STAFF

Pamme Mickelson

Executive Director
[email protected]

Pamme brings more than 30 years of experience and a passion for non-profit development, marketing, and management to her position at Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center.

Prior to joining Hearts Therapeutic in May 2017, she worked at the Alano Club of Santa Barbara and the Sansum Diabetes Research Center. Pamme was in Austin, TX before that, first attending The University of Texas and then working for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and serving as the director of development for both the ZACH Scott Theatre and the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Susan Weber

Program Director
PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor
[email protected]

Susan Weber moved here from Connecticut in 2013, where she had launched two different therapeutic riding programs – one for a school devoted to children with autism and the other at an established able-bodied barn. She has been a PATH instructor for over 14 years. Susan is also a certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning, a Mentor Instructor, and an Equine Services for Heroes Instructor. She lives in Santa Ynez with her 6 horses and 2 dogs.

Duane Harsh

Equine & Facilities Manager
[email protected]

Morgan Kastenek

Development & Marketing Manager
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Morgan was born and raised in Chicago, IL. She moved to Santa Barbara in 2008 to attend UC Santa Barbara, where she earned a B.A. in Sociology. She has been working with different nonprofits in Santa Barbara since graduating from UCSB in 2012. Morgan grew up riding horses and is so happy to be a part of the Hearts team as development and marketing manager, where she can be around horses every day and help support an amazing organization! She is passionate about social media marketing and fundraising. She and her husband live in Santa Barbara and have two dogs. They enjoy spending most of their time outdoors or doing yoga.

Kristen Kallai

Program Manager
[email protected]

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kristen has always had a passion for horses. She moved to Santa Barbara in 2008 and made it her home. After being a stay-at-home mom for 4 years, she came to Hearts as a volunteer. Before long she found herself happily involved in the Hearts volunteer program most days of the week! And while the horses are what she initially came for, it was the people of Hearts that captured her heart. Kristen enjoys all types of athletics, especially Olympic weightlifting, as well as spending time at the beautiful beaches of Santa Barbara.

Sarah Pugmire

Volunteer Program Manager
[email protected]

Sarah comes to Hearts with 8 years of riding experience and 3 years of experience working in therapeutic riding geared towards addressing mental health and behavioral disorders in children and young adults. Sarah is a PATH International Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. She earned a Bachelors degree in Psychology and a Bachelors in Criminology, Law, and Society from UC Irvine and has an Associates degree in Visual Communications from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. She lives in Ventura with her husband Tyler, an LA City fireman, and their German Shepherd/Husky mix named Chipper.

Amanda Dwyer
PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor

Diana Ferrari, M.A.
MFT

Lily Garcia
PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor

Lauren Hayes
PATH Intl. Certified Equine Specialist

Amado Inda
Barn Assistant

Mary Pat Paulson
PATH Intl. Certified Equine Specialist; PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor