CHAIR

Jen is currently CEO at Kyabram Community and Learning Centre Inc where connection to community and providing quality services to support peoples growth and empowerment.

Jen was recipient of the 2011 RIRDC Rural Women’s Award and founding member of the Campaspe Family Violence Action Group. Jen has experience with a number of community services and not for profit boards.

Jen has Diploma of Governance, Masters in Aquaculture and Masters of Business Administration. Skills Jen brings experience in animal husbandry, community engagement, advocacy, quality improvement, customer service, financial management and corporate governance. Jen lives on a farm with her family enjoying the rural lifestyle and spending time with family on and beside Dungala River.

VICE CHAIR

Lisa currently works as the Directorate Senior Administrator at the Department of Families Fairness and Housing and joined Horses For Hope in late 2021. Born and bred in Greater Shepparton she has always enjoyed all things equine and has a passion for animals. She has her own horses and actively rides whenever she can.

Drawing from her own deep personal family experiences with mental health, she brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding to the board.

FOUNDER | DIRECTOR

Colin is a 40-year veteran of youth, family and community work in service provision, case work, counselling, management and program development. Colin has been developing and operating the Horses for Hope method for 17 years.

Horses for Hope combines his experience, commitment to improve services and service options for children, youth, families and Narrative Therapy practice skills with his love of horses, natural Horsemanship methods of horse education and training.

Colin has an interest in expanding research in the field of Equine Assisted Therapies and continues to pursue research and evaluation of the Horses for Hope, Equine Assisted Narrative Therapy program. Colin has completed a 3-year Diploma in Youth Work (1979-1982 & now considered a Bachelor program), a Graduate Diploma in Welfare Administration and a yearlong training in Narrative Therapy with the Dulwich Centre.

DIRECTOR

Anne is a recently retired Mental Health Social Worker who is an experienced Counsellor in the trauma field. She has also had a lifetime of involvement with horses. She is interested in the development and expansion of services to enable people to develop their full potential in a safe and secure environment. Her involvement with Horses for Hope was initially as a volunteer because of her curiosity about how this form of therapy can benefit people who may not have found more traditional therapy suitable. She joined the Horses for Hope Board in 2019.

DIRECTOR

Cheryl’s professional life spans the media, non-profit community sector, tourism industry, small business and local government.

But it is her unwavering commitment to volunteering to support local organisations to achieve sustainability and deliver on their goals for their community that has led her to Horses for Hope.

Cheryl is a skilled collaborator and motivator, and has the ability to bring people together for a common cause, with decades of experience in community engagement.

Cheryl’s inclusive leadership, communication and fundraising skills have successfully built the profile, and capacity, of numerous local organisations throughout the Goulburn Valley over the past 30 years.

Away from these roles she is a mother of three young men and recently became a grandparent.

DIRECTOR

Michelle has a background in business/accounting, community strengthening and leadership development. She has lived, worked and raised a family in the Goulburn Valley for the past 30 years and is passionate about making a difference in the lives of those around her (family, friends and community) and is working on a number of different projects and boards at any one time.

Most recently Michelle has worked as the Executive Manager in a health based business. Previously she was Executive Officer of Goulburn Murray Community Leadership (Fairley Leadership) and Executive Officer of GV Community Fund (Greater Shepparton Foundation) and has worked on a number of local political campaigns.

She currently also sits on the GV Hospice Board as Secretary and was a founding Board member of Shepparton Foodshare, a Board member of Primary Care Connect and Shepparton Motor Museum (now Museum of Vehicle Evolution).

Michelle is a graduate of the Fairley Leadership Program (2007) and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

DIRECTOR