First off, I want to thank all of our supporters and volunteers for making 2014 an amazing, incredible year for SAFE. We are finishing the year in such a strong, healthy place, and we truly did it as a Team. I am so proud of this organization and what we have been able to accomplish together!

There are some exciting changes taking place at SAFE in 2015 to be announced over the next few days. I’d like to start by introducing some new members and a new direction for the SAFE Board of Directors. 

Up until now, the SAFE Board of Directors has very much been a working, hands-on group who have overseen both daily operations of the org as well as strategic governance. We came to the conclusion earlier this year that it was impractical to expect so much from one small group of dedicated individuals, so the decision was made that the BoD would step away from overseeing day-to-day operational concerns and assume responsibility for three key areas: strategic planning, advocacy, and fundraising. We essentially made the decision to rebuild the Board from scratch, recruiting new members and starting them off with clear expectations about fundraising and being a voice for the organization. Two members of the outgoing Board — Kyle Putnam and Jeannette Parrett — have agreed to continue on as members of the new Governing Board. Debi Shatos, Shar Conner, and Victoria Guy have resigned their board positions effective Dec 31, 2014 and are moving into key Operational roles with SAFE. 

I cannot stress enough how much these outgoing members of the Board have contributed to this rescue over the years, and how utterly grateful I am that we are not saying goodbye…merely changing focus in a very minor sense. Nevertheless this is a sad day as it marks the end of an era. I have personally been through so much with each of these amazing women, and I could not be prouder of the organization they helped build, the positive changes that each of them brought about, and the spirit & joy they brought (and will continue to bring!) to SAFE.

Outgoing SAFE President Debi Shatos had this to say about her time on the Board of Directors, “I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to volunteer with SAFE in this capacity. I met amazing people and made lifetime friends. I am especially proud of the progress we made in moving the organization towards sustainability. I am very excited to see what the future holds for the people and horses of SAFE.”

Now it is my great honor to introduce the new members of the SAFE Board of Directors, who will be joining Kyle Putnam and Jeannette Parrett in the leadership of this organization:

Peter Houghton

Animals have always held a special place in Peter’s heart. At ten, he professed to have known more about animals than Marlin Perkins of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. He gave herpetology presentations to schools and organizations and collected a small zoo’s worth of snakes, lizards, alligators, snapping turtles, stray dogs and cats, hawks, rabbits, and more. Off to college, Peter studied Natural History at Godard College in VT, was the director of Vermont’s Raptor Rehabilitation Center and interned as a large animal veterinary assistant. Peter moved to Seattle in 1984 to take a position with Chateau Ste Michelle winery where he now works as Promotions Manager. Peter started volunteering at SAFE with his daughter Julia about two years ago. Two things in particular caught his attention: one, a SAFE horse named Strider and two, as he put it… “The passion, dedication and capabilities of everyone involved with SAFE. From the 85+ volunteers, board members, trainer and supporters. This is an organization I really believe in and want to be a part of. It’s easy to see why a person would be so passionate about horses if you’re a rider. I don’t have riding experience but I’m no less passionate about horses, I just come at it from a different perspective and it’s that perspective I hope to bring to the board and to our endeavors. I’m as passionate about helping the people help the horses as I am about the horses themselves.”

Jeanne Lyon

Jeanne is an retired corporate executive with significant working experience in the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, and High Tech industries. She currently is Founder and Principal of a Human Resources Consulting firm. Jeanne began her riding career at the age of five. As a life-long horse lover, she has owned horses and showed competitively on the Hunter/Jumper A show circuit in the Junior, Amateur Owner, and Adult Amateur divisions. She was also an avid Fox Hunter and was a member of the Los Altos Hounds in northern California, prior to moving the Pacific Northwest in 2009. During an expat assignment in England she was also able to pursue her passion for riding to hounds. She currently has a retired Hanoverian, a German Warmblood, with whom she has a very special relationship at his advanced age of over 30 years. Jeanne’s involvement with SAFE began in early 2013 when she read about a neglected horse named Atticus in her local newspaper. The story of his rescue by SAFE inspired Jeanne to get involved with the organization, starting as a donor, becoming an advisor, and now, as a member of the board.

Heather Andreini

Horses have always been Heather’s dream but she was not lucky enough to actually own a horse until she was in her 30s. This unleashed the horse crazy girl and Heather now owns 6 equines. She has two beautiful Friesians – Heidi and Galahad, a quarter horse (the one who started her on this journey) Sis, as well as a miniature horse – Jet, and two miniature donkeys – Mr. Gunsmoke and Teddy Roosevelt. When she is not “horsing around”, Heather is a real estate broker with John L. Scott and has been marketing homes in the Pacific Northwest for the last 22 years. She and her very supportive husband live at Bridle Trails in Bellevue.

Eve M. Tai

Eve is Director of Philanthropy for The Nature Conservancy, where she leads efforts to raise $10 million annually to support work in the Conservancy’s Asia Pacific Region. Prior to the Conservancy, Eve worked at an HIV/AIDS nonprofit and for five years at Chicago’s leading advertising agencies. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration. As a girl, Eve plastered her bedroom with Secretariat posters and collected Breyer models including an Arabian mare she named Gemini. Decades later, at age 51, she finally began riding and working with real horses. Now both a dressage and a liberty work student, Eve seeks to nurture a world where humans work more closely with horses as partners and companions. She lives in Seattle with her lovebug pit bull, Olive and enjoys yoga, travel, food and a great Cabernet.

Kyle Putnam

When she was ten years old, Kyle started cleaning stalls in Peters Creek, Alaska to earn riding lessons on a pony named Sammy. But educational opportunities were limited in Alaska, so as a high school student she began spending summers in Colorado as a working student for dressage trainer and judge, Kristi Wysocki. After college, Kyle moved to Barboursville, VA to be a working student for USDF Gold Medalist and German Reitlehrer Gerd Reuter. Kyle stepped away from riding to attend law school and graduate school, and returned to the industry in 2010 as a Licensed Massage Practitioner with a Large Animal Endorsement. She currently splits her time between her massage practice and being a professional groom for USDF Silver Medalist Caryn Bujnowski. She has been volunteering for SAFE off and on since 2008. Kyle owns an off-track thoroughbred named Reel Popular who she describes as a daily joy in her life.

Jeannette Parrett

Jeannette grew up in San Diego County where she spent every possible moment at a Horse Rental Stable down the road from her home, often trading trail guiding & chores for extra ride time. In her adult years she’s managed teams, projects & multi-departments in the Retail, Car Rental & Lighting industries while raising a family with her husband Les. She continued to love horses and always dreamed of returning to riding. In 2006 she met her Heart Horse, Coconut Macaroon, whom she rescued privately. They’ve spent their years together exploring local trails, in the show ring and just enjoying their life together. When Coconut’s herd was eventually seized by Animal Control authorities in a high profile case Jeannette searched for the surviving herd mates and found them with SAFE, vowing to help them in any way she could. Since 2008, Jeannette has served SAFE in several capacities, including Volunteer Coordinator, Intake Manager, special events and has served on the Board of Directors since 2011. Currently she lends her professional experience in a Human Resource capacity.