Committees & Task Forces

AHA, Inc. is comprised of dedicated board members, faculty, and staff but it takes a community to be a leader in the industry. Key committees and task forces lead projects to develop or update tools for you, our members.

  • Board Development Committee

    Committee Chair:
    Lauren Janusz MOT, OTR/L, HPCS

    The Board Development Committee is primarily responsible for vetting  nominees for the Board of Directors on an annual basis. The committee also organizes the volunteer appreciation event at the biennial conference. The committee may support committee chairs by connecting them with interested members.

  • Education Committee

    Committee Chairs:
    Mary Helene Chaplin, PT, HPCS &
    Lesley Lautenschlager, MS, OTR, HPCS

    The Education Committee is responsible for shaping and overseeing educational policies, guiding course initiatives, ensuring effective course/program development and oversight, and supporting faculty development.

  • Conference Committee 2026

    Committee Chairs:
    Matt Mitchell, PT, DPT, HPCS &
    Melanie Dominko-Richards, MS, CCC-SLP, HPCS

    The American Hippotherapy Association, Inc. Conference Planning Committee is composed of dedicated volunteers who help shape the organization’s international conference experience. Committee members collaborate to plan, organize, and execute all aspects of the event, from selecting speakers and developing educational content to coordinating logistics and outreach.


  • EQUILIBRIUM Editorial Team

    Editor:
    Jeanni Bonine, MS, OTR/L, HPCS

    The Editorial Team is responsible for managing and upholding the quality and integrity of published content for EQUILIBRIUM, guiding editorial policies and standards, overseeing the review and publication process, and supporting contributors in the development and refinement of written materials.

  • Ethics, Advocacy & Reimbursement Committee

    Committee Chairs:
    Nina Ekholm Fry, MSSC, CCTP
    Autumn Hays Diges, MS, OT, HPCS

    The Ethics, Advocacy, and Reimbursement committee assists AHA, Inc. and its members in the areas of promoting ethical practice, advocating for therapists, and removing reimbursement obstacles. The committee is a dedicated group of therapists with years of experience incorporating equine movement into each of their therapy plans of care.

  • Finance Committee

    Committee Chair:
    Lesley Lautenschlager, MS, OTR, HPCS

    Description Coming Soon!

  • Fundraising Committee (Subcommittee of the Finance Committee)

    Committee Chair:
    Melanie Dominko-Richards, MS, CCC-SLP, HPCS

    Description Coming Soon!

  • International Membership Committee

    Committee Chair:
    Neita Miller, MS, CCC-SLP, HPCS

    Description Coming Soon!

  • Professional Practice Committee

    Committee Chair:
    Samantha Hatfield, PT, DPT, HPCS

    The Professional Practice committee addresses issues that affect the incorporation of equines in OT, PT, SLP and mental health treatment sessions by expanding the awareness and utilization of evidence-based practice (EBP), research, and performance/quality improvement among healthcare professionals. The Professional Practice Committee oversees the Code of Ethics Grievance Subcommittee and the Research Subcommittee.

  • Code of Ethics Grievance Committee (Subcommittee of Professional Practice)

    Committee Chair:
    Jane Burrows, DPT, HPCS

    Description Coming Soon!

  • Research Committee (Subcommittee of Professional Practice)

    Committee Chair:
    Irina Fedulow-Plante PT, DPT

    The Research Subcommittee is responsible for staying up to date with current research, delivering research findings in a meaningful and practical way to the community, and supporting clinicians in research-related activities while using proper terminology and guidelines.

  • Website Committee

    Committee Chair:
    Cynthe Slaybaugh, PT, MSPT, HPCS

    The Website Committee is involved in designing and maintaining AHA, Inc.’s website. The committee ensure that its layout, content, and flow are meaningful and easy to navigate and that the AHA, Inc. website is a reliable source of information for all visitors.

Volunteer Today