Susan has a degree in Special Education from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix and worked for the Glendale Union High School District for 30 years. In that time, Susan piloted three programs for the district: a transition program, a Life Skills program and a Sensory Integration Program. She has worked with students with a wide range of disabilities and has served as Department Chair for Special Education at Greenway High School for 16 years. One passion for Susan was helping her students learn to navigate the complex social world they live in. After gaining so much personal growth through interactions with the horses, Susan decided it would be ideal to pass along some of those lessons to her students. In her retirement, she plans to continue this endeavor through hosting other teachers and their students.

Jean Gath is a founding member of Tierra Madre Horse Sanctuary. She is currently a principal at Pfeiffer Partners Architects Inc. where she oversees campus, cultural, and community master planning and programming assignments. She additionally oversees urban design and strategic development efforts. From Pfeiffer Partners’ website: “Her strengths include an ability to implement visionary solutions in ways that are cost effective and allow for future flexibility.” This strength plays a key role in helping to guide Tierra Madre Horse & Human Sanctuary to a sustainable future.

Dr. Keyser initially received a BA in business administration majoring in business management, but realized she had a greater love for horses than riding and volunteering. She attended Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. During her time in College Station, she was employed in the large animal ICU at Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. After veterinary school, she completed an internship at Reata Equine Hospital in Weatherford, TX. Dr. Keyser is an equine general practitioner who provides ambulatory and in-clinic services. She currently works at Chaparral Veterinary Medical Center and is ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Leika has always been a passionate animal lover and jumped at the opportunity to volunteer at Tierra Madre when she and her husband relocated to Arizona. A native of New Jersey, Leika attended Duke University on an athletic scholarship where she was a member of the women’s soccer team. Earning a B.A. in Sociology, Leika has held marketing and administrative roles for several large companies in the financial services and real estate industry and currently works as a consultant for an investment company. In addition to volunteering her time at Tierra Madre, Leika is also a member of the Duke University Asian Alumni Association and served as an alumni admissions interviewer. She supports various animal welfare and human services organizations and is on the Be The Match bone marrow registry.

 Jim Gath enjoyed a very successful corporate career as one of the founders of USA Today, moving on to Turner Broadcasting, becoming a publisher for a few college magazines and later producing and promoting college football bowl games and large city-wide events. His drive to return to reconnecting with horses started with volunteering at kids’ camps and giving riding lessons, progressed to a boarding facility, then morphed into a safe haven for horses who needed him. Offering his complete heart and soul to these animals became his mission as he created Tierra Madre Horse Sanctuary in 2006.

Chelsea Barraco joined the Tierra Madre family in July of 2021 shortly after relocating to Arizona from New York. Chelsea grew up participating in 4H and horseback riding and fell in love with all things horses at a young age. Years later, upon discovering she’d landed in cowboy country, Chelsea realized horses had been a missing piece of her life and began actively chasing horse property professionally as a realtor and found a way to make horses the foundation of her business and personal life. Chelsea is nearly complete in obtaining a PATH International (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) Certification as an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning as she recognizes the healing power of horses and the impact they have on humans. Saturday chores at Tierra Madre offer the grounding, meditative peace that eludes the modern working world during the week. Chelsea finds meaning, life lessons, and boundless love in the minutiae of ranch life and is often found in Slayer’s stall humming to a Stapleton song and offering a hearty butt scratch to the best listener on four legs.

Denae joined the Tierra Madre team in October of 2017. She loved the idea of working with like- minded individuals who share her same passion for helping horses in need. Since joining the ranch, Denae has watched her life improve in terms of gaining confidence and finding her ranch family. When she’s not helping with chores, you’ll find her in the round pen with her best friend, Iron Man. Once intimidated by his size and spunk, Denae now handles him with ease and the two have formed a very special bond. She has had an unwavering love for horses since she was a little girl and plans to make rescuing horses a part of her life forever.

