The ELCR Board of Directors
To contact ELCR or a board member please contact the national office at (859) 455-8383, Info@ELCR.org or click on board member name, to utilize individual email account.
Larry E. Byers
Treasurer, South Carolina
Larry is an avid foxhunter, an ex-MFH, who learned the value and importance of open space while growing up on a farm in Adams County, Pennsylvania. He has been an active horseman both in showing and eventing and an active volunteer with US Pony Club. As President of USPC (2001-2004), he incorporated an emphasis on "riding in the open" and the responsibility of equestrians to preserve open space as a component in the syllabus presented to all USPC leaders at all levels. In San Diego where he now resides, his is a member of the Board of Directors of the Mission Resource Conservation District.
Sophie Pirie Clifton
Secretary, Montana
Sophie is a former professor at Stanford Law School, is a graduate "A" member of the U.S. Pony Club, member of the winning 1979 North American Young Rider's 3- Day Championships Team, a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist and an active competitor, trainer and clinician at the FEI level. Since 1973, she has taught dressage and eventing throughout the USA and overseas in such countries as Australia, United Kingdom, Thailand and South Africa, in the process gaining experience in diverse equestrian related land use practices. Sophie also works as an independent consultant specializing in strategic planning and organizational development. She serves on the U.S. Pony Clubs Board of Governors and has served ELCR since its inception, currently as a member of its executive committee.
Anne W. Eldridge
Massachusetts
Annie freelance writes for equestrian publications, among them Horse Illustrated and The Chronicle of the Horse. An event rider who has competed through the advanced level, Annie currently campaigns young event horses. She served as a USCTA (now the USEA) Board of Governors member from 1987-1992 and was that organization's Vice President of Education from 1989-91. After graduating from Williams College in 1978, Annie worked in the publishing world as an editor of non-fiction books at Addison-Wesley in Reading, MA, and as managing editor of Horticulture magazine. Today she and her husband, Cap Kane, are actively involved in land conservation work in Massachusetts with the Wildlands Trust of Southeastern MA and The Trustees of Reservations.
Libbie Johnson
North Carolina
Libbie is a life long horse lover, starting in 1961 with organizing a fan club devoted to Derby winner Carry Back. She claims to be a mosey-along rider. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, she has worn various career hats including art gallery director, school teacher, social worker and founder of Johnson-Powell Public Relations Inc. and Johnson-Powell Lecture Group.
As one who believes that "service is the rent you pay," Libbie has been involved in her communities serving in various volunteer positions with Community Development, Travel and Tourism, Planning and Zoning, PTA, Planned Parenthood and Food Rescue.
In equestrian circles, past and present memberships include American Horse Council, North Carolina Horse Council, North Carolina Dressage and Combined Training Association, United States Dressage Federation, United States Eventing Association, United States Equestrian Federation, Foothills Riding Club, Foothills Equestrian Trails Association, North Carolina Horse Protection Society, Cardinal II Pony Club and River Valley Pony Club. Currently, Libbie serves on the Board of Directors for the United States Pony Club. She is also involved in implementing and hosting the first national symposium on Equine Economics for spring 2007.
On the home front, Libbie and husband Jerry are parents of three grown children. They share Far Side Farm in Tryon, NC with a collection of middle-aged horses, motley dogs, and moody cats.
P.A. (Tony) Leahy
Illinois & Georgia
Tony sees conservation of land and access as a very important issue going into the future because he wants to see all types of equestrian activity perpetuated not only for his daughter, but also, hopefully, for his grandchildren. Tony is the Master of Foxhounds of the Fox River Valley Hunt and Cornwall Hounds. He also serves on both the Board of Directors of the Masters of Foxhounds Association (since 2001) and the Educational Foundation of that organization. Tony was raised in rural Ireland where he was involved in show jumping and steeplechasing. He came to the United States to further his show jumping career. When living in Illinois, Tony and his family enjoy their JoDaviess County farm and are pleased that it has a conservation easement on it so that it will stay a farm forever.
Patsy Mattingley
Washington
Patsy Mattingley has a long history with horses. Patsy, currently of Sequim WA, began her love affair with equestrian life at the age of seven, when she began riding in the Chicago area. Later, Patsy became involved with the US Pony Club through her then 13-year-old daughter, Jenny. Within three years, Patsy was a District Commissioner in Texas. Since then, she has organized meetings and festivals for the Pony Club, served on the Board of Governors and chaired the Governance and Development Committees.
Patsy comes to ELCR with experience in the equestrian world, but also a wealth of experience in nonprofit governance and a volunteers-eye-view of operations.
