Tom Bezek
Executive Director
Isn't life Grand! I get to work with a fabulous team of We Can Ride Staff, volunteers and supporters all with the same goal and vision of making the difference in the lives of our riders and for each other. I have recently retired from 37 rewarding years of helping residents and staff at the Hennepin County Home School. I have also been involved to varying degrees with We Can Ride since its inception 25 years ago, having served on the Board of Directors for the past 12 years. God has blessed me with 4 beautiful and now adult children, 2 adorable grandchildren (are there any other kind?), 3 horses plus 3 boarded horses, 4 cats, and my 40 acre homestead at Pinto Creek Ranch in Carver MN. My vision is to see the entire We Can Ride family pulling together like a team of Clydesdales as we ride off into our new and exciting future together.

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.

Patti Franz
NARHA Registered Instructor and Client Coordinator
My journey with We Can Ride began in 1999 when my then-14-year-old daughter, Jenni, and I attended volunteer training. Even though we had little experience with horses or people living with disabilities, we signed up and have been very involved with the program ever since. I became a registered instructor in 2002, and in 2005 I began working in the We Can Ride office as the Client Coordinator. I'm proud to say that my daughter has continued to be active in the program as a Teaching Assistant (on her way to becoming an instructor), my husband, Scott, is on the Board of Directors, and my son, Tommy, is a barn aide and a volunteer. My horse, Daley, has just completed his fourth year of service in the program, and he has participated in many demos for We Can Ride, including the MN State Fair, Harvest Horse Show, and Horse Expo. My pony, Poppy, has just completed her first year of service. It is my privilege to be involved in such an amazing organization and I look forward to continuing my path of service, helping We Can Ride fulfill its mission.

Judi French
Program Development Director
I have been a horseback-riding instructor for 40 years, and it was while teaching at Hollow Haven Farm in Eden Prairie, MN, that a client and therapist asked me to help We Can Ride. I volunteered for a few weeks and was absolutely hooked. That was 1985 and I worked for We Can Ride as an Instructor until moving to Colorado in 1989. I earned my NARHA Advanced Instructor Certification in 1993 while working for Praying Hands Ranches in Parker, Colorado. I have served on the NARHA Instructor Certification Committee, worked on the International Special Olympics Equestrian event held in MN in 1993, and served as We Can Ride's Executive Director until December 2006. As of 2007, my job tile has changed and I will be the Program Development Director for We Can Ride.

Kathy Simcox
Therapy Department Manager/OTR
I graduated in 1997 and started consulting for We Can Ride in may of 1998, 8 1/2 years later I still love it. I happened upon We Can Ride when I came back to Minneapolis after graduation. I had been a sidewalker for a program in the Bay area in California. When I arrived home I was so lonesome for horses and people I looked up therapeutic riding centers and found We Can Ride. I called and spoke with Louise. When I stated I wanted to be a sidewalker, she stated that they needed an OT. I thought nothing could be better!! Occupational therapy with clients on horses. WOW!! This feeling never stopped. Every time I participate in any We Can Ride activity, be it Hippotherapy, new rider screenings, class evaluations, or volunteering, I am amazed how great I feel when the task at hand is over. The people that make-up We Can Ride are amazing and I am always compelled to want to do more. I look forward to working/playing with everyone in the years to come.

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!