Our Staff
"The staff are amazing, flexible, positive and skilled at individualization. They always greet our daughter enthusiastically and are happy to see her every week. And, their training and adherence to guidelines are very apparent."
Parent Survey 2025
Janet serves as the Executive Director of Horse & Buddy, a role she has held for more than 25 years. With a strong foundation in the corporate world, Janet spent nearly three decades at IBM before transitioning in 2016 to lead Horse & Buddy full time. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science as well as an MBA from Duke University. Janet lives on her farm in Siler City with 4 horses (3 of whom are retirees from Horse and Buddy), 2 miniature donkeys, 3 dogs, 2 cats, and her impulsive purchase: Matilda the Pig. She also treasures having her mom nearby, who moved to North Carolina a few years ago and built a home right next door. In her spare time, Janet enjoys working on the farm and spending time on her tractor.
Laura serves as the Director of Therapeutic Horsemanship and Horse Management at Horse & Buddy and is a PATH International Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI) as well as a PATH Mentor. She has been a certified instructor since 2009 and has been a member of the Horse & Buddy team since 2012. Laura is a graduate of St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Therapeutic Horsemanship. She is also a certified Special Olympics of North Carolina equestrian coach and serves on the Sports Development Team for the equestrian games. Having grown up around horses, Laura has spent most of her life owning, riding, and showing horses, bringing both passion and extensive experience to her role. Laura resides in Garner, NC, with her husband, Hugh, their daughter, Makenna, and their three dogs. Laura shares, “I am incredibly fortunate to work alongside such a talented team of instructors and staff. I look forward to coming to work each day and partnering with an amazing group of riders. I am truly blessed.”
Rosa is our Director of Communications and Silver Saddles. She has been with Horse & Buddy since 2006—first as a volunteer and then as an instructor. She is a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI), EAL certificate holder, and CTRI mentor. She loves witnessing the connection, growth, and joy that develops through the partnership between the horses and participants. A North Carolina native, Rosa lives in Chapel Hill with her family and pets.
Kate joined Horse & Buddy as a volunteer in 2010. The riders’ smiles each week compelled her to stay and grow with the organization. She is currently the Director, Mental Health and Learning. Kate started taking riding lessons when she was five because she wanted to go on trail rides with her mother whose multiple sclerosis never deterred her from her dream of riding horses. In the past 40 years she is grateful to have experienced a wide variety of riding disciplines – three day eventing, team penning, polo, fox hunting, reining, huntseat and western horsemanship, competing at the national level. Kate holds a BA in Psychology with a minor in Occupational Behavior from the State University of NY at Geneseo and a Masters in Human Resources from Cornell University. Her certifications include CTRI, ESMHL, Natural Lifemanship Level 1, SPHR, SHRM-SCP. On the weekends when she's not at Horse & Buddy they can be found hiking the many trails in the area with her family and dog, Snowflake.
Holly is an Occupational Therapist, a PATH registered instructor, and a PATH Mentor. Holly earned her BS in OT at Tufts University in Medford , MA. She worked for 10 years in a pediatric rehab hospital in NJ before moving to NC in 1997. Holly has been riding since age 9. She has been with our program since 2002, first as a volunteer and now as a fill in instructor, after running the show as Program Director for many years. She is married to Joe and has 3 daughters and 2 grandbabies.
Melissa is a registered PATH instructor. She began volunteering back in 2004 at Horse & Buddy, and fell in love with the program. When she left for college at UNC-Asheville, she found another program in the Asheville area to volunteer with, but missed Horse & Buddy. After graduating, she moved back to the area and returned to Horse & Buddy. She is so glad to be part of the H&B "family", and loves every second with the children! Outside of Horse & Buddy, she spends her free time reading books and working on a research project through which she hopes to have a few articles and perhaps a book published.
Katie is a registered PATH instructor. She started with the program as a volunteer in 2010. She fell in love with therapeutic riding after volunteering for another program while in college. Katie has over 15 years of riding experience including riding on the ECU Equestrian Team and serving as the Team Captain for two years. She lives in Apex with her husband Tim, daughters Olivia and Addison, and two sweet dogs, Gabriella and Lenny.