An empty nester, Mindy came to Tierra Madre in August of 2021 looking for a purpose. She moved to Arizona from “Hellinois” to be close to her grown children but with no friends here and plenty of time on her hands, she needed to smell and touch horses. Tierra Madre has provided hard work to occupy idle hands, horses’ love to clear a troubled mind and human friendships for the needed heart hug. She has continually proven herself to be a valuable asset to the TM family. Mindy likes hiking, sports, nerdy stuff like cross stitch, 70s music and walking the cutest dog on the planet.

Susan came to Tierra Madre in June 2015 on a volunteer outing with her high school students with autism. It was the beginning of an amazing opportunity for the students and truly “love at first sight” for Susan. Susan has loved horses all of her life but realizing the chance to ever own one had long passed, she just let that desire fade. The day she walked through the gates at Tierra Madre that love sprang to life and she just knew there would be no need for turning back. Susan is a faithful Saturday volunteer who looks forward to every opportunity to serve those amazing animals and help realize the vision that brought about such an amazing place as TMHHS.

I started volunteering at Tierra Madre in 2021 and am a retired Special Education teacher. I have a Masters in Education and have taught inclusion preschool for the past 25-30 years in the public school settings in New York, North Carolina and, most recently, Arizona. I have worked with a variety of students over the years with varying disabilities and have devised  learning environments that  ensure each child’s needs were met in a loving, fun setting. Because I feel that  children can best reach their potential in a natural environment, I am a believer in play-based learning. Children and teaching continue to be my passion and I hope to help create some positive, exciting experiences for children at Tierra Madre. I currently serve as administrative assistant for the ranch so if you make a donation you will get a receipt from me!

Alexis has fulfilled many different roles at Tierra Madre over the years including a board member and CEO from June 2022 – October 2023, and she never misses the opportunity to swing by as a volunteer and say hello to the horses she considers her family.

John is an Arizona man through and through. He’s lived here his entire life. A few years ago, John’s wonderful wife, Francie, saw a news special about a group of Boy Scouts who visited Tierra Madre to help with some of the more difficult labor that needed to be done. After retiring, John was enjoying quiet days in his home, but Francie informed him that on a certain Saturday, John needed to be out at Tierra Madre bright and early for volunteer orientation. John has been with us ever since and is one of the hardest-working people we’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. He always has a smile on his face and a rake or shovel in his hand.

Jeremiah wasn’t around horses much growing up but he was always captivated by them. After a long visit to a family friend’s ranch in Texas, he began to understand just what horses can do and how they can help humans. After searching horse rescues and programs in Arizona, he found Tierra Madre in December 2018. Jeremiah committed to coming out six days a week and quickly became a leader and lover of the herd. He was especially attached to Jack and dedicated time into training him nearly every day. Jeremiah is a competitive dancer and has been instrumental in organizing and hosting fundraising events for the ranch at his studio.

Claudia was born in Brooklyn, NY. She earned two Master Degrees in Early Childhood Education and taught in New York for several years. A leave of absence took her to the Navajo Reservation to do volunteer work with an animal rescue group as well as teach Kindergarten in the Navajo school system. One of her first rescues was a snow blind horse named “Tony”. The Navajo helped her learn “the way of the horse”. With growing understanding, Claudia fell in love with “Tony” and all the other horses she met on the reservation. Claudia has been a volunteer at Tierra Madre for 12 years, working with and for the horses that live there. She is a resident of Cave Creek and as a result, has developed many important friendships with individuals, merchants and organizations that have supported Tierra Madre both financially and socially. Claudia is a sponsor of one of the rescued horses at Tierra Madre named Annie Oakley, who has become her Heart Horse.

Chuck joined us in January 2022. Growing up in Seal Beach, California, Chuck had more interactions with jellyfish than horses. Quickly after joining the volunteer team, Chuck fell in love with the horses, specifically Birdie, who remains his closest confidant to this day. Chuck has found a group of volunteers that he considers ranch family, so becoming our Volunteer Coordinator was a natural fit. Outside of volunteering with horses, Chuck also loves donkeys, Florida Gators football and any grain of sand touching the Pacific Ocean.