Meet Our Team

Theresa J. Barbour

President

Theresa develops responses to federal agency decisions. She currently teaches classes to the public to promote a more informed advocacy.

Theresa’s recent works include a legal opinion that evaluates the federal government’s mismanagement of our public lands, wild horses, and their habitats. This is on her Academia webpage with previous works done on various research topics that surround public lands management.

Theresa has previous experience as a Research & Legal Consultant for Citizens Against Equine Slaughter. Developing partnerships with the Forest Service for water hauling and basic fence/gate management through a group she founded, Water for Western Wildlife Emergency Needs Initiative.

Theresa has a lifelong history of service through nonprofit work that includes being a public library director in Spencer, NY. She has also worked as a volunteer for 30 years in animal advocacy and welfare organizations.

Theresa was a community college student with several majors including accounting, business law, environmental law, and psychology. She was accepted to Baldwin-Wallace College to do her pre-law program, with a full scholarship, including a daycare scholarship as a widowed mother with 3 children. She went on to audit various law classes at Ithaca University in NY.

Janelle Ghiorso

Vice President & Financial Manager

Janelle is the Vice President and assumes the duties of the President if that person is not able to fufill their duties for any reason. responsible for oversight of financial transactions and preparing annual reports and taxes. She also is a research assistant within the organization.

I have worked in accounting related field since 1996 while self-employed until 2008 when I started working at a large grocery chain where she is currently working as Head Bookkeeper. My experience with accounting and my love of research will be beneficial for this organization. I am honored to serve.

Along with her full-time job and volunteering for OWHO she is the owner of National Treasure Wild Horse Rescue, where she gives a permanent home to 6 formerly wild horses and 2 burros. Janelle has been a wild horse advocate for 18 years.

Janelle went to Oregon State University and has a BS Degree in Sociology 1996, coursework in Environmental Sociology and a Certificate in Women Studies.

Christina Anderson

Secretary

Duties include the keeping of minutes of board meetings and records. Coordinating meetings and events and legislative outreach. Editing public release statements and documents. Assisting other board members with their agendas

Christina has advanced education at LCC community college and the University of Oregon, in the area of criminal Justice and Psychology.

She was a member of the administrative team at the grassroots Paws Across America Advocacy where her responsibilities were coordinating national rallies, fundraising, research, and development in areas of animal welfare legislation.

She is currently the president of Yogi Service Animal Financing & Education, a nonprofit dedicated to helping disabled Oregonians obtain ADA service dogs.

Her experience also includes networking and building relationships and partnerships with other organizations and nonprofits such as HSUS, Western ASPCA's, National Link Coalition, and NCOAA, as well as others. She has worked to build relationships with legislators on both the state, and federal levels and with law enforcement, and those dealing with animal abuse/interpersonal abuse. She also does lobbying and represents different groups and advocates at local, state and federal levels.

Michael E. Hogsett

Treasurer

Michael Hogsett worked his way through 4 years of college as a restaurant manager where among other duties he was responsible for payroll. And now serves as the treasurer for OWHO.

Michael went to Utah State University where he majored in military science with a minor in parks and recreation.
 

He has also been involved in local politics in his community serving as a planning commissioner and on the town council. Michael is currently on the planning commission for his town. And is involved in activities to support the local and county law enforcement agencies.

Michael is a retired member of the military having been in the Army for 20 years where he was a crew chief on howitzers. He was also a driver, and on a special weapons team.

Michael has done security at the Olympics, and for the National Park Service. And after retiring from the military Michael was a construction superintendent building multi-million dollar homes in the Las Vegas area.

Alison James

Research Assistant for Oregon Wild Horse Organization

Alison's duties include outreach and coordination between OWHO and other collaborative partners and artists. She is also in charge of keeping track of all public records requests, and the responsive records, including state and federal Freedom of Information Act, requests.

Alison is a UK transplant to Connecticut, She has been fortunate to be able to take advantage of skills learned over a successful career. Alison taught riding and training for both riders and horses. She worked in Austria training horses for eventing competitions. In London, she taught in a busy well-known riding school that included students from the mounted London police. Alison moved to the US where she attended university. Experiences included working for a well-known show jumper and a well-known Irish dressage rider. Her duties included knowing how to work effectively for athletes, both human and Equine. Alison also taught as an adjunct professor in equine studios at a Connecticut private university.

Alison worked as an ancient and Medieval numismatist where her duties included extensive research. The owner of this company also produced a monthly guide which allowed Alison an entrance into the publishing industry where she went on to work for 30 years. Her duties with the publishing company included selling print advertising for four monthly magazines, developing an international rights division, traveling, making presentations to prospective advertisers, and meeting with foreign publishers to learn to publish magazines in their markets. Alison retired in 2005 due to a physical inability to travel to conventions to meet with clients.
 

Alison's accomplishments and education include Horse Master and British Horse Society Assistant Instructor, a BA in history with a minor in German at the Western State University of Connecticut.

Alison literally fell into wild horses after reading an article online five years ago. "I was instantly hooked. I could not understand why these animals had been scapegoated by the BLM and ranchers unfairly for fifty years. I made it a mission to help these animals."