AHA Staff
Jacqueline Tiley,
Executive Director
Fort Collins, CO
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 PATH, Intl Site Visitor and PATH, Int Advanced Level Therapeutic Riding Instructor. While working for PATH, Intl 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.
Sharon Gilbert,
Office Manager
Lafayette, CO
officemanager@americanhippotherapyassociation.org
Sharon graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and has more than ten years experience in the non-profit realm. She is a PATH, Intl Advanced Level Riding Instructor, and a member of the USDF as well as Boulder Valley Dressage. She is married to husband Lynn, and her family includes her horse, Black Manassis, and a Welsh Corgi, “Pepsi”.
2010-2011 Board Of Directors
Deborah Silkwood-Sherer, DHS, PT, HPCS
President
Holt, MI
silkw1d@cmich.edu
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, OT, HPCS**
Education Chair
Oldwick, NJ
eponatherapy@gmail.com
Gina Taylor, MS, OTR/L, HPCS 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 PATH, Intl Registered Therapist and Registered Riding, Vaulting 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
Villa Ridge, MO
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.
Susan Rehr, PT**
Treasurer
Monroe, NJ
srehr@specialstrides.com
Susie received her bachelor degree in Physical Therapy from Thomas Jefferson University, in Philadelphia, in 1987. Initially specializing in adult rehabilitation with a focus on spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury, she quickly fell in love with pediatrics and hippotherapy. She has been the co-director of Special Strides, in Monroe, New Jersey since 1999. Susie is the Vice-President of HRH of New Jersey, the new Treasurer for the AHA Board of Directors, and has written several articles for Hippotherapy Magazine. Susie loves sharing the excitement of physical therapy, pediatrics and hippotherapy with the many student physical therapists that have completed their clinical experiences at Special Strides. When not on the farm, you can find Susie on her snowboard with her husband, and two amazing daughters, Andrea and Melissa.
Janet Weisberg, MS, OT
Secretary
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.
Debra Hauser, PT, HPCS**
Standards and Practice Chair
Saline, MI
ride4pt.deb@aol.com
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.
Steven McKenzie, MS, PT, HPCS**
Bothell, WA
steve@littlebit.org
Steve McKenzie has a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Columbia University and is a Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist as well as a PATH, Intl Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor. Steve is the Therapy Services Director at Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center in Woodinville, WA and also works part time at Cascade Children’s Therapy in Mill Creek, WA. He currently serves as a member of the AHA Board of Directors, AHA Region 9 and Washington State Representative and on the PATH, Intl Program and Standards Oversight Committee. His is a former Chair of the PATH, Intl Health and Education Committee and Co-editor of the Horse, Humans, and Health Department of Palaestra Magazine. Steve enjoys going on trail rides, team penning, and playing soccer.
