Our Board of Directors and Officers ensures that we are delivering on the organization’s mission and values. To get in touch with a board member please call the ELCR office at 859-455-8383.
John Blackburn, Vice President
Vice President
Co-Chair: Mission, Outreach, & Public Engagement Committee
Washington, D.C.
As principal of Blackburn Architects, P.C., John Blackburn has over 35 years of experience in the practice of architecture. He is responsible for the overall firm management. His award-winning designs include a full range of project types and services, from programming, existing facility evaluation, and master planning to new construction, adaptive reuse, and historic preservation.
In the field of renovation and restoration, John has a special sensitivity for historic structures and an interest in the adaptive reuse of existing structures for new uses. His conversions have garnered awards from the AIA and Southern Living magazine. Licensed in more than 25 states, John has experience working with differing building types, building codes, and historic preservation requirements.
John’s experience in equestrian architecture positions him as a leader in the niche. His equestrian work, which encompasses more than 160 projects, ranges from polo barns to thoroughbred and training facilities to therapeutic riding centers: all of which employ key principles of passive design to create highly functional, sustainable facilities that nurture, inspire, and protect both owner and horse.
Rebecca Brown Thompson, Secretary
Mission, Outreach, & Public Engagement Committee
Virginia, Arkansas
Rebecca’s dedication to the cause of preserving and expanding equestrian space comes from her own belief that people of all ages who learn to ride reap the multiple benefits of being with and caring for horses.
Rebecca enjoyed a 28-year career in the Foreign Service with the Department of State which included overseas assignments. Rebecca also brings with her nearly three decades of experience in public relations that includes writing, press event planning, grant work, and networking with other interested
individuals and organizations.
In the years following her Foreign Service career, Rebecca has participated in trail riding and competed in dressage events in such diverse locations as Argentina, El Salvador, the Philippines, Mexico, Venezuela, Northern Virginia, and Northwest Arkansas. She is a co-founder and Board Member of Fairfax4Horses (https://fairfax4horses.org) an equestrian nonprofit organization in Fairfax County, Virginia. In 2002, following the closure of one of the largest area riding stables, Rebecca and a coalition of equestrians and individuals interested in maintaining open space in the county, began organizing to create opportunities for horseback riding by establishing public riding facilities on county parkland. As a
result, Fairfax4Horses was incorporated in 2004. Recognizing that many individuals in the area are not
able to enjoy the benefits of horseback riding due to the closure of many local stables as a result of expanded development, Fairfax4Horses remains dedicated to the establishment of public riding facilities
on Fairfax County parkland.
Rebecca is also an active member of Hunters Valley Riding Club in Northern Virginia and the Northwest
Arkansas Dressage Club in Northwest Arkansas.
Dale Brown
Treasurer
Chair: Finance & Administration Committee
California
Dale Brown is currently a Vice President at ServiceNow, a San Diego/San Jose-based leading provider of cloud-based services to automate enterprise IT operations. Dan previously was the Vice President of Finance at Data Domain, which was acquired by EMC Corporation in July 2009, from January 2006 to December 2011. Prior to that he worked with major companies in the Silicon Valley and other parts of the country.
Dale is a CPA and has worked with non-profits in his past life, one of which was Path, International, where he served on the Board and Finance Committee. Dale brings over 25 years of finance and accounting experience to the ELCR board. His goal is to assist and equip non-profits for the ever changing world of regulatory issues, audits and reporting to donors and government regulatory departments. He greatly appreciates the efforts of ELCR to educate others on the dangers of the loss of open land.
Rob Banner
Chair: Resource Development Committee
Governance & Nominating Committee
Virginia
A lifelong horseman, Robert Banner grew up in Tennessee foxhunting, showing hunters and jumpers, and riding in owner/rider timber races. After graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1980, he began a career in equine publishing. He spent his first 5 years at The Horsemen’s Journal (a national racing magazine,) then 5 years as Ad Director of EQUUS, (the leading national horse care magazine,) and ended his publishing years as Publisher of The Chronicle of The Horse, (a leading national newsweekly) for 18 years.
For the last 10 years, he has served as President of Great Meadow Foundation in The Plains, VA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission to “preserve open space for equestrian and community service.” During that period, he has doubled the land holdings of Great Meadow and built a world-class all-weather arena that today hosts the first FEI Eventing Nations Cup in America. Construction complete, he placed a conservation easement on the property to protect it in perpetuity. Banner continues to fox hunt and show jump avidly. His life in the Piedmont Valley of Virginia is dedicated to protecting it for the equestrian activity we all embrace.
