Staff
Anthony Busacca | Site Director
Anthony has worked in the horse industry his entire professional life. His experience includes equestrian center management, as well as training and showing dressage horses. He became involved in therapeutic riding in the 1980’s as a volunteer instructor at a small, local riding program in southern California. Now, as a NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association) Master Level Instructor and Lead Evaluator he has trained and certified hundreds of instructors all across the United States and in Canada, Japan and Israel. Anthony served on the NARHA Instructor Certification Committee for five years and has presented numerous lectures at regional and national conferences. He has served as the Program Director/Head Instructor of Giant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center, located in the north San Francisco bay area for the past two years. Before that he was Program Director of the Fran Joswick/J. F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center in San Juan Capistrano, California for sixteen years.
Daniel Narvaez | Facility Manager II
Daniel arrived in Texas in 1981. He worked with over 200 horses at Jack Benson Unlimited Ranch, a Quarter Horse breeding concern in Brenham. In 1985, he began work for Molly Sweeney here in Hockley, caring for her horses and grounds. Daniel joined the SIRE staff in March of 2002. He now resides at the Spring site with his wife, Maria Guadalupe, his son Luis Daniel and daughter Mayra Sarahi.
Holly Ellis | Web Development
Holly started with SIRE in 1994 as a volunteer mount leader. In recent years, she has taken a behind-the-scenes role as webmaster for SIRE. As a freelance web/graphic designer and videographer with more than 20 years experience, Holly shares her knowledge and experience to educate about and promote SIRE via the website, social media and email campaigns.
Jessica Antash | Instructor
Jessica began with SIRE in the summer of 2005 as an intern as a requirement to complete her college degree in Therapeutic Horsemanship. In 2006 she earned a double BA in Therapeutic Horsemanship and English Literature from St. Andrews Presbyterian College in North Carolina. She joined the SIRE staff officially in the summer of 2006. Jessica has been riding horses since she was 8 years old and they have remained a consistent passion in her life. She has a background mainly in dressage. She always knew she wanted to work with horses and felt that Therapeutic Riding was her calling because by teaching riding, she felt that it is a way for her to give back the freedom of horses that has been given to her. She enjoys riding horses, reading, playing the cello and watching movies.
Jim Brewer | Facility and Equine Manager
Jim joined the SIRE staff in 2006. He is a retired Lt. Col. in the US Army and did graduate and post-graduate work at Texas A & M University. Prior to joining SIRE, Jim was the Facility Manager at Waller Equine Hospital. Horses have always been a part of his family’s life. His 2 daughters, Mandy and Tori, started riding at young ages. His son, Conly, is more interested in aviation, but since Jim was a pilot, he wasn’t totally left out. Jim, his wife Peggy, and daughter Tori live at the Hockley site and enjoy showing their AQHA gelding.
Jimm Williams | Executive Director
JoAnn Trepl | Administrative Assistant
Jo Ann has worked part time for SIRE since 2001. She has a BS in Human Science and enjoys being a part of the SIRE family.
Joelle Devlin | Site Director/Head Instructor
Joelle joined SIRE at the beginning of 2004 and holds a Master’s Level Therapeutic Riding Instructor Certification by NARHA. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art and Philosophy and has been involved with therapeutic riding for over ten years. Joelle has also met NARHA qualifications to assist other therapeutic riding centers as an accreditation mentor and visitor (inspector). She also is qualified by NARHA to teach, evaluate, and recommend certification for therapeutic riding instructors.
Kathy Bigelow | Volunteer Coordinator
Kathy has been with the Spring SIRE site since the fall of 2008, first in a volunteer capacity and now as the Volunteer Coordinator. She’s a native Californian that relocated to Texas in 1992. Kathy first became involved with horses at the age of 10 when she joined Pony Club. She has been riding and showing Dressage off and on since then. After working in the Telecommunications industry for 18 years she left in 2008 specifically to devote her time to SIRE. Kathy is an avid reader and runner and loves to spend time in her kitchen cooking. She is married with two sons and lives with her husband Rich, two pampered dogs and two cats.
