Published March, 2012

Local leaders in various areas of the equine industry will examine how the horse influenced their personal leadership development and career paths during a public panel discussion April 17 in the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory auditorium. 

Hosted by the UK College of Agriculture’s Center for Leadership Development, the evening’s activities will start at 6:30 p.m. EDT with a reception with the panelists. The discussion will begin at 7 p.m., featuring horse training professional Avo Kiviranna, chair of Midway College’s Equine Studies Division; Harold Rainwater, founder and director of the equine program at Asbury University and the mayor of Wilmore; Ed Squires, PhD, Dipl. ACT (hon.), director of UK Ag Equine Programs and executive director of the UK Gluck Equine Research Foundation; Sara Tracy, community liaison for Locust Trace AgriScience Farm; and Patricia Cooksey, director of public relations for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the first female jockey to win a stakes race at Churchill Downs.

The Center for Leadership Development, under the direction of Tricia Dyk, PhD, currently facilitates Equine Guided Leadership Education workshops for both students and the public, during which they explore ways horses teach people leadership competencies.

“We hope these leaders’ stories will inspire students who are interested in careers in the horse industry,” said Lissa Pohl, MS, program and outreach associate for The Center for Leadership Development.

The event is sponsored by the W. Norris Duvall Leadership Education Fund, whose mission is to support the leadership development of young college and college-bound students by exposing them to community leaders who exemplify character and values.

There is no fee to attend, and parking is available at the event. UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is located at 1490 Bull Lea Road, off Newtown Pike in Lexington. For more information, contact Pohl through e-mail: lissa.pohl@uky.edu.

Carol Spence, Agricultural Communications Specialist in the College of Agriculture and Editor of The Ag Magazine, and Lissa Pohl, MS, program and outreach associate for The Center for Leadership Development, provided this information.