boards over the last 15 years, and was co-chair for the State of Michigan for 4 years. She has also served as the NARHA Region 4 Representative from Jan 2004-Dec 2008.  Deb is a NARHA registered riding instructor and registered therapist, as well as a hippotherapy clinical specialist.  She is a Special Olympic Equestrian Coach and has coached the local High School equestrian team for 4 years in which they competed at the Regional and State levels. Deb currently serves as AHA Standards and Practice chairperson.
	Mary Beth Marzulli, PT Lancaster, PA mbmarzulli@aol.com
Mary Beth graduated from the University of Alabama in Birmingham with a Bachelor of Science Degree in physical therapy and has practiced physical therapy in a variety of settings for 35 years. She participated in one of the first “Introduction to Hippotherapy” courses in 1988 and has been using hippotherapy as a treatment strategy since 1990. She is a NARHA registered therapist, a member of AHA, Inc., APTA and NARHA, and is a charter member of ASHT. Mary Beth is currently working for the S June Smith Center in Lancaster, PA providing physical therapy services in their inclusive preschool programs. She recently started Kidz’n Motion, a program of the S June Smith Center specializing in pediatric hippotherapy.
	Janet Weisberg, OTR Golden Valley, MN janet@holdyourhorses.org
Janet Weisberg, MS, OTR/L, is owner and director of Hold Your Horses, LLC, a private therapy practice specializing in hippotherapy. Janet is a life long equestrian and after an ephiphany of sorts she began to weave her OT services and equine skills into jobs for TR programs in NY, IL and MN. Janet is a registered therapeutic riding instructor and therapist with NARHA and served as a regional liason for AHA since 2002. Janet has presented on topics related to hippotherapy at regional NARHA and state OT conferences, and regularly provides information about hippotherapy to instructors, coworkers, health care professionals and anyone that will listen. Janet lives in Minnesota with her husband Luke and two sons Sam and Asher.
	Meredith Bazaar, MA, CCC-SLP, HPCS Ex-Offico New York, NY meredith@msbtherapy.com
Meredith S. Bazaar is a licensed speech-language pathologist and lifetime equestrienne. Meredith is the founder of MSB Therapy, which provides speech and language treatment and evaluation using the strategy of hippotherapy at Starlight Farm as well as in her office in Ringwood, New Jersey. She has been a speech-language pathologist at Montefiore Medical Center, as well as in a sub-acute care center and a private ear, nose, and throat practice. She has provided Early Intervention services and consulted for boards of education. Meredith also managed a day program for individuals with traumatic brain injury and provided residential care for United Cerebral Palsy of New York State. Meredith began riding horses at age 8 and began her competitive equestrian career at age 13. She has competed in the Washington International Horse Show, the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, the National Horse Show, the USET Medal Finals, and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Finals. She was the founder and President of the Equestrian Club at George Washington University where she earned her BA in speech and hearing. She earned her MA in speech-language pathology at Northwestern University. Meredith is a registered member of AHA, NARHA and ASHA.