President

Debby’s professional experience includes over 15 years in financial services and operations. Debby joined The Colony Group in 2015 where she is responsible for integrating new merger teams into client service, portfolio management, operations and compliance procedures and platforms. She oversees community engagement and philanthropy in the Richmond office in addition to being the coordinator for the philanthropic ambassadors across the company. She started her career in the petroleum industry where she worked in sales and management. Debby is a graduate of SUNY College at Cortland where she earned her BA in Economics with a minor in Marketing. Debby grew up on a small horse farm outside of Syracuse, NY where she participated in Pony Club, shows, eventing and foxhunting. Her riding ended when she went away to college but her love of horses has remained. Debby is our current President and is also a member of the Executive, Communications & Events, and Finance Committees.

Vice President

Beverly Thurston spent her career in education after being awarded an undergraduate degree from Lynchburg College, a masters degree from The London School of Economics, and a doctorate in history from Carnegie Mellon University. After teaching at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Bev worked at the Virginia Department of Education as the coordinator for K-12 history, social sciences and international studies. She led teams of students to Russia multiple times for the International Space Olympics. She also oversaw K-12 textbooks for the Commonwealth.
A native of Richmond, Bev developed her love of horses spending her childhood summers on her grandfather’s farm in Goochland. She fulfilled her dream of owning her own farm in Goochland where she keeps her horses and boards a few others. She is a member of Deep Run Hunt Club and has served on the Board of JRHF since February 2020.

Program Manager

Cynthia (CJ) is the horse barn program manager for the James River Horse Foundation program operating at the State Farm Work Center. CJ is an experienced equine professional with an extensive background in barn management and horse training. She has a passion for theory-based classroom and hands-on education. A native of Zimbabwe, CJ worked with horses in many parts of the United States and Europe before settling in Richmond, VA.

DOC Liaison

Scott serves in an executive level position for the Virginia Department of Corrections where she oversees programs, education, mental health, victim services and reentry preparation efforts for offenders incarcerated and on probation and parole supervision.   She is also a local resident and member of the Goochland County equine community.  The James River Horse Foundation brings together her passions for horses and for helping persons involved in the criminal justice system to change and live law abiding lives.   Scott is currently the volunteer Corresponding Secretary for JRHF as well as the group’s liaison with the Virginia Department of Corrections.   She is also engaged in community volunteer work with Goochland Pet Lovers (local animal shelter) and Goochland CARES food bank program.  Scott has a MS in Rehabilitation Counseling and an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice.

Bookkeeper

Lisa is a longtime resident of Goochland County.  A lifetime love for all creatures great and small started at an early age when she began riding and showing her first pony. After a 17 year career in the financial industry, Lisa spent 7 years working for a local thoroughbred race horse breeder learning about the thoroughbred breeding business and the racing industry. She served as Treasurer on the James River Second Chances  board from 2012 to 2015.

Director, Past President

Karen holds a B.S.Chemistry and Physical Science and has spent a lifetime with horses.  She spent her junior years riding and showing hunters, jumpers and eventers as well as working for a Thoroughbred trainer breaking, exercising and rehabbing racehorses.  After graduation, she spent several years as a vet tech at a small animal practice in Northern Virginia before coming home to the Richmond area.  Then she spent 8 years training and managing lesson and show barns, teaching and training horses and riders, before moving to her current employment as Operations Manager for a multi-doctor equine veterinary practice.  Karen has served on the board of JRHF for 8 years, currently as Past President as well as a member of the Events and Nominating Committees.