Stephanie McCommon
Texas
Stephanie McCommon is the Manager of Membership Services for the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), where she has worked since 1999. Her responsibilities include working with the AQHA Affiliates, managing the Recreational Riding Program and overseeing the Stewards for Trails, Education and Partnerships program. The Ride Program has grown to average 100 rides held annually worldwide. The newly developed STEP program encourages stewardship and conservation of horseback riding trails by equestrians. In addition, she worked with Palo Duro Canyon State Park to secure a $100,000 grant to fund new equestrian trails and establish handicapped-accessible access to trails. Ms. McCommon is a graduate of West Texas A&M University and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
James B. (Jim) Miller
Virginia
Jim grew up in suburban Northern Virginia next to racehorse owners who kept mares on their land for foaling purposes. Jim's family led an active outdoor life, with home garden and orchard, and traveling the country while camping. Jim graduated from The College of William and Mary with a B.S. in Biology and Duke University with a Master of Forestry degree. Jim served in the U.S. Army, and worked as a civilian forester for the Department of the Army. Jim retired in 2005 from the USDA - Forest Service after 35 years of government service in Virginia, Alaska, and California, with the last nine as the Dispersed Recreation Program Manager (trails, caves, and outdoor ethics) in the National Headquarters. Jim enjoys most outdoor activities, but allows that his wife and her remaining horse is the better horse person.
Dan Rosenberg
Kentucky
Dan Rosenberg is no stranger to equestrian life and culture. Prior to starting Rosenberg Thoroughbred Consulting, Dan served as President and CEO of Three Chimneys Farm, home to such names as Smarty Jones and Seattle Slew. He was with Three Chimneys for 30 years, serving as General Manager before being appointed president.
Dan has also lent his considerable expertise to Thoroughbred Charities of America, the Kentucky Equine Institute, Thoroughbred Club of America and the Keeneland Pony Club.
John Strassburger
California
John Strassburger has spent most of his life riding horses across the
countryside. He's foxhunted for 36 years, starting with the Spring
Valley Hounds (N.J.) and then working for three seasons in the stable of
the Essex Fox Hounds (N.J.). While editor of The Chronicle of the Horse,
from 1986 to 2006, he covered six Olympics and hundreds of other
competitions around the country and the world, and he followed more than
two dozen more packs throughout the United States, Canada and England.
John is a graduate A Pony Clubber and is currently competing in eventing
at the intermediate level. He and his wife, Heather Bailey, now operate
Phoenix Farm (www.phoenixsporthorses.com) in Healdsburg, Calif., where
they breed and train event and dressage horses, while also writing and
editing books and magazine articles. John also rode in point-to-points
and NSA-sanctioned steeplechase races, over hurdles, timber and on the
flat for eight years. John was president of the Land Trust of Virginia
for three years (vice president for two), serving on the Board of
Directors from 1997 to 2003. He was also a member of the Steering
Committee of the Rt. 50 Corridor Coalition in Middleburg, Va., for two
years, and he helped establish the MFHA's Hunting Habitat Preservation
Award. In addition, he served on the Board of Governors of the U.S. Pony
Clubs from 1983 to 1988 and was chairman of the USPC Tetrathlon
Committee from 1985 to 1991.
Melanie M. Heacock
Director Emeritus - Maryland
Melanie co-founded ELCR in 1997 with Rick Jorgensen, Georgiana H. McCabe and Anson W. H. Taylor, Jr., and she heads ELCR's Development Committee. She is a former President of the United States Pony Clubs and chaired USPC's Task Force for the 21st Century, where the idea of ELCR originated. Melanie was also founder and co-chair of the annual National USPC Youth Congress. She has served as President of Paul's Place Outreach Center (Baltimore, MD), Chairman of Hannah More School (Reisterstown, MD) and Board member of St. Paul's School (Brooklandville, MD).
Advisory Council
Edward (Denny) Emerson
Vermont & North Carolina
Denny's credentials include being a leading 3-Day Event rider since 1962, a 1974 World Championship Gold Medalist, a two time President of the United States Combined Training Association and serving as the Vice President for 3-Day Eventing for the United States Equestrian Team, as well as writing regularly for The Chronicle of the Horse and other magazines.
Julie I. Fershtman, Esq
Michigan
Ms. Fershtman is one of the nation's most widely known and experienced equine law practitioners. Crossing virtually all horse breeds and disciplines, her law practice serves a national clientele. Her expertise in contract drafting helps clients prevent disputes as much as possible. She is highly experienced in handling a wide variety of disputes frequently encountered in the horse industry, including business conflicts, personal injury (typically defense), real estate, land use, and others. Her expertise also includes employment law, insurance coverage, and sales fraud matters. With extensive trial, appellate, and arbitration experience, she has achieved numerous courtroom victories. A member of the State Bar of Michigan since 1986, Julie is rated "AV" [highest possible rating] by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and has been listed in Who's Who in American Law and The Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. She is a 1983 graduate of Emory College, earning two bachelors degrees, and a 1986 graduate of Emory Law School. For her contributions to the equine industry, Julie has received many distinctions. CHA (Certified Horsemanship Association) honored her with its prestigious "Partner in Safety" Award in 1997. In 1998, the American Riding Instructors Association presented her with an "Outstanding Achievement" Award. She also received an "Associate Award" from the United Professional Horsemen's Association in 1998. In 2002, she was honored with the Michigan Horse Council's "Catalyst Award." She serves on the Board of the American Youth Horse Council. Julie is the author of two books, Equine Law & Horse Sense (published in 1996) and MORE Equine Law & Horse Sense (published in 2000). With speaking engagements in 22 states, Julie is the nation's most sought after speaker on equine law. Her speaking engagements include American Horse Council, Equitana, Equine Affaire, and the National Conference on Equine Law.