Katie Vari | Instructor
When Katie was 11 years old, her parents gave her a choice: violin or horseback riding lessons. The results are obvious. She’s been riding ever since, with a strong focus in three-day eventing and dressage, a little bit of hunter/jumpers, and the occasional Western trail ride. Her interest in therapeutic riding was sparked when a riding instructor encouraged her to take a look at the profession. In summer of 2009, she began the instructor certification process after spending two months volunteering for a therapeutic riding program. Exactly one year later, Katie achieved her Registered Instructor certification from NARHA. A family move from Circleville, Ohio to Houston, Texas four months later eventually brought her into contact with SIRE. She officially joined the SIRE team in January of 2010. For her, teaching at SIRE is the perfect way to combine her passion for horses with her desire to introduce people to the joys of riding.
Lili Kellogg | Executive Director
Lili is a life long horse enthusiast, and has been involved in the therapeutic riding industry for 25 years, first at Equest in Wylie, Texas and most recently at ManeGait in McKinney, Texas. She considers it a great blessing to work in a profession that combines her passion for horses and improves the quality of people’s lives.
Maryann Gerity | Volunteer Coordinator
Maryann started her position at SIRE in November, 2007. After a career in sales and marketing for a major tradeshow company in CT, she decided to change directions and work for a non-profit organization. She is also passionate about nature and captures that love through her photography.
Pat Roddy | Managing Director
A volunteer at SIRE since 1994, Pat has over 20 years experience in management and systems engineering in the computer industry. She is a native Houstonian, graduating from the University of Houston with a BS in Math.
Roy Figueroa | Facility Manager II
Sabrina Strawn | Volunteer Coordinator
Being volunteer coordinator at SIRE brings many of Sabrina Strawn’s passions together in one place. She and her husband had ridden and owned horses for years. So when he suffered a brain injury in 2007, SIRE was one of the first places they came for help. Soon thereafter, Sabrina began to volunteer as a leader and sidewalker. With years of experience working in health and education-related nonprofits, Sabrina’s delighted to bring that experience to the office at SIRE.
Shayna Bolton | Site Director/Head Instructor
Shayna started volunteering at the Spring site in 2001. She obtained her NARHA registered instructor certification in 2002 and became the Spring Site Director/Head Instructor in 2009. Shayna has been involved with horses for over 10 years; showing, eventing and instructing both English and western lessons. She graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Houston-Downtown.
Sherry Flores | Director of Finance and Technology
Sherry has been volunteering at Sire since Sire’s first Summer Camp July 2003 as side walker and now as a leader and DHP. Sherry’s background in IT as Sr Business Analyst and different Accounting positions for more than 25 years, she was able to work on different projects for SIRE to help streamline their processes. In 2008, she became a full time employee as Director of Finance and Technology, using her background to assist SIRE grow and fullfill the mission to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities through therapeutic horseback riding and related activities.
Susan Sanders | Office Assistant
Susan joined SIRE in May of 2008. Formerly a Compaq Computer/HP employee of 17+ years with experience in Human Resources, Administrative/Channel Sales & Customer Service as a Customer Satisfaction Manager-High Profile Escalations Team. After many years in Corporate America, Susan decided she wanted to pursue her passion of serving & helping others to make a difference. Susan learned from a friend that SIRE had an opening in their West Wing office. Although Susan had no former experience with horses prior to SIRE, she now volunteers twice a week in the arena in addition to her office responsibilities. Susan has come to cherish the amazing experience of sidewalking with the riders she has had the privilege to work with. Susan resides in Hockley, TX with her husband, Richard, & their two children Ashley & Eric.
Truman Alexander | Facility and Equine Manager
A native of Gladwater, TX, Truman has resided in Cleveland (that’s in Texas) for 2 ½ years. In 1996, he joined the Marines and served his country in Viet Nam. He returned to attend College in San Jacinto, completed a major in Computer Science and has worked in IT with various energy companies for the past 30 years. Truman was first put on a horse shortly before his third birthday. While in college he trained horses and did stock work. He has been trimming horses’ hooves for over thirty years. In 2004 , he attended a “Natural Barefoot Clinic” espousing a technique similar to the Strausser method. and started doing a barefoot trim. He began volunteering with SIRE in January 2004, became involved in all aspects of the program and is now Wrangler at the Spring site.
Wendy Cook | Development
Wendy Cook is almost a native Houstonian, as she’s lived in Houston since she was four years old, and is a current 18 year resident of Katy, Texas. She comes to SIRE after many years of interest and support for therapeutic horseback riding and working with children of all abilities, having been Executive Director of the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show. Wendy is the proud mother of Veronica, Skyler and Jackson and enjoys reading and trail riding in her spare time. SIRE combines all of the things she loves best: children, helping people and horses!!
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