Dawn Davis
Mission, Outreach, & Public Engagement Committee
Resource Development Committee
Illinois
Dawn Davis currently resides in the prominent equestrian community of Barrington Hills, Ill., where she and her husband, J.R., preside over Barrington Hills Farm. They are both avidly devoted to preserving land for horses in the village of Barrington Hills. Dawn and J.R. are actively involved in equine rescue efforts in the Chicago area through their alliance with HARPS (Hooved Animal Rescue & Protection Society). Ms. Davis is Vice Chairman of Davis Bancorp and also contributes time to many other civic duties, including serving as director of the Chicago Zoological Society (Brookfield Zoo), Chicago Crime Commission, Chicago Cultural Mile, and the Smith Museum of Stained Glass and American Art.
Oscar Gonzales
Governance & Nominating Committee
California
Oscar brings almost two decades of senior leadership experience in the public and private sectors. He oversees a consulting practice that focuses on Food, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Information Technology.
In 2021, Oscar Gonzales was appointed by President Biden to serve as Assistant Secretary for Administration at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), where he oversaw management and operations for the nation’s fourth largest federal department. Previously, Oscar served in the Obama Administration in several senior positions within USDA, including Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Senior Advisor on Immigration to Secretary Tom Vilsack. He also served as the California State Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), where he oversaw FSA programs across California. Oscar also held senior roles in state government under Governor Gray Davis, Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, and Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero.
Oscar’s private sector experience includes working for Goldman Sachs as their Vice President for Government Relations for the Western States and Vice President for Government Relations at Aura Financial. Prior to serving in government, Oscar worked with various nonprofit organizations, including the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Building Up Los Angeles, the Corporation for National Service, California Community College Foundation, National Hispanic Environmental Council, East Los Angeles Residents Association, and the UFW Foundation. In 2019, Governor Newsom appointed Oscar to the California Horse Racing Board, and he was reappointed in 2023. He lives in Davis, CA, with his wife Christine and their dogs Honey and Jetty.
Ken Haddad
Governance & Nominating Committee
Finance & Administration Committee
Florida
An avid fox hunter and trail rider, Ken recently retired as Executive Director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In that role he was responsible for the management of over 5 million acres of Florida public and private lands and served on the state council that guided the purchase of $300 million worth of public lands annually. He also served as member of the state lands Acquisition and Restoration Council; Chairman of the Science Coordinating Group of the Everglades Restoration Task Force; and president of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. He is a current board member of the Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy and the Wildlife Foundation of Florida.
Ken contributes greatly to ELCR’s ability to be the horseman’s resource on recreational use issues at the state level. He has firsthand understanding of the myriad of issues surrounding equestrian access on public and private lands including public game lands.
Libbie Johnson
Co-Chair: Mission, Outreach, & Public Engagement Committee
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. Libbie is currently serving as the Economic Tourism Director for Polk County, NC.
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.
Dot Moyer
North Carolina
Dorothy (“Dot”) Moyer was raised on a large cattle farm in Charlottesville, Virginia. Riding, foxhunting, boarding and training horses and showing 4-H steers, she developed a lifelong interest in horses, agriculture and nature. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, she kept her OTT TB in Wissahickon Park in Philadelphia, and learned about the challenges of keeping horses in a city environment. In 1990, her family relocated to Flat Rock, North Carolina. When the equestrian trails were built over there, she moved down the mountain to the Tryon area, where she met people from around the country also looking for places to ride and keep their horses.
Dot has represented and served on the boards of many community-based nonprofits during her career. Now retired, she focuses her efforts on preserving land and equestrian access. She is an active member of Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, the Polk County Soil and Water District Advisory Committee, and previously an active member of the Pacolet Area Conservancy, serving on its Land Committee. She has served on the Board of the Foothills Equestrian Trails Association, and focuses on its easement program to protect the trails.