Susan M. Harding
Primedia Publications - Maryland
Currently Vice President, Group Publishing Director of Primedia's Equine Network, Susan has spent 20 years in the equine publishing industry. She joined Fleet Street. Publishers of EQUUS and Polo magazines, in January 1987 and served as Executive Vice President until Fleet Street was acquired by Primedia, Inc. in June of 1998. While at Fleet Street, Susan was instrumental in the launch of Dressage Today in 1995.
The Primedia Equine Network includes 5 monthly magazines - EQUUS, Horse & Rider, Practical Horseman, Dressage Today and Arabian Horse World, three special issues - Discover Horses at the Kentucky Horse Park, Everything for Horse and Rider and Arabian Horse World Special, a book division - HorseBooksEtc. and two websites - EquiSearch.com and equine.com. The latter was purchased by Primedia in the fall of 2005.
Prior to entering the horse world, Susan worked at Newsweek magazine in New York City, the Congressional Research Service in Washington, D.C. and McKinsey & Co., in London. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and the Harvard Business School.
In addition to her involvement with horses as part of her position at Primedia, Susan has served a President of American Horse Publications and currently is on the Board of Trustees of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) and the Advisory Council of the Equestrian Land Conservation Resource (ELCR).
Susan owns a PMU horse, a Thoroughbred/Percheron cross named Metaphor, who is currently learning to be a driving horse and two cats, LC and Moxie.
Benjamin Carrell Pierce
The Nature Conservancy - Montana
Born and raised in the state of Maine, 45 years old, 3 children, currently resides in Denver, CO. Ben received an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in NH and a Masters in Natural Resource Management from the University of Washington in Seattle with an emphasis on marine resource management. He also attended Stanford's Executive Business Program. Ben has worked for The Nature Conservancy for the last 22 years, spending six years in Montana as a Field Representative, eleven years in Wyoming as the State Director, and the last five years in Denver as Director of TNC's Conservation Buyer Program. Prior to coming to work for TNC, Ben was in banking and investment management in Boston and New York City. Ben is an avid outdoorsman who loves to fish, hike, ride, and ski. Additionally, Ben is a private pilot and serves on the Board of Directors of Lighthawk, a flying conservation organization. Ben's current employer is The Nature Conservancy. His family owns and manages a large ranch in Montana where riding and horses are an integral part of the operation.
William J. Price, V
Queen's Cup Steeplechase - North Carolina
Bill serves as President and CEO of Sonitrol Security Services, Inc., but his life's passions involve his family and horses. His personal "horse" interest is in racing Thoroughbreds. Following this passion, Bill became involved with steeplechase racing. He is carrying on the racing tradition as the founder and race chairman of the Queen's Cup Steeplechase. Bill has served as a Board member of the National Steeplechase Association and serves as the Race Chairman of the Queen's Cup Steeplechase. The Queen's Cup is run on the 300 acre farm Brooklandwood, of which 245 acres have been placed under permanent conservation easement. Bill is also a board member of the Catawba Lands Conservancy.
Rand Wentworth
President, Land Trust Alliance - Washington, DC
Rand is President of the Land Trust Alliance, a Washington, DC based land conservation organization that provides policy, lobbying, and training services for America's 1500 land trusts. Prior to joining the Land Trust Alliance in 2002, he was Vice President of the Trust for Public Land and founding director of its Atlanta office. Previously, Rand was president of a commercial real estate development company. He is a graduate of Yale University and holds an MBA in finance from Cornell University.
Rand has testified before Congress the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee and serves on the Ethics and Accountability Committee of the Independent Sector. The Atlanta Regional Commission presented him its Visionary Regional Leadership Award and the Urban Land Institute recognized him with its Community Leadership Award for creating a 70 mile river park in Atlanta. Morehouse College has honored Rand for his help in expanding the Martin Luther King Jr. National Park in downtown Atlanta.
James R. Wolf
US Equestrian Federation - Executive Director - High Performance
A 1985 graduate of Bethany College, James Wolf has many years of administrative and competitive experience in horse sports. Prior to joining the USET staff full-time in 1993, he managed the USET's Three-Day Eventing squad at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, where he was responsible for the coordination of the training and preparation of the team.
Wolf has served as the USET's Director of Eventing Activities and Team Leader for the U.S. Eventing teams at the 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Equestrian Games, 1995 and 1999 Pan American Games, 2003 Pan American Championship, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games and 1997 European Open Championships. Wolf is responsible for the development, planning, and facilitation of all areas of the USEF's High Performance Programs.
Additionally, Wolf has served as Chef de Mission for the entire U.S. Equestrian delegation at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games and the 2002 and 2006 World Equestrian Games. He also served as co-Chef de Mission at the 1998 World Equestrian Games and 2003 Pan American Games. He currently serves as the USEF's Executive Director of High Performance.
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