Nicky joined Horse & Buddy as a volunteer with the desire to become involved with horses again after a long break. Working with the riders soon became very fulfilling for Nicky, and with that passion she took the next step and qualified as a registered PATH instructor in May 2018. “Horse & Buddy is MY happiest place on earth! The pleasure and purpose I have from working with these amazing riders, horses, staff and volunteers is indescribable!”. Nicky started riding when she was 10, and subsequently had her own horse for 5 years before she went to college. Nicky now leases a horse and enjoys riding in her spare time. Nicky grew up in Zimbabwe, Africa and moved to the USA in 2000. She graduated from the Gloucestershire College of Arts and Technology in England, with a degree in the Management of Hotel, Catering and Institutional Operations. Currently, she also runs a Logistics business within the clinical trials industry and also organizes meetings within the USA and internationally for Clinical Research Organizations. She lives in Cary with her husband Adam, has 3 children, a dog and a cat.
Lauren is our Volunteer Coordinator. She comes to Horse & Buddy with a diverse background. She earned her Masters degree in Art Therapy from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, and is a board certified, registered Art Therapist. Over the years, Lauren has worked in varying capacities with hospitalized children, children in the foster care system in New Jersey, adolescents struggling with substance abuse issues, and adult psychiatric patients living in state care. Along with those accomplishments, Lauren also holds a certificate in Volunteer Management from Rutgers University. She was the Director of Volunteers for Meals On Wheels of Rockland, and Director of Community Resources at YCS, where she had the privilege of working with both corporate and private sector volunteers. Lauren lives in Fuquay-Varina with her husband Peter of 22 years and her two young boys Graham and Wes.
Christie came to Horse & Buddy as a volunteer in the fall of 2013. Having had a horse growing up, she has always known the physical and spiritual beauty of these animals. After a long break, the space where so much life happens, she found Horse & Buddy on the back of a T-Shirt at a park, investigated, and found a home . . . a place where so many good people work very hard to make these special animals available to all. She is very grateful to be a part of this community. Christie lives in Raleigh with her husband Joe and hound dog Daisy.
Horse & Buddy’s mission of enhancing the lives of children and adults with special needs drew Barbara to the program in 2018 as a volunteer. Having seen and experienced the healing power of horses in countless ways, she considers herself fortunate to have landed at Horse & Buddy where the impact of service can be readily seen and felt. Now working as an ESHML, she is proud to be part of a team creating a space and environment where clients’ everyday cares and worries can be left at the front gate. She is passionate about lifelong learning, cross-cultural experiences, and activities that promote camaraderie and wellness in a busy world. Barbara holds a Master of Science in Information Science and Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a librarian in the North Carolina Collection at Durham County Library and lives with her husband, son, and green-cheeked conure in Chapel Hill.
Dick is charged with the general upkeep and facilities maintenance at Horse & Buddy. Dick is an electrical engineer spending 38 years in the telecommunication industry working in the global market in management, product and sales roles. Dick and his wife Berry, hail from Zimbabwe and have lived on 3 continents settling in Morrisville NC in 1998. They have 2 kids and a spoilt little dog Inja. For fun Dick’s passion is electronics and Berry is an artist. Dick is in awe of Horse and Buddy and the fantastic team of dedicated staff and volunteers.
Lee Katherine, also known as LK, is a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor who joined the Horse & Buddy family as a volunteer in 2022 after leaving her corporate job in healthcare management. LK has always been drawn to horses, and she quickly knew that this place would be an important part of her life going forward. She grew up in Richmond, VA riding horses as a working student from age 11-18, volunteered at a therapeutic riding program during high school, and has returned to riding as an adult whenever she could. She moved to NC in 2013 to attend UNC-CH for graduate school and eventually settled in New Hill with her husband Steve in 2020. After driving past that black and white horse mailbox on Old US 1 for over a year, she made a choice to reorganize her life around doing meaningful, enjoyable work. LK enjoys learning about all aspects of supporting a thriving TR program, whether it's helping riders develop new skills, working with the equines to make sure they are equipped for their job, or gathering community donations for the annual gala. When she's not at the barn she splits her time between freelance healthcare consulting; working with the Chatham County Board of Elections; tending her vegetable garden; and caring for her 4 dogs, pet minipig, and flock of chickens.
Mary Jane started as a volunteer with Horse & Buddy in 2019. She combined her love of horses and her experience working as a paraeducator making therapeutic riding the perfect fit. Mary Jane has become a Certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning through PATH working in our EPPT Program, Barn Buddies, and ground lessons. When she is not working she is volunteering her time with Silver Saddles, Equine Training, Masterson Group, Leading and Mentoring new volunteers. This former Jersey girl lives in New Hill NC with her husband, David, and her pup Timber.
