Election 2019

GDCTA 2020 Election Candidate Profiles

The nominees for Officers are:

Caren Caverly

Caren Caverly – President: I have served on the GDCTA Board for the past 12 years and as President for the last 9 years. I am also the Chairperson for GDCTA Insurance, Annual Awards Gala and the Year End Awards. While on the board at GDCTA, I proposed and managed the 2009-2019 Schooling Shows at Wills Park and at the Georgia International Horse Park. I also organized the Gil Merrick Seminar along with June Brewer.

I have been riding for over 55 years with the last 14 years focused on dressage. I currently own 1 horse, Solant (retired). I have also served as Treasurer for the Georgia Arabian Association for 4 years.

My professional experience includes working as Manager and Buyer for Tack Tavern for 8 ½ years, followed by 15 years in the car business. I was the Assistant Manager at Dover Saddlery for over 8 years. I am currently doing Horse Show Management and going for my “r” TD license.

On-going goals for the GDCTA include getting the Region 3 Championships back to Conyers and making them the most fun and successful championships. We also hope to continue the growing success of the Awards Gala.

As President, I would like to see GDCTA host more educational seminars and junior activities. My personal goal is to make GDCTA the best GMO in the country – the one other GMO’s look to as the example of how things are done!

Rebecca Bowman

Rebecca Bowman – VP for CT: Rebecca Bowman is a horse trainer from Cartersville, Georgia. She has been riding horse for over 40 years. She has ridden and trained mustangs, thoroughbreds, warmbloods, quarter horses to name a few. Rebecca has a strong emphasis on correct, forward riding, and incorporates some dressage into each horse she trains. Over the years she has competed in polo, polocrosse, race riding, dressage, pony club, jumpers and eventing and the Extreme Mustang Makeover. Rebecca manages and teaches at North Atlanta Equestrian, a 178 acre facility in Cartersville, Georgia.

Erin McCloud – VP for Dressage: Georgia native Erin Lea McCloud has been riding horses since she was just 10 years old. She runs a training facility in Marietta intended to share her knowledge of and passion for dressage.

Erin is a USDF Bronze and Silver medalist, as well as a graduate of the “L” Program with distinction. She has been on the board since January of 2017. She is devoted to the continuing her own education and will be focused on providing the same opportunities to the members of GDCTA.

Joanne Morse

Joanne Morse – Recording Secretary: Joanne is both an eventer and dressage rider who trains out of her family-owned farm in Villa Rica, Georgia. She has served on the board for several years and for the past two years has been the Recording Secretary. This past year, she became the Chair of Communication Committee and therefore is more involved in the communication side of GDCTA, helping with the monthly newsletter and the annual yearbook that is published each summer. Joanne’s goal for the remainder of 2019 and 2020 is to help increase member involvement in using GDCTA as a platform to share their experiences in the equestrian world. She is also working on ideas to increase engagement on the eventing side of GDCTA’s membership.

Previous and for over 25 years, Peter was President and CEO of Canuck Industries Inc., a diverse private corporation consisting of an airfreight service division and three manufacturing and distribution facilities of aluminium products for home construction in the United States and Canada. A University of British Columbia grad with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, Peter earned his Chartered Accountant (CPA) designation with a major CPA firm in Vancouver B.C. He left public practice and joined ITT Rayonier where he started in their tax division, moved to Business Planning and in 1977 transferred to Atlanta Georgia where he became their Director of Southeast Operations. While with ITT he undertook the EMBA program at the Wharton School of Business at The University of Pennsylvania. After declining a Division Vice President position and transfer to New York, he moved forward and formed Canuck Industries Inc.

Peter West

Peter West – Treasurer: Peter is the founder and Managing Partner of Radix Consulting Inc., a full service firm providing business consulting services with its office located in Atlanta Georgia.

Previous and for over 25 years, Peter was President and CEO of Canuck Industries Inc., a diverse private corporation consisting of an airfreight service division and three manufacturing and distribution facilities of aluminium products for home construction in the United States and Canada. A University of British Columbia grad with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, Peter earned his Chartered Accountant (CPA) designation with a major CPA firm in Vancouver B.C. He left public practice and joined ITT Rayonier where he started in their tax division, moved to Business Planning and in 1977 transferred to Atlanta Georgia where he became their Director of Southeast Operations. While with ITT he undertook the EMBA program at the Wharton School of Business at The University of Pennsylvania. After declining a Division Vice President position and transfer to New York, he moved forward and formed Canuck Industries Inc.

Peter is married to Teresa and has two children. Son Chris is married with two children; and daughter Karen has been an avid dressage rider and competitor for a number of years.

Peri Lambros

Peri Lambros – Corresponding Secretary: An avid eventer turned dressage enthusiast, Peri has served on the GDCTA board for several years. She continues to want to help grow the membership in all aspects and support this GMO. For the 2020 calendar year, Peri has signed up to help with Kudzu Klinics and is currently searching for facilities and instructors. She resides on a small horse farm with her husband, 2 horses, 2 dogs and 3 cats.

