Brandan Montminy is an attorney at the Dallas office of the global law firm Troutman Pepper Locke, LLP and is dedicated to providing responsive and practical advice and counsel to clients in a wide array of litigation matters, as well as in privacy, data protection, cybersecurity compliance, and incident preparedness and response. Brandan represents clients across multiple industries, including banking & finance, commercial, construction, health care, insurance, professional services, real estate, and technology. Brandan’s litigation experience includes advising and representing a variety of local and foreign businesses and individuals throughout the litigation process, including managing discovery, leading mediations, preparing and defending witnesses for depositions and trial testimony, defending and taking depositions, working with expert witnesses, preparing clients and matters for trial, negotiating complex settlement agreements, and providing post-verdict and appellate advice. Brandan is also a member of the Firm’s nationally recognized Privacy & Cybersecurity Group and Incident Response Team. Whether advising clients prophylactically regarding the design and implementation of privacy, data protection, and vendor policies and contracts, or reactively by directing forensic investigation, analysis, or litigation stemming from potential data breaches, Brandan leverages the Firm’s resources and relationships with vendors in consulting, forensics, public relations, and consumer services to provide clients seamless solution solving. Brandan is married to Jessica Montminy, and has two children. In their free time, they enjoy traveling and competing in competitive dog sports with their Belgian Malinois. Brandan currently serves on the PATH Intl. Board of Trustees as Governance Committee Chair.

Scott Carver is a driven financial leader with more than sixteen years of experience in accounting, auditing and strategic planning, thriving in fast-paced, rapidly changing environments. Scott is an adept leader with exceptional communication skills and a proven track record for providing solutions to streamline operations at nonprofit organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Boy Scouts of America, World Relief, Orbis International and the Franklin Institute. Currently, he sits on the Finance Committee and is the Audit Committee Chair for PATH Intl. Scott met his wife Erica while attending Pennsylvania State University where he earned his bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. They currently reside in Ambler, Pennsylvania with their two daughters, Lily (6) and Sadie (5), who are 11 months apart in age. Scott is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner, as well as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Fraud Examiners. Scott shares: As an uncle and cousin to children with disabilities, equine-assisted services (EAS) has been an integral part of our life. It was my father’s love for horses that first led our family to Sebastian Riding Associates. My father wanted to make a deeper impact, while still interacting with horses, so he attended an accredited equine massage therapy course to volunteer his time massaging the horses every Saturday and prepping them for the following week’s activities. Seeing the impact that EAS has on participants’ lives created a passion throughout our entire family to help the continued success and joy it brings to its riders.

Katie Vachris, DBA, is a Project Manager for the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Land Office, dedicated to ensuring those experiencing mental health conditions receive the care and support they need for improved quality of life. With fifteen years of experience in financial and operational roles, she now dedicates her time to ensuring stewardship and land projects on the Trust’s million acres of land are completed on time and within budget, generating the revenues needed to support beneficiaries of the Trust. Katie holds a Doctorate of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Project Management and studied nonprofit project/program management as the basis of her dissertation work. She is an adjunct instructor with Liberty University, teaching Operations Management and Project Management courses to those seeking bachelors and masters degrees. Katie has a long history of serving as a volunteer with PATH Intl. Centers nationwide and is a firm believer in the power of partnering horses and humans. As a college student in the early 2000s, she worked part-time for PATH Intl. in Denver and has been a passionate supporter ever since. She is an active member of the PATH Intl. Finance Committee.

Aviva Vincent, PhD, LMSW is a Veterinary Social Worker, assistant professor of social work at Cleveland State University, and co-owner of Healing Paws LLC. Dr. Vincent is trained in Results Based Accountability for organizational strategic planning and evaluation. She holds facilitator training through the Harwood Institute, Sustained Dialogue, and the Institute for Social Change. As a social justice advocate, she centers DEI in her practice, inclusive of Access and Belonging. She is on the board of the National Association of Social Workers, and Secretary for the Board of Trustees of PATH International, where she is also a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She also serves on the advisory board for the Animal Law Clinic at CSU and Not One More Vet (NOMV). Dr. Vincent was awarded NASW-OH Social Worker of the Year for Region 2 (2024), Cleveland Crain’s 40 under 40 (2023), and the Early Career Success Award by Case Western Reserve University (2022). She has over 25 peer-reviewed publications and 8 peer-reviewed chapters in texts including The Comprehensive Guide to Interdisciplinary Veterinary Social Work, The Handbook on Human Animal Interactions and Anthrozoology, and Integrating Horses Into Healing.

