Vice President

Chip was born and raised on the Jersey Shore and enjoyed spending his free time fishing and boating. He ran a landscape company for several years in NJ. Chip spent 5 years in Northern California and worked in the building materials industry. Chip eventually moved to Manchester, VT and worked in construction building homes. In 2009, he had the opportunity to build his own home in Dorset, VT which is the main location of The Dorset Equine Rescue. He is a certified home inspector, and has also been a volunteer firefighter. Chip currently works in the Renewable Energy field. He has been serving on the Board of Directors of The Dorset Equine Rescue since its founding in 2012. In his free time, he enjoys helping out at The Dorset Equine Rescue, spending time with his wife, Jen and their two children, and 2 dogs, 2 cats and 3 horses.

Secretary

Lori brings a wealth of equine experience and accomplishments; she has an extensive background as an educator, competitor and instructor and is passionate about animal welfare, especially as it relates to horses. Lori has degrees in American Studies and education, and taught Equine Studies at Vermont Tech and Post University; she was an intercollegiate dressage coach for both Dartmouth College and VTC, and was Region B Coach of the Year for the Intercollegiate Dressage Association. She strongly advocates for more humane “horse-centric” training and tighter restrictions on abusive practices in competition. She rides and competes in both traditional English and western dressage, and holds 3 WDAA World titles. She owns and operates a small boarding/training facility, Seize The Day Farm, in Tunbridge. Lori has volunteered with the Dorset Equine Rescue for several years including assisting in law enforcement investigations and multiple seizures. We are so pleased to have her take a more active role in the Dorset Equine Rescue’s mission!

Treasurer

Karen has had a love for horses her entire life.  She loves to be out in nature and enjoys it the most when on a good long trail ride.   She has been a licensed CPA for over 20 years and has worked a majority of her career in public accounting.  Currently, she works for a Venture Capitalist providing accounting & management services for their companies.  In the past, she has served as a school board member for Sunderland Elementary, as an advisory council member for Merck Forest & Farmland Center and was a founding board member/treasurer for Wings to Fly, a therapeutic riding center.  She lives on a small farm in Rupert, where she enjoys spending time with her 3 horses, 2 dogs, a cat, and assisting her husband with raising a small herd of registered Hereford beef cattle.

Board Member

Born and raised on the water in Savannah, Ga.,  Janet’s love of the water and boating led to a career in Sailing. For 15 years, Janet sailed throughout the Caribbean, eastern seaboard, Bahamas, Central and South America, the pacific earning her 100-ton Captain’s license and was support vessel for the 1980 and 1983 America’s Cup in Newport, RI.

Wanting to settle in one place, Janet landed in Manchester, VT where she worked in the hospitality industry starting out as an Inn keeper, then moving on to the Equinox Resort as Food and Beverage Manager and eventually as the Conference Manager where she found her love of planning corporate events.

Janet opened her own event planning company and planned events throughout New England for the next 25 years until her retirement in 2017. She spends her free time donating her time as the Event Chair and board member for The Dorset Equine Rescue.

Janet’s other free time is as an advocate for Wild Horses and Burros and spending time with her husband, two cats and a horse.

Board Member

Heather grew up in central Connecticut and has a love of all animals. Dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, chickens and an iguana have all had loving homes with Heather. Although she has never owned a horse, the horse farm at the end of the road was a place of many fond memories growing up. Heather has spent over 20 years as a business/data analyst for two major health insurance companies and still resides in Connecticut. In her spare time Heather enjoys spending time with her son and loved ones, walking, hiking, kayaking and finding new adventures. After many years of being inspired by the mission of The Dorset Equine Rescue, Heather is proud and excited to serve on the board.

Board Member

Charity is a seventh generation Vermonter, lifelong horse lover and has been a friend of DER since its beginning, volunteering in various capacities over the years. In 2023, Charity joined the board, bringing a range of entrepreneurial & mental health experience with her including graphic and web design, ecommerce, marketing, building her own private practice, crisis intervention and program development. Charity is especially passionate about humane equine euthanasia and the intersection of social work and animal welfare where emotionally complex decisions are at hand. Serving briefly as secretary, Charity has taken on the role of Legacy Farm Development Chair, working closely with Jen on DER’s recent land acquisition and the vision for our future, and forever home. Charity lives in Brandon with her two sons and dog, where she works on the Addison County Crisis Team, in her own Practice and volunteering for DER.