American Horse Council Press Release
Contact: American Horse Council
AHC@horsecouncil.org

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2006

American Horse Council Announces Staff Changes and Addition

November 9, 2006, Washington, D.C. –The American Horse Council (AHC) is growing to meet member needs by promoting staff member Kerry Thompson to Director of Regulatory Affairs and hiring Sarah Mesa as Director of Communications.

A valuable asset to the AHC team since 2005, Kerry Thompson was the ideal candidate to replace outgoing Director of Regulatory Affairs Amy Mann. Having first served as a staff assistant, Thompson worked closely with Mann and other national animal health organizations and livestock coalitions on many equine health and regulatory issues.

In her new capacity, Thompson will continue to work on these issues, which include diseases such as Equine Piroplasmosis, Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA); disease outbreaks, control measures and prevention issues; and movement regulations such as the continued development of import regulations for non-competition entertainment horses. Thompson will also continue working with Equine Species Working Group and the USDA on the National Animal Identification System.

Thompson graduated from the University of Maryland in the spring of 2003 with a B.S. degree in Animal Science with an emphasis on Equine Studies. After college, she participated in the Kentucky Equine Management Internship program where she worked full time on a Thoroughbred breeding farm in Lexington, Ky., and attended weekly lectures.

AHC’s new Director of Communications, Sarah Mesa, will work to expand the presence of the AHC within the horse industry by overhauling and maintaining the AHC web site, editing and promoting publications and exploring different programs with staff members to increase awareness on the many important issues the AHC is working on.

An avid dressage rider, Mesa earned a B.A. from the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism and has combined her communication skills with her passion for horses to write for publications such as Practical Horseman and Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred magazines. She has done extensive freelance communications and video work for equestrian web sites, publications and private breeding and training farms.

She also has experience in web site management and development projects, including the revamping of www.preakness.com in 2003 during her tenure as Website Manager for The Maryland Jockey Club and managing web content and micro-site development for Humane Society International, the international arm of the Humane Society of the United States.

As the national trade association representing the horse industry in Washington, D.C., the American Horse Council works daily to represent equine interests and investments. Organized in 1969, the AHC promotes and protects the industry by communicating with Congress, federal agencies, the media and the industry on behalf of all horse related interests each and every day.

The AHC is member supported by individuals and organizations representing virtually every facet of the horse world from owners, breeders, veterinarians, farriers, breed registries and horsemen's associations to horse shows, race tracks, rodeos, commercial suppliers and state horse councils.