Carrie grew up loving horses and spent hours riding through the countryside on her mare, Delinda. She later worked with racehorses and off-track thoroughbreds before returning to University for a Biology degree. Carrie found Horse & Buddy in 2013 while looking for a way to reconnect with horses again after raising five children. Horse & Buddy gave her the perfect opportunity to kiss horse noses while also helping others. After being unable to volunteer for a few years due to work, she contacted Horse & Buddy in 2020 about returning and hasn’t looked back. Carrie volunteers weekly as a leader while also being involved in Barn Buddies, Silver Saddles, horse training, volunteering for Equine Assisted Learning events, and mentoring new volunteers. In fall 2024 Carrie completed her Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning certification. Carrie lives with her husband Will, two adult children, one son-in-law, and two dogs!
Jolie is a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor joining the Horse & Buddy team in 2025. Jolie has her BS in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University ('23), and is passionate about engineering and design for accessibility and inclusivity. She began volunteering with Therapeutic Equine programs in 2023, but has worked and volunteered in various roles with people with disabilities since 2015. She has found incredible joy in supporting equine assisted services, and is deeply grateful to the Horse & Buddy team (and families!) for welcoming her with open arms. When not at H&B, she works full time as an engineering project manager and can be found reading, fishing, and spending time with her people in Raleigh! If you want to make friends with Jolie, just ask her for pictures of her dog, Buckley.
Avery started as a volunteer at Horse & Buddy in 2023, as a sidewalker, and is now a leader/mentor for the therapeutic lessons. In addition to volunteering Avery is also working as a feeder at Horse & Buddy. Avery’s love of horses began at age 7 and she has been riding ever since. She continues to ride and competes in hunter/jumper events in the triangle area. Avery is a high school student who is also involved in her school’s theater arts department, specifically with technical theater. She also enjoys time with friends, and her current roommate is her guinea pig Wilbur. After high school, Avery hopes to go into equine studies and pursue a career with horses.
Dave was raised in upstate New York among the dairy farms of the Mohawk Valley. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and worked as an Air Traffic Controller. Following the Air Force tour, Dave obtained a Bachelor of Applied Science and was hired by the FAA as an Air Traffic Controller. During a gig in NJ, Dave met Mary Jane, the Jersey Girl, and married the equestrian jumper. The two of them raised three daughters. Giving back to the community was common for Dave. He volunteered as coach for track and field, soccer, cross country, and volleyball teams. He also donated four years of logistical support to the local high school marching band. In 2019, during their first year of retirement, Dave and Mary Jane relocated to North Carolina and now live in New Hill. Dave began volunteering with Horse & Buddy on the Facilities Maintenance Team, and after a brief internship, joined the team as a part-time staff member.
Mary began volunteering at Horse & Buddy in early 2020 to reconnect with her lifelong love of horses after retiring from a career in local government. During our Covid shutdown, she began customizing a Salesforce program that has evolved to track and organize almost all of our day-to-day operations. In addition to being our volunteer Salesforce Administrator (we call her the VP of IT), Mary also spends time assisting with lessons as leader, sidewalker or barn assistant, and treats the horses to Masterson Method bodywork sessions. She is thrilled to be part of Horse & Buddy and support its mission. Mary grew up in Cary and lives there with her husband Scott, dog Susie, cat Izzy… and sometimes a few orphaned squirrels or opossums needing rehabilitation.
Aimee is a certified therapeutic riding instructor who joined Horse & Buddy as a volunteer horse leader in late 2024. It didn’t take long for her to realize she had found the perfect place to combine her lifelong passion for horses with the organization’s meaningful mission. Aimee competed in Eventing for many years with her now-retired mare, Rowan, before discovering the magical world of Dressage. Aimee actively trains and competes in Dressage with Ziggy. Her passion for the Horse & Buddy community was inspired in part by her niece and nephew, both of whom are bilaterally cochlear implanted. Aimee earned her BS in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and spent more than 20 years working in Human Resources before transitioning out of the corporate world to become an HR consultant. If you’re ever looking for Aimee, she’s likely at one of the barns with her hair tied back in a ponytail.