Director

Mary Ruth Burton created Burton-Fuller Management in 1987 to work with individuals, teams, and organizations to help them grow to their fullest potential. She has provided organizational development expertise to many industries including working with NCAA athletics and Fortune 100 companies. She also served as an adjunct faculty member of The University of Richmond’s Management Institute for over ten years.  She is a Senior Birkman Method Consultant and uses the tool to help individuals and teams thrive.
Mary Ruth served on the Board of the Richmond Symphony for six years and chaired the Organizational Culture committee.  She served six years on the Board of Directors for the Richmond Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, including one term as Vice President of Membership. She also served on the Virginia Commonwealth University Ram Athletic Executive Board. For four years she served on the board of Richmond’s Peter Paul Development Center which provides services to children at-risk. She has also served as a volunteer consultant to the leadership team of Richmond’s YWCA.
She enjoys riding the woods and fields of Goochland on horseback and is pleased to bring her lifelong love of horses to serve on the James River Horse Foundation.

Director

Elizabeth is a Senior Director in U.S. Regulatory Submissions and Compliance for Juul Labs, Inc. (JLI). Prior to joining JLI in September 2020, Elizabeth worked at Altria Client Services Inc., a subsidiary of Altria Group, Inc. (Altria), for fifteen years. Elizabeth received a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal and Poultry Sciences from Virginia Tech and a Master of Science degree in Regulatory Affairs from San Diego State University.

Elizabeth also dedicates time and focus to community service and helping others. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Aylett Country Day School (ACDS), a small private school located in Millers Tavern, VA that Elizabeth’s grandparents co-founded in 1966; she previously served on the ACDS Alumni Board, facilitated the ACDS Strategic Planning initiative in 2014 and was awarded the “Distinguished Alumni Award” in 2014.

She is active in the Virginia Tech community where she served on the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Organization board for six years and is a lifetime member of the Virginia Tech Women in Leadership and Philanthropy council. While working at Altria, Elizabeth served on the Altria Companies Employee Community Fund’s Grantmaking Committee – an organization led by employees that grants money, donated by employees, to local community non-profits.  

Elizabeth is an avid animal lover where she learned how to ride horses when she was six years old with her Great Aunt Mildred on the very family farm that she will be calling home very soon. She enjoys spending quality time with her many rescued dogs, cats, and horses, including a thoroughbred mare, Ardfinnan, she adopted from the Akindale Thoroughbred Rescue organization.

Director

Dr. Huffman was born and raised in Goochland, Virginia. She received her bachelors in animal science from Virginia Tech in 2013. Her doctorate of veterinary medicine was completed in 2017 at the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, Katie began working for Thomas J. Newton, DVM at Little Hawk Farm, first in an intern role and then an associate. She took the practice over in September, 2019, renaming it Little Hawk Equine, LLC. In addition to her veterinary duties, Katie is a founding board member of the Little Hawk Reentry Foundation, which offers employment to graduates of the horse program at the State Farm Work Center. She cares for the entire herd of the James River Horse Foundation and serves on the Program Committee.

Director

Pam is a long-time resident of Richmond, Virginia and attended the University of Richmond. Her business experience includes 11 years as an Office Administrator of a busy dental practice and a successful career as a real estate agent. During this time she served as a Director on the board of a regional Bank, Jefferson National Bank. Pam then had the opportunity to pursue her passion in fulfilling  leadership roles on a number of non-profit organizations, including a United States Pony Club Regional Board. She is a past President of the Goochland Woman’s Club and served on the Deep Run Hunt Club Board where she also held the position of President. Pam has served many years on the Deep Run Hunt Horse Show Association board and is currently President. Her role on the board of the James River Horse Foundation board is Chairman of Strategic Planning.

Director

Janis is a Senior Paralegal with McGuireWoods LLP and has worked in the Corporate and Business Tax Department of its Richmond office for over 37 years.  She has extensive experience in corporate transactional work including mergers, acquisitions and business restructuring.  She also worked in the tax-exempt organization area preparing annual returns for private foundations and IRS applications for recognition of exemption.  Janis received her B.A. degree in 1976, summa cum laude, from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  In her “previous” life, Janis danced professionally with both the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and the Pennsylvania Ballet.  She currently owns two Warmblood horses and participates locally in the hunter show circuit.  She has served on the Board of a local therapeutic riding program and the James River Horse Foundation.  She serves on the Executive and Strategic Planning Committees.