Paula J. Del Giudice of Sammamish, WA, has been the Executive Director of the Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center in Redmond, WA, for eight years, joining her love of horses, people, and serving her community. She has presented on fundraising and leadership topics at PATH’s international and regional conferences. In addition to her work with Little Bit, she has served as executive director or regional director for three other nonprofit organizations in the Seattle area since 2002. In addition, she has served on the boards of directors of several religious, arts, environmental, and community service nonprofits starting in her early 20s. In 1999, she was elected by representatives from throughout the country to serve as the first woman chair of the board in the National Wildlife Federation’s 63-year history. She just completed three one-year terms as the President of the Rotary Club of Redmond. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a Master of Education degree from Regis University in Denver. The topic of her master’s thesis was about the benefits of experiential learning. She has two grown children, two young granddaughters, a very small dog whose name is Moo, and an enthusiastic golden retriever named Birdie. She and her daughter, Katie, own a quarter horse that Katie is hoping will become a champion barrel horse. She is committed to giving back to the organization that has meant so much to so many in our industry.

Dr. Veronica Lac, LPC is the Founder & Executive Director of The HERD Institute. She has 25 years of experience as a corporate trainer and mental health professional providing her with an integrated perspective to equine-facilitated work. Her academic background includes a Masters in Training and Performance Management, a Masters in Gestalt Psychotherapy, and a PhD in Psychology. Veronica is passionate about bringing a cultural competence framework into the equine-facilitated field. Veronica specializes in working with eating disorders, trauma, and attachment and has developed equine and canine-assisted programs for at-risk adolescents in collaboration with residential treatment centers and eating disorder clinics. She is also a PATH International Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor for clients with cognitive, physical, and emotional disabilities. Veronica believes that research is the key to supporting equine-facilitated psychotherapy as an evidence-based modality and has multiple publications internationally in peer-reviewed journals. Veronica currently serves on the Governance Committee for PATH International and is a founding member of their Racial Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Committee. She serves on the Executive Board of a number of professional organizations including American Psychological Association Division 32 (Secretary), University Professors Press (Editor), and The Humanitarian Alliance. She is also a peer-reviewer for The Journal of Humanistic Psychology, and The Humanistic Psychologist.

Missy Lamont is the Executive Director of High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, where she provides strategic leadership for a premier accredited equine-assisted services center. With more than 16 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, Missy has a proven track record in organizational growth, fundraising, program expansion, and team development, while fostering strong partnerships with boards, donors, and community stakeholders. A PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor, Missy has dedicated her career to advancing high-quality, inclusive equine-assisted programs. She is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Strategies from Harvard Business School. Missy has been recognized with multiple leadership honors, including Gulfshore Business’s Women in Business, and currently serves in advisory roles within the equine-assisted services and nonprofit sectors.

Zalina brings more than 15 years of experience in finance, sustainability, and operations across the telecommunications and technology industries. She currently serves as a Lead Financial Analyst at AT&T, where she manages over $100 million in inventory accounts and leads key month-end close and cost analysis processes. Her work supports strategic decision-making and ensures compliance with regulatory standards. Previously, she held roles as a Financial Analyst and Sales Operations Project Manager at Ericsson, where she oversaw strategic business planning, sales enablement, and sustainability initiatives. As Co-Chair of Ericsson’s North America Sustainability Council, she helped launch the company’s first Energy Summit and spearheaded initiatives that reduced environmental impact and deepened customer engagement. Her leadership has been recognized both internally and externally, including contributions to published marketplace solutions and ecosystem innovation. A licensed CPA in Texas, Zalina holds master’s degrees in Accounting and Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. She is fluent in English and Russian, and dabbles in Spanish. She is a member of the Finance Committee for PATH Intl. and a dedicated community volunteer, supporting organizations such as Junior Achievement, Habitat for Humanity, and American Heart Association. She is also a board member of the Blue Candlelight Music Series. Passionate about mental health and the bond between humans and animals, she believes in the healing power of connection and advocates for initiatives that support emotional well-being through compassionate engagement.

