Alisa Beery
Finance Manager
My story begins with a neighbor friend whose son has been a rider with We Can Ride for several years. Our families have become really close through the years, and it's been just amazing watching her son learn and grow and become more social. After discovering my interest in horses, she suggested that I volunteer with We Can Ride. My son Mitchel signed up with me and we began volunteering in the spring of 2003. I am so thankful he and I were able to share such a wonderful experience. In January 2005 I was blessed with an amazing gift in the form of a horse, my first, named Packman. Mitchel and I had worked with him prior to his retirement from the We Can Ride program. During the spring of 2005, I had been working for a private school for almost 13 years. I held several positions during my time there, with the most recent being in accounting. It was a great place to learn and grow, but I felt ready for a change. So, when the opportunity to work for We Can Ride arose, I couldn't imagine a more appealing job. I knew this was where I was meant to be!

Stephanie Bowman
NARHA Registered Instructor and Minnetonka Barn Manager
I began with We Can Ride as a volunteer in the summer of 2004. I am originally from Colorado where I received a B.S. in Equine Science from Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Once I started to volunteer, I realized that therapeutic riding was something I was very interested in. When the job opened up for the Barn Manager in Minnetonka I knew that was the job I wanted. I have worked with several breeds of horses, showing and training them, and figured out that managing a barn was where I wanted to be in the horse industry. In 2006 I became a NARHA Registered Instructor and enjoy teaching very much. I am excited to watch the new changes coming to We Can Ride in the future and am looking forward to being a part of that.

Andrea Dahl
Client Coordinator
Like many little girls, I loved horses from the beginning. I drew them with crayons on church programs or on scrap paper my dad brought home from work. I wrote stories about them, daydreamed about them, and eventually was lucky enough to get to learn to ride them! The serious business of education and being a teenager eventually swept me into the world of sports, books, and art—but in 2006 I landed a job as a wrangler on a cattle ranch in Steamboat Springs, CO. Suddenly, horses were back in my life, and I loved every second of it. After graduating from Carleton College in 2007 with my B.A. in Narrative Art, I found We Can Ride and began volunteering with Patti Franz at Woodpecker Woods. I was hooked. Lucky enough to find my way into the office, I started as the fundraising coordinator, eventually finding my way to the client coordinator desk. I’m also a Teaching Assistant on my way to becoming a certified instructor, and loving interacting with clients and parents! This place has made my dreams come true, and I love to help keep the mission going strong every day.

Brad Thorsen
Executive Director

Diana Valentine
Volunteer Coordinator
Hello! My name is Diana Valentine and I am delighted to be a part of the staff at We Can Ride! After my initial interview with Tom and Judi, I knew there was something special about this organization and its leadership and that I wanted to be a part of it. Now after a few weeks on the job, I know I made the right decision! I bring with me many years of non-profit experience, primarily working with volunteers at a homeless shelter and transitional housing organization in south Minneapolis. I also bring a passion for horses and the total belief that they can change people’s lives. What better place for me to be than We Can Ride!