The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association has announced the slate of candidates who will be on the ballot for the USHJA board of directors’ election in December during the USHJA Annual Meeting, held in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 8-11. The board of directors will vote on the candidates for four director at-large positions—one each representing the hunter athlete seat, the jumper athlete seat, the Zone Council seat, and the Affiliate Council seat—during their meeting on Monday, Dec. 8.
The following are the nominees for the board of directors’ positions open for election this year:
Director-At-Large – Hunter Athlete Seat
- Hannah Isop, of Pawling, New York, in Zone 2, is a professional rider and trainer with over 15 years of hunter experience, ranging from green hunters to international derbies.
- Caroline Weeden, of Lake Bluff, Illinois, in Zone 5, is a professional rider, trainer, and farm owner with experience at all levels of competition. She has served on numerous USHJA committees, including the USHJA board of directors, Executive Committee, and Hunter Working Group, as well as the USEF National Hunter Committee and National Breeds & Disciplines Council.
Director-At-Large – Jumper Athlete Seat
- Brooke Kemper, of Reddick, Florida, in Zone 4, is a professional rider, trainer, and breeder with experience from young horses to international derbies and FEI five-star jumpers. She has served on USHJA committees, including the board of directors and Jumper Working Group, and the USEF Jumping Sport Committee.
- Andrew Philbrick, of Princeton, New Jersey, in Zone 2, is a professional international rider and trainer with more than 30 years of experience competing at the five-star level as well as a show manager. He has served on USHJA committees, including the board of directors, Planning Committee, and Governance Committee, and USEF committees, including the Jumper Committee and Show Management Committee.
Director-At-Large – Zone Council Seat
- Cricket Stone, of Gladys, Virginia, in Zone 3, is a professional and USHJA credentialed instructor with extensive experience in education, coaching, and horse show management. She has served on USHJA committees, including the board of directors, Executive Committee, Affiliate Council, and Zone Council, as well as serving on IHSA national and regional boards.
Director-At-Large – Affiliate Council Seat
- Laurie Birnbach, of Sarasota, Florida, in Zone 4, is an amateur competing in the hunter and jumper rings as well as a competition manager. She has served on several USHJA committees, including the Affiliate Council.
Senior active competing and senior education/non-competing USHJA members were invited to submit nominations for the hunter athlete and jumper athlete positions in June and July. Nominations for the designated zone and affiliate seats follow a separate process with nominees submitted by the Zone and Affiliate Councils, respectively. After careful review of all submissions, the Nominating Committee has recommended the above slate of candidates for each position.
All elected and appointed members of the USHJA board of directors will assume their duties immediately following the close of this year’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, Dec. 11. Each position will serve a four-year term.
To learn more about the election process for the Board of Directors, visit ushja.org/elections.