Bill Ward
Maryland
Bill Ward is a 30-year veteran in the marketing and advertising industry where he manages TBC, a leading ad agency in Baltimore, Maryland as their Executive Vice president and Managing Director. Equally important to Bill is his passion toward the equestrian world of sport thanks to his 14-year-old daughter Taylor who took to the sport 7 years ago and hasn’t looked back—competitively riding in Hunter and Equitation divisions. While all-things-horse may not have been a part of Bill’s life until recently, the past 7 years have been nothing less than an all-encompassing, rocket-fueled experience into the sport, magic and community of everything that goes into successful partnerships of horse and rider. And despite some general allergic reactions around horses, his heart and head are ‘all-in’ to do what he can in the best interest of these amazing animals which deliver so much to their human partners and deserve much more from us. Along with his dedication to the ELRC, Bill sits on the Board of Directors with the Washington International Horse Show, and the Sport & Entertainment Corp of Maryland which operates the Maryland 5-Star where he also is a member of the 5-Star event committee.
Bill is thoughtful and intentional about what he commits himself toward so that everything can get the level of attention it needs and deserves. His priorities are focused on being a supportive husband and business partner to his wife Nichole of 18 years, an always-improving father of their child Taylor, a driver of opportunity and growth for their ad agency TBC, and a partner-owner of an independent wine & spirit retail store. He pursues opportunities which feed into these areas of interest and that offer challenges he believes he can help solve.
Phoebe Weseley
Florida
Phoebe Weseley was born and raised in New York City, where she graduated from The Brearley School. She pursued higher education at Rice University and Columbia University, graduating from Rice University with a degree in the history of art. After graduating, Phoebe embarked on a career in the publishing industry and worked for several museums as an editor and writer.
For someone who grew up in the big city, she has always preferred the country life. Embracing her love of country living, Phoebe and her husband have owned farms in Bedford, NY, Wellington, FL, Bedminster, NJ, and Esmont, VA. Phoebe and her husband call themselves the “farm doctors”; seeing themselves as caretakers and rejuvenators, they are dedicated to bringing their beloved farm in Esmont back to life.
Phoebe is an active competitor in the hunter/jumper discipline and enjoys competing in the hunter/jumper show circuit. She also enjoys grassroots activism and community organizing and most recently has been involved in fighting some development issues impacting horse lands in Wellington, FL, where she was first introduced to ELCR.
Phoebe understands firsthand the crucial need to advocate for horses within local communities and to secure access to land for equine-related activities. She is excited to give back and looks forward to working with ELCR to support efforts aimed at protecting endangered horse lands in communities across the country.
Warren Wilson
Mission, Outreach, & Public Engagement Committee
California
Warren Wilson is a resident of Escondido, CA and President and CEO of California Horsetrader, a thriving niche horse publication and an award-winning media company serving the equestrian industry since 1990. Raised on a historic San Diego County homestead and with a publishing career largely devoted to the horse industry, Wilson has a broad perspective of the equine land conservancy landscape.
Wilson studied literature and writing at the University of California San Diego. Before California Horsetrader, Wilson’s publishing career began in newspapers. He was editor of his hometown weekly, the San Marcos Courier, at age 20. He moved on to a San Diego area morning daily, the Morning Press, first as Sports Editor before being named Managing Editor at age 26. In 1990, he purchased California Horsetrader magazine.
In 1997, he founded Horsetrader.com working with architects, engineers and developers to create an enterprise-level platform for advertisers to provide concurrent online exposure in sync with printed insertion orders. This led to the development of online delivery of content as well as web-based business systems for publishers that remain a daily part of companies nationwide. Today many American Horse Publications (AHP) member magazines, websites and corporate members use technology his team developed.
Wilson is well known and respected in the equine publishing world as both an innovator and an amazing collaborator. First appointed to the AHP Board of Directors in 1995, Wilson served as AHP President from 2000-2001. In his role as AHP President, he led numerous AHP workshops and panels on wide-ranging topics including editorial management, technology and business development.
In 2014, Wilson was honored with the AHP Champion Award and recognized for his 25 years in equine publishing that have provided technical innovations bridging the transition from print to Internet and for his collaboration in the industry. Today’s collaborations extend outside the print realm, as Wilson and the Horsetrader team also now work with non-publishing AHP members including trade shows and associations to engage their audiences with online and mobile marketplaces and video contests.
His childhood home, the Borden Homestead in San Marcos, CA, remains an active equestrian and agricultural enterprise. The 14-acre ranch is the home to his mother, Carolyn Read, a well known equine land use advocate and preservationist.