Brooke USA has announced the election of Katherine Kaneb as the new chair of the board of directors. Kaneb joined the board in 2016 and has been instrumental in growing the organization. She developed the Brooke USA’s Sunset Polo & White Party and partnered the organization with the Tryon International Equestrian Center during the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (North Carolina).

Kaneb has also led Brooke USA’s national advocacy efforts toward combating the import and sale of ejiao, a product made from the gelatin produced from donkey hides and used in traditional Chinese medicine. Hundreds of thousands of donkeys across Africa are stolen, smuggled and slaughtered each year to meet an ever-increasing demand for ejiao, threatening the lives of these equines and the livelihoods of people. The United States is the third largest consumer of ejiao in the world.

Katherine Kaneb is the new chair of Brooke USA’s board of directors. Photo Courtesy Of Brooke USA

“I am excited to lead Brooke USA’s board of directors and work closely with fellow board members and staff to further execute our mission-driven strategy,” said Kaneb. “I know that many challenges lie ahead, but I’m confident that we will continue to build support by making new friends and extending our work.

“Brooke USA has a very bright future, and I look forward to leveraging our greater strength and exceptional talent to grow our presence, increase awareness for our mission and raise the needed funds to make a significant difference in the lives of equines and people in the developing world,” Kaneb concluded.

Kaneb succeeds John Nicholson, CEO of the Virginia Horse Center, who served in the chairman role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nicholson will remain on the board’s Executive Committee.

Nicholson said, “It has been an honor to serve as board chair. I am confident in our future and in Katherine’s leadership as we continue to grow and fund more programs that improve the lives of working equines and people.”

He added, “I have no doubt that Katherine’s deep knowledge of Brooke USA, coupled with her recognized leadership in the equestrian world, will help realize Brooke USA’s full potential.”

Brooke USA Executive Director Emily Dulin stated, “Katherine has been instrumental to our success since she joined the board of directors. Her deep knowledge of the equestrian industry makes her an asset as we expand our brand across the country.”

Brooke USA’s 2020 board of directors is comprised of:

Officers:

• Katherine Kaneb; Board Chair; Wellington, FL
• Jim Wolf, Lebanon, NJ
• John Nicholson, Immediate Past Chair, Lexington, VA
• Mark Beausoleil; Treasurer, Boca Raton, FL
• Laura Rombauer, Secretary, St. Helena, CA

Directors-at-large:

• David Jones, Chair Emeritus; Asheboro, NC
• Lisa Bair, Wellington, FL
• Tami Fratis, Ocala, FL
• Barbara Gilbert, Palm Beach, FL
• Dwayne Hildreth, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
• Jane Holderness-Roddam, Chippenham, UK
• Julia Wilson, DVM, Stillwater, MN

About Brooke USA
The mission of Brooke USA is to significantly improve the welfare of working horses, donkeys and mules, and the people they serve throughout Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Americas and the Caribbean by raising funds and responsibly directing them to the areas of greatest need.

Brooke USA does this through a holistic approach to funding which includes capacity building, sustainability programming, female empowerment and international advocacy. Brooke USA connects private philanthropists with their passion for helping relieve the suffering of working equines and their owners.

Brooke USA raises funds to support a wide variety of programs for working horses, donkeys and mules to help them become (and remain) healthy and happy now and in the long-term, which also benefits the very poor families who depend on those animals to help them earn a living.