Meet Our Staff!

• Program Director
• PATH-Certified Instructor (CTRI & ESMHL)

Jackie’s love of horses began as a small child and her formal lessons began at the age of 10 on a Welsh Mountain pony named Candy. Riding for most of her life, Jackie eventually bought the horse of her dreams – Wisteria. Jackie and Wisteria trained with a well-respected FEI (Fédération Équestre Internationale) dressage rider in Maryland. Although Wisteria had the potential to become a competitive dressage horse, Jackie preferred to use dressage as a tool to foster and build a partnership with her beautiful mare.

Jackie began volunteering with LiftMeUp! in 2015 and became a PATH-certified instructor in 2016. Her dressage background and additional training as a yoga instructor allow Jackie to teach with a holistic approach, providing her students with physical riding instruction, mindfulness, and relationship building skills.

Jackie was tapped to be Volunteer Coordinator in 2017 and added the role of Program Director since 2019.   

Jackie.Collins@liftmeup.org

Barn Manager

Charlotte has been riding since she was six years old and was on the UVM Equestrian Team while in college. She has worked with many different trainers over the years, and is currently retraining an OTTB of her own.

Additionally, Charlotte has experience with many breeds, including Gypsy Vanners (like our Coda) and Fjords (like our Delfinia and Titan), and she loves them all!

Charlotte will be part of the team working with our newer horses, and those returning to work after time off. She will be helping with both groundwork and under saddle to bring them along in their training/retraining. In her own words, Charlotte is "extremely passionate about rehabbing and retraining horses." Charlotte is looking forward to learning more about therapeutic equine services as she gets to know our staff, horses, volunteers and clients

Finance Director

 Rita stepped into the Finance role at LMU in April of 2022. A CPA with over 35 years of experience in corporate and non-profit organizations, she has worked in a variety of industries, including as Vice President of Finance for Capitol Records and EMI Music in Hollywood. Rita studied accounting at Ole Miss and earned an MBA at the University of California Irvine. In her role at LMU, Rita handles accounting, financial reporting, financial planning, cash flow analysis, fixed assets, accounts payable and grant management.  

Rita.raymond@liftmeup.org

Volunteer Coordinator

Newsletter Editor

PATH-Certified Instructor (CTRI & ESMHL)

Velvie has always had a love of horses and helping people. In 2016, Velvie found Lift Me Up! Therapeutic

Riding and started volunteering. Being at Lift Me Up! has enabled her to fulfill her desire to help people

and work closely with horses.

In 2022, she completed the Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor certification process through PATH

International. She felt getting this certification to be able to teach therapeutic riding was the next

logical step in improving her ability to provide support/assistance to people.

Velvie.Cunningham@liftmeup.org

PATH-Certified Instructor (CTRI & ESMHL)

Atalanta started volunteering at LiftMeUp! Therapeutic Riding in 2012. She attained her certification as a PATH Therapeutic Riding Instructor in 2017 and since then she continues to teach therapeutic riding regularly.

Atalanta enjoys working with children, teenagers, and adults. The therapeutic riding field was a huge discovery for Atalanta as she could combine her teaching interests with her love of horses and riding.

Atalanta began riding as a child and rode consistently until her parents moved when she was ten. After that she rode horses whenever the opportunity came along.

Atalanta worked as a preservation librarian at several academic libraries and research institutions in the Washington Metropolitan Area until her retirement from the library field in August 2018.

Atalanta.GrantSuttie@liftmeup.org

Senior Equine and

Mental Health Specialist  PATH-Certified Instructor (CTRI & ESMHL)

Georgia began volunteering with Lift Me Up! in 1995 and then held the jobs of Volunteer Coordinator, Board President, Program Director, and Executive Director.  Although she retired as Executive Director in 2021, her love for instructing with horses made her stay as a Senior Equine and Mental Health Specialist. In 2004, Georgia became a PATH-certified instructor and received her Advanced Instructor certification in 2005. Having done post-graduate work in education, Georgia enjoys combining a love of horses with teaching therapeutic riding.

Georgia has owned Saddlebred horses for over 30 years. Growing up riding western, Georgia now focuses on eventing and trail riding.

Georgia.Bay@liftmeup.org

PATH-Certified Instructor (CTRI)

Kastlee began her journey at Lift Me Up! as a volunteer and later became an instructor to play a larger role in fostering the bonds between riders, volunteers, and the LMU equines. One of her most memorable experiences was helping a rider who was initially terrified of horses build confidence and trust with herd member Tina. After weeks of groundwork, the rider now enjoys full 30-minute lessons with Tina, a testament to the powerful connection they’ve formed.

Kastlee’s advice to aspiring instructors is to seek a mentor to help guide them through the process, while for volunteers, she emphasizes the importance of building your own confidence and bond with the horses. Her favorite part of barn life, outside of teaching, is helping the barn managers with big projects, as she loves contributing to the care of the horses alongside friends and colleagues.

Kastlee.Ashton@liftmeup.org

PATH-Certified Instructor (CTRI)

Catie has been an equestrian since the age of 10, and her passion for horseback riding led her to become an instructor in equine-assisted services. She finds great joy in sharing the therapeutic benefits of horseback riding with others. One of her most memorable moments was helping a rider with limited mobility get on a horse for the first time, a process that took weeks but was incredibly rewarding. Catie’s advice to those interested in equine-assisted services is that even the smallest act of kindness can make a significant difference in someone's day. She loves ending lessons with trail rides, a treat for both horses and riders when the weather is nice.

Catie.pennington@liftmeup.org