Our Board
GallopNYC is led by a Board of Directors dedicated to our mission. Our talented Board of Directors are professionals with accomplishments in business, government, professional services, and philanthropy.
Interested in joining our leadership?
Sol Reischer
Board Chairman, Executive Committee Member
Retired Option Specialist on the American Stock Exchange. Chairman of the Specialist Association from 1995 – 2002. Parent of a daughter with Cerebral Palsy who started Therapeutic Horseback Riding at 3 1/2 years old and today trots, canters and jumps on her own at Brown University on its equestrian team.
Board Member Since 2014.
Alicia Kershaw
Vice Board Chair, Founder, Executive Committee Member
Founder and former Executive Director of GallopNYC. Certified PATH Intl. instructor. Retired attorney. Life-long rider. Auxiliary Mounted NYC Parks Enforcement Patrol Officer.
Board Member Since 2018. Founded GallopNYC.
Heather Aspegren
Treasurer, Executive Committee Member
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Director, Digital Risk Solutions.
15 years experience with internal audit, controls design and supporting risk management practices through the assessment of design of analytics, controls and financial processes, data governance strategy, software selection and implementation strategies. Only child of a very dedicated special ed teacher in small town Kansas, and former equestrian.
Board Member Since 2020.
Esada Qazi
Secretary, Executive Committee Member
Esada Qazi is an SVP at Bank of America specializing in Cloud strategy, execution, and financials. Before performing the role of Portfolio Manager at Bofa, Esada worked at JPMorgan in Corporate Finance and AM Technology. Prior to JP, she worked with Alliance Bernstein in various roles. As a born and bred Brooklyn-er, she is passionate about bringing resources to communities in need.
Board Member Since 2019.
Amanda Barshall-Cain
Board Member
Amanda Barshall Cain is a Managing Director at Societe Generale, where she leads a team of Commodity sales specialists applying her knowledge of financial risk management in the Futures and Derivatives markets. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Amanda dedicates herself to causes that she is passionate about,
including mentoring young professionals and the advancement of women in their careers, especially in the highly competitive finance industry. Ms. Cain is also on the Advisory Council for CentsAbility a non-profit organization focused on educating and empowering high school students to manage their financial resources and has most recently lead the Global Angels at 100 Women In Finance.
Board Member Since 2020.
Anna Laptook Goldman
Board Member
Anna Goldman was elected to the Board. She is a Director, Global Cobrand Business Development, at American Express. Anna was on the Vanderbilt equestrian team and brings marketing and fundraising experience to our Board.
Board Member Since 2019.
Carlos Lamadrid
Board Member
Carlos Lamadrid is the President and Founder of HLC Partners, a consulting firm that provides strategic and tactical advice to a wide variety of companies on branding, team building and change management. Carlos has worked in the media and marketing industry for over 25 years, much of that time at Condé Nast.
Married for over 25 years and a father of two grown children, Carlos has also been a lifelong horseman. Although riding mostly for enjoyment now, he started riding at about 8 years old, competing first in Children’s Hunters, then Jr. Working Hunters, and moving on to Jumpers and Dressage. Carlos believes horses help people connect to themselves in an unspoken language that is good for the soul.
Board Member Since 2019.
Constance Hunter
Board Member
Constance Hunter is an Executive Vice President, Global Head of Strategy & ESG at AIG.
In addition to serving on the board of GallopNYC, Constance serves on the board of the National Association for Business Economics. Constance is a passionate equestrian and she knows first-hand the healing power of horses.
Board Member Since 2016.
Damyn Kelly
Board Member
Dr. Damyn Kelly serves as the President and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of NY; a nonprofit human services organization that has an operating budget of more than $68 million and employs more than 642 human service professionals at over 39 sites in the city of New York. Dr. Kelly has a long and dedicated history of service leadership, having worked as a Bronx Assistant District Attorney and a senior staffer for a member of Congress. Presently, he serves as a member of the Board and Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the
Coalition of Family and Child Caring Agencies and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Human Services Council and Black Agency Executives. Damyn is also a frequent speaker, presenter and lecturer on issues pertaining to diversity, equity and inclusion with a special emphasis on the lack of executives of color in the
nonprofit and the commercial sectors.
Board Member Since 2020.
Jagdish Singh
Board Member
Jagdish is a Director at Citi Group. Seasoned executive in a global financial institution, with experience in developing strategy and execution in the areas of business management and business process re-design across various industries. Strong interest in serving those in need and is involved in volunteer activities in local community and with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, Junior Achievement of New Jersey, NJ Chapter of PMI, etc.
Board Member Since 2019.
John Genova
Board Member
John Genova is the President of NOVA Sales, Marketing and Communications, a specialized marketing consulting firm providing actionable market intelligence, brand engagement, and sales strategies to growing businesses and services firms.
John has a long history of non-profit involvement, having served on the Board of Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities for more than 14 years as Treasurer and V.P. of the ACLD Foundation.
Mr. Genova discovered GallopNYC as the Forest Hills location was the site of the stable where he grew up riding. John has been a volunteer with GallopNYC for more than two years as a lead and side walker and says that his experience working with riders and sharing in their joy of personal accomplishment is uniquely gratifying.
Board Member Since 2020.
Lucie Claire Vincent
Board Member
Managing Director of the Andean Cluster at Philip Morris International. Prior she worked at Colgate-Palmolive internationally. She is a consumer goods global leader who has lived and worked in Asia, Latin America, North America, and the Caribbean. Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Marketing from Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Executive Education Business Program at Stanford University Graduate School of Business and Digital Marketing Certificate from Cornell University. Passionate about supporting people with disabilities and animal lover.
Board Member Since 2018.
Natalie Heim
Board Member
Natalie Heim is a Human Resources professional with over 20 years of experience across various industries including Technology, Healthcare, Financial Services, Real Estate, Hospitality, and Beauty. She possesses an MBA and Bachelor’s Degree from Mount Saint Mary College and an advanced certificate in HR Management from Cornell University. She has extensive experience with Fortune 100 companies such as Google, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan Chase, Liberty Mutual, and numerous rapidly scaling startups. As a native New Yorker, Natalie is passionate about helping all generations gain access to tools and learn skills to live fruitful lives. As a long-distance runner with epilepsy, Natalie understands how impactful exercise and activity can be to neurologically diverse individuals.
Board Member Since 2021.
Paul Hinton
Board Member
Paul Hinton is a Principal at The Brattle Group and parent of Sam, a GallopNYC student.
Testifying expert in finance and economics; recent testimony in white collar jury trial for DOJ. Graduate of Oxford (engineering, 1988) and Harvard (public policy 1994). Lives in Brooklyn with wife Andrea Phillips and three sons.
Board Member Since 2017.
Rene Theriault
Board Member
Rene Theriault is a managing director and head of securities investing within Real Estate Credit at KKR. Rene has an extensive background in the securities industry and commercial real estate finance. In addition, he was previously a practicing attorney in New York. Rene is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Harvard Law School.
Rene enjoys riding and is passionate about the connection between people and horses.
James Wilson
Executive Director, Non-Voting
He is a PATH Intl. certified therapeutic riding instructor, an Irwin Insights Trainer, CHA Certified Equine Facility Director, and an E3A Level 1 Certified Trainer.