Carol Tresan

Carol Tresan: Carol grew up with all kinds of animals. Her mother ran a riding stable, and together they trained and campaigned Welsh ponies and cobs in the breed ring, competing in English, Western, Carriage diving and Trail classes. Their goal was always the Versatility award, which demonstrated their ability to master several disciplines. They also competed their ponies in Combined Training and Combined Driving. Carol was active in her local Pony Club. When Carol outgrew the ponies, she got an OTTB named Rapid Falls and continued up through the levels of Eventing.

Carol moved to Atlanta to be the Event Director of the Foxhall Cup CCI***, the National Championship of Eventing, and the final selection site for the Olympic team. She married Greg in 2002 and together they operate Animal Casting Atlanta, the number one provider of animals for movies and television in the southeast. Carol has over 30 years experience training animals ranging from a tiny hamster to a 1,500 pound Clydesdale. She owns Flying Colors Farm, breeding and training horses from miniatures through her gentle giant draft horses. She competes with her Freisian Sport Horses in dressage and Eventing, and has qualified for the AECs the past 2 years!

Carol is most proud of her daughter Devon, who competes in Eventing with her as well as Pony Club rallies! Carol is currently the secretary of the Milton Pony Club and volunteers for the GDCTA as well as local events including Chatt Hills and Poplar Place.

Jennifer Scherrens

Jennifer Scherrens: I grew up riding in the Alpharetta area, and have been an competitor with USEA for over 20 years. I currently own River Mist Equestrian, LLC a board & training facility in Milton.

With a background primarily in Eventing I would love to bring more clinics focused on both educating the Eventing riders both in the tack and out. Bring on the Kudzu clinics! Any recommendations on clinicians are always an email away! I’m big on quick communication and follow through.

Heather Ryfa

Heather Ryfa: I grew up riding and showing Tennessee walking horses; my parents had a very small breeding operation. In high school I trained and showed their main stallion and started our colts under saddle. At UGA I competed with the equestrian team in stock seat. After law school I briefly showed spotted saddle and walking horses again, then took a seven year break to have kids. I decided to return to horses and learn to jump five years ago, which had been something I always wanted to do. That led to foxhunting at Bear Creek, the local hunter shows, then eventing. I just started participating in GDCTA the last couple of years. I try to volunteer at Chattahoochee Hills shows whenever possible. I attended the August 2018 GDCTA board meeting, and while there I agreed to join the GDCTA 2019 Awards Gala planning committee.

In addition to many years at many horse shows, I think some of my work skills might be useful to the group. I was a tax lawyer for several years, so I am good with spreadsheets, budgeting, and organizing. Currently I teach legal writing full time, which is a much more flexible schedule than practicing law. I love horses, competing, and supporting my horse community, so I look forward to serving GDCTA in whatever capacity in which I am needed!

Liz Molloy

Liz Molloy: Liz Molloy, aka “Ms. Liz”, has owned and operated Taramia since 1998. Taramia riders participate Dressage, Combined Training and Eventing and Pony Club Certifications & Rallies. Her students have won numerous GDCTA Year End Awards & Schooling Show Series Awards. In 2014 she was elected to the GDCTA Board to head up the Youth Programs, introducing the GDCTA Letterman Jacket Program, Dressage Seat Schooling Medal Finals, & hosted the Atlanta Inaugural Lendon Gray’s Dressage4Kids Youth Festival. This earned her GDCTA Volunteer of the Year Award then. She now is the Region 3 Coordinator and Chef d’equipe for the Junior Team and headed up fundraising for NAYC each year. She has a passion for ponies and the National Dressage Pony Cup that she enjoys competing in.

Halliea Milner

Halliea Milner is the founder of Go With It Farm - an eventing riding school with two locations in the North Metro area. Her main focus is sharing the sport of Eventing with her riders and inspiring the next generation of successful well rounded Event riders. She is active in USEA, USEF, USPC, USDF, and GDCTA. She has received trainer certifications from both USHJA and ARIA. A life-long student of the sport, she seeks continuing education opportunities from the top of the sport of dressage and eventing. Her riding school has produced the largest Pony Club in the south region in their very first year of operation. As a mother to an 11 year old event kid, Halliea has a keen interest in promoting current youth programs as well as developing new ones to attract and engage the youth of the sport.

Halliea is interested in promoting grass roots youth activities and supporting youth participation in GDCTA.

Chris Hutchings

Chris Hutchings: Chris Hutchings is a long-time member of GDCTA, going all the way back to the mid 1980s. She has served in a variety of volunteer roles over the years, including ring steward, gate keeper, runner, assistant competition secretary, cross-country jump judge, liaison for competition officials, announcer’s assistant, and awards table assistant. Chris also served as a board member in the late 1990s and designed and managed the very first GDCTA web site, which went live in early 1996 and served as a “first line of communication” to get results out to the world from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics equestrian events. These days, Chris manages the GDCTA schooling show recognition program and is also revising and editing the GDCTA Policies and Procedures Manual. Chris keeps a dressage horse at Shannondale Farm and can frequently be seen assisting at dressage clinics at Shannondale. She is a technical writer/information developer by profession, focusing primarily on developing user help systems for webbased software applications.

YOUR VOTE COUNTS!

Please participate by voting when the email notice arrives before the end of October. The ballot will contain instructions for how it should be marked and should also state how many candidates for the director positions may be voted for.