A Unique Set of Skills and qualifications
Board of Directors & Staff
The H4H Board of Directors of Horsemanship is passionate about our mission and dedicated to ensuring our organization’s success.
Co-Founder/Executive Director
Karolyn Hooper
Karolyn (goes by “K”) has great love and respect for Veterans, Emergency Responders and their families, and has a passion for sharing the healing power of the horse with those in need.
Karolyn Hooper is a Co-founder, Instructor, and the Executive Director for Horsemanship for Heroes. K retired from the U.S. Army after twenty-three years of service, including multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. She is certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, International (PATH, Intl) as a Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI) and as an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL). A life-long learner, K is an Assistant Faculty Instructor in the Equine Studies Department of Post University.
Co-Founder/President of the Board
Scott Hooper
It’s all about the people! Serving our nation was Scott’s greatest honor. Serving those who have served our nation, and our community is his calling.
Scott Hooper is a Co-founder, Instructor, and President of the Board of Directors for Horsemanship for Heroes. A retired U.S. Army combat veteran (Somalia, Iraq x3), Scott served over twenty-five years in the Infantry. During that time, he held multiple leadership and senior advisory roles across the globe. Scott is a PATH, Intl. certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. Personally impacted by the human-horse bond, Scott considers this program potentially life-changing for all…participants and volunteers alike.
Secretary, H4H Board of Directors
Brigitte Stafford
Brigitte is Vice President for the Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America for the State of Nevada. She is a longtime Nevada Humane Society “Lead Volunteer” for off-site pet adoptions. She has been involved with event planning and fundraising for several Nevada Veteran service organizations, including the State Veterans Home, Veterans Guest House, Army/Air Guard Family Support Office, Homeless Veterans Stand Down, Home Goods for Veterans with Katie Grace Foundation, Wreaths Across America, Nevada Veterans Memorial Plaza cleaning team and many more.
Treasurer, H4H Board of Directors
Michael Hillman
Michael is an advisor to private and publicly-listed companies, notably Aptiv PLC, an automotive supplier that is developing the next generation of active safety, autonomous driving, smart cities and connectivity solutions, and to Atom Limbs, Inc., creating the world’s first artificial human arm, giving 65 million people with disabilities their limbs back. From 2000 until 2016, Michael worked at Apple where he was primarily responsible for architecture, design and engineering of numerous iconic products at Apple Inc. including the iMac and Mac Pro, as well as inventing a multitude of technologies implemented across Apple’s product lines. He has been awarded 35 utility patents, 9 design patents and has over 40 pending patent applications.
equine advisor, H4H Board of directors
Gayle Scheffel
An equine enthusiast from an early age, Gayle adopted her first horse at the age of 9. She attributes much of her success and confidence to the horse/human experience and is a firm believer, supporter of equine assisted therapy.
Gayle is a 30-year veteran in the executive search industry. Her focus has been serving high growth companies in a broad range of venture capital backed, technology-oriented industries including semi-conductors, e-commerce, media, and food science. She was a founding Partner at KarrScheffel a boutique Executive Search firm in San Francisco, CA. She also held key management positions within the executive search practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Scheffel & Associates, and Baxter Biotech. Gayle currently acts as Strategic Advisor to SB Search Partners. Gayle is active in the Northern Nevada community and is on the Board of Montreux Golf and Country Club where she chairs the Membership Committee. She is also on the Board and Executive Committee at Big Brother’s and Big Sisters of Northern Nevada.
Marketing Advisor
Tova Roseman
Tova has many family members who have served as both Veterans and First Responders. She has seen
first hand the positive results of the human-horse bond and is dedicated to helping both the public and
veterans understand the benefits of such a special therapy.
Tova Roseman has an extensive background in international marketing and strategic planning for
engineers, architects, the mining industry and the horticulture industry. She has been a professional
speaker, television producer for Discover Network and HGTV, on-air radio personality for KOH radio,
and author of 2 nationally best-selling books. Tova has received many awards in marketing and
advertising. Her varied background lends itself well as the marketing advisor for
Horsemanship4Heroes, and public relations for the Nevada chapter of the Assoc. of Vietnam Veterans
of America.
