PHJ press release by: Laura Jesberg
The American Paint Horse Foundation, the non-profit arm of the American Paint Horse Association that focuses on the higher education of youth and the preservation of the heritage of APHA, recently announced three new members have been selected to serve on the organization’s Board of Directors. The new members include a president/CEO of a medical center who oversees a foundation, a state government retiree and the operations manager for large residential home builder. The new board members were installed March 2; their initial three-year terms will expire in 2018.
The new board members are: Tom Crowley of Kellogg, Minnesota; Robin Robinett of Brazil, Indiana; and Kevin Hardcastle of Owasso, Oklahoma.
Tom Crowley, an APHA lifetime member, oversees all operations of Saint Elizabeth’s Medical Center and Health Care Center and Saint Elizabeth’s Community Development Foundation. He has been instrumental in raising in excess of $10 million for the advancement of healthcare technology, programs and services and is a seasoned fundraiser and grant writer. A breeder and trainer of state, national and world champion Paints and Quarter Horses, he has also been a horse show judge since 1977, holding cards with APHA, AQHA, NRHA, NRCHA, NSBA, ApHC and more. Tom has also published articles on judging halter conformation, Western pleasure and showmanship, and has contributed to the Paint Horse Journal and Horse & Rider magazine.
Robin Robinett, retired from Indiana government service, has been showing and exhibiting horses since age 5. She showed Arabians for most of her youth and young adulthood and was involved locally and nationally with the Arabian Horse Association committees, conventions and shows. She worked in sales and promotions for entertainer and Arabian owner Wayne Newton in Logandale, Nevada. An APHA lifetime member, Robin has been involved locally and nationally since 1996. With roots in all-around competition, Robin currently competes in the halter pen and has earned more than 50 world and reserve world championship titles. Robin says the backbone of any equine industry is its Youth and Amateur programs, and she strongly supports both. Robin and her husband, Larry Morse, are also involved in the Thoroughbred racing industry as owners.
APHA lifetime member Kevin Hardcastle of Owasso, Oklahoma, is the operations manager for Simmons Homes Residential Group. He has been involved with horses most of his life and currently shows halter horses at APHA events. Kevin served as president of the Oklahoma Paint Horse Club for many years, is its current past president and has been on various APHA committees, serving as vice chairman and chairman of the Breed Improvement Committee and Therapeutic Riding Sub-Committee. Kevin, along with the Oklahoma Paint Horse Club, was instrumental in kick-starting the APHA Therapeutic Riding Program. He also served as a APHA liason for North American Riding for the Handicapped and later served on its Board of Trustees. NARHA has since changed its name to PATH Intl.
Board members whose terms expired are: Cheryl Newman of New Berlin, Illinois; Paula Mullins of Rock Port, Missouri; and Pat Mullins of Bumpass, Virginia.
“It is always exciting to welcome new members to the board who bring with them a fresh perspective and a different personal approach,” APHF President Jackie Mellon said. “I know their service will provide tremendous benefits to the board and the American Paint Horse Foundation as a whole.”
For more information or to give a gift, visit apha.com/foundation or contact APHF Director Laura Jesberg at (817) 222-6412 or ljesberg@apha.com.