Our Staff
GallopNYC’s talented and passionate employees are motivated by the sense of purpose that comes with our mission and programs. Many of our staff first started their career at GallopNYC as a volunteer.
Interested in joining our leadership?
James Wilson
Executive Director | PATH Int'l Certified Instructor
James joined our staff full-time as of January 2014, volunteering since 2010. His love of horses goes back to his hometown in Texas, where his father taught him to ride and rope. James holds a BS – Agribusiness and a MS -Marketing from Texas A&M. He is also a PATH Intl. certified instructor, and enjoys photography in his spare time.
Cheriselle Scott
Director of Community & Corporate Engagement
Cher was first introduced to GallopNYC and therapeutic horsemanship while looking for meaningful opportunities for a young man with Autism, whom she supported while supervising a community based program for young adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. She is new to horses but excited to learn and continue her work empowering people through focus on their abilities rather than focusing on disability. Cher has a B.A in Psychology from Georgetown University and is an avid sports fan and basketball coach.
Bonnie Perry
Program Director, MSW
Bonnie joined the GallopNYC team in January 2016. She grew up riding and loving horses in rural southeastern Ohio and is so happy to have the opportunity to reconnect with this part of her life here in New York City. Bonnie previously coordinated a city-wide Travel Training program, teaching adults with disabilities independent travel skills. Bonnie has an MSW, with a focus on Organizational Management and Leadership, from Hunter College’s Silberman School of Social Work. She has a BS in Psychology from Baldwin-Wallace College. In her spare time, Bonnie enjoys traveling and live music and she is an avid reader.
Marie Varvaro
Barn Director | PATH Int'l Certified Instructor
Marie has been with GallopNYC since 2010, starting her journey with us as a therapeutic riding instructor. She began riding very young, developing a love for horses. Prior to working for GallopNYC full-time, Marie worked for the Veterans Administration Hospital as a dental hygienist and in her own successful businesses. She is enthusiastic about sharing her love for horses and good horsemanship, and in her role as Barn Director she oversees the coordination, care, and fitness of our herd of therapy horses.
Maggie Munoff
Development Manager
Maggie grew up in the mountains of the Adirondacks, where she developed a love of the outdoors, animals, and recreation. After graduating from New York University’s Gallatin School with her BA in Multimedia Production and Journalism, she survived a short stint as a substitute teacher and then began a career in the film & tv industry, working with a number of high-profile productions. She joined GallopNYC in August 2016. In her spare time, Maggie enjoys photography, yoga, Crossfit, hiking, live music and attempting to meet every dog in Brooklyn. She also currently serves as volunteer social media chair for the American Alpine Club’s Brooklyn chapter.
Beth McReynolds
Site Manager | Barn Visit Host
Beth McReynolds grew up in the hills of rural Virginia, and received a BA Humanities from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. While in school, she worked in the Education Department at Sea World of Florida. Beth discovered GallopNYC while investigating programs for Veterans. Beth volunteered with GallopNYC to learn about the program and immediately fell in love. She found happiness and purpose through GallopNYC and what began as volunteering became a career. Besides GallopNYC, Beth’s favorite things are horses, history and marathon walks.
Jenni Messner
Program Manager
Jenni Messner just recently found and fell in love with GallopNYC, joining the team as associate program manager in February 2019. She came to NYC in 2019 from Colorado as a folksinger and has been deeply missing the outdoors, so she’s excited to get to spend time with horses. Jenni is originally from Ohio and holds a MFA in performance, and a BA in psychology and theatre. When she’s not working, she loves playing guitar, hiking, and is active in the meditation community.
Marlee Miller
Barn Visit Host
Marlee grew up volunteering at a therapeutic riding center in her hometown in Pennsylvania. So she was thrilled when she found GallopNYC after moving to New York. As our Volunteer Coordinator, she loves having the opportunity to bring what she loved about volunteering to the lives of others. When she isn’t recruiting volunteers, Marlee is riding horses, performing, or writing poems.