Lynn Klimas Petr, MS, is a long-time horse person who blended her passion for horses and her love of teaching together through her master’s thesis project to create Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR). STAR is a PATH Intl. Premier Accredited Center in its 38th year of operation located in Lenoir City, TN. Lynn holds a bachelor’s degree in special education and a master’s degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Tennessee. She is retiring as the Executive Director of STAR in Dec of 2025. In addition to being on the PATH Intl Board of Trustees, Lynn is active in PATH Intl. by being a lead Site Visitor for accreditation, an Advanced level instructor, a Mentor for instructors and Executive Directors, and an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. She is currently involved with Innovation Circles as a facilitator and coach. Lynn assisted in the rewrite of the Instructor Certification test many years back and has taken on roles of State Chair, Region Representative, Education Oversight Chair, Health & ED committee member as well as helping to start (and finish) the Faculty Development Task Force, AVTC training revamp and Mentor training review & development. Lynn was also part of the Certification Review & Development Task Force, “Reinventing Certification” work group, the Strategic Initiatives Review Committee and the Baseline Definitions Summit Group. She is a frequent conference presenter at the national and regional levels. She is committed to assisting PATH Intl. in a constant quest for improvement in the equine-assisted services industry. Her understanding husband is Larry, her daughter Leah lives in England and son Luke is in Colorado.

Dr. Ashley Phelps-Dunn is a multi-faceted leader, who brings extensive knowledge of small and large animal veterinarian medicine, a strong business acumen, and a sound cross-functional communication style that will benefit PATH International and its members. As chairperson of PATH International’s Equine Welfare Board, she built and led a diverse international group of volunteers with the core focus on equine welfare issues for the organizations’ certified therapeutic riding programs. Under her leadership, the team partnered with the Right Horse Initiative to address equine welfare concerns such as pairing the right horse with the right person and keeping horses safe – all of which were affecting both organizations. In addition, she led the partnership with Equitopia, which provided ground-breaking educational content that covered important topics such as recognizing equine distress, hoof care, and equine behavior to all PATH International’s members. At PATH International’s Annual Conference and multiple smaller conferences, she presented “Recognition of Lameness and Distress,” an interactive half-day training session for recognizing lameness and distress in horses, to over 75 attendees. Her experience as a veterinarian in both the practice and professional services will be an asset to the board and the members of PATH International. Dr. Phelps-Dunn currently is a practicing small animal veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital in one of their top 50 animal hospitals, where she treats an average of 30 patients a day with the most optimum care available ranging from preventive medicine to surgery and emergency care. Previously, as a Senior Technical Consultant at Elanco Animal Health, she was the veterinarian advocate for the retail business and led a $10 million training initiative for the company. During her time at Ceva Animal Health, she has advised equine veterinarians on lameness as well as advising small animal veterinarians in hospitals and shelters on reducing stress during veterinary visits and hospitalization. Dr. Phelps-Dunn began her career as an equine veterinarian at Equine Veterinary Associates of Olive Branch (formerly Akin Equine Veterinary Service). During her time there, Dr. Phelps-Dunn consulted for Memphis Zoo and volunteered for the Dogaroo, a festival that benefited a local dog park. Dr. Phelps-Dunn is a graduate of Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine (2004) where as a student, she was the chairman for the Pets in the Park festival, which was a local fundraiser for the humane society, president of the Student Chapter of AAEP and participated in many research studies including the prevalence of EPM, comparing the treatment options for Equine Sarcoids, digital gait analysis, characterizing HERDA, and effect of pulsing electromagnetic therapy. Dr. Phelps-Dunn also was an active volunteer at the Oktibbeha County Humane Society.

Originally from New York, Christina has lived and worked in several countries throughout the Middle East and Asia as a career Foreign Service Officer with the US Department of State. Her passion for Equine Assisted Services (EAS) began at the age of six when a friend’s birthday party at a riding school started a lifelong love for the equestrian world. Since then, Christina has competed in the hunter/jumper and eventing disciplines to include riding in the collegiate university program for the University of Virginia. Christina started volunteering with PATH International in high school at Pegasus Farms in Brewster New York; becoming a PATH Intl. registered instructor in 2013; and is now a CTRI in addition to being a volunteer member on the Governance and Grievance Committee of the PATH Intl. board. She currently resides in Washington DC with her husband, a veteran Army officer, who also shares her passion for EAS.