OUR DIRECTORS & ADVISORY MEMBERS
Larry Gonzalez, Esq.
President
A native Floridian, Larry moved to Connecticut to attend graduate school. He became involved at the farm in part because of his interest in the thoroughbred industry. He’s an attorney who works for Allied World Assurance Company in Farmington, and has lived in Bristol for more than 15 years.
Affiliation: Allied World Insurance Company
P. Pearl O'Rourke, M.D.
Vice President
(Patricia) Pearl O’Rourke grew up in Bristol, attended Bristol Eastern High School before going to college and Harvard Medical School. She worked as a pediatric intensive care doctor in Boston and Seattle until 1998 at which time she accepted a position at the NIH (National Institutes of Health) in health policy. In 2001, she returned to Partners Healthcare in Boston as the director of the legal and ethical oversight of research involving human participants. She recently retired from Partners and is splitting her time between Boston, MA and Plymouth, CT. She comes to the Board of Directors with a long-held interest in horses and experience in healthcare and research.
Brett Kroh
Treasurer
Brett holds a Master’s in Accounting and is a C.P.A. candidate. He became involved with Shepard Meadows in the fall of 2018 and has been a tremendous resource as we set our strategic plan in place.
Affiliation: Adams Samartino, Certified Public Accountants
Daniel Zakin
Acting Secretary
Daniel, a resident of West Hartford, CT, became involved with Shepard Meadows as a volunteer with Facilities, then Program, as a rider and finally as Board of Director.
Affiliation: Pratt & Whitney
Liz Lefrancois
Board Member
Liz was awarded the 2020 Volunteer of the Year for PATH, Intl. Region 1 which covers the U.S. Northeast and Eastern Canada. A Bristol native, Liz is a retired Guidance Counselor from the Bristol School District. She has been volunteering at the center for over 10 years in a variety of capacities. She helps with facilities, program and even takes riding lessons under our volunteer/community riding program.
Mark Davison
Board Member
Mark became involved with the center in the fall of 2020 when he participated in our Veterans Program. He is a US Marine Corps Veteran. He values his time at the center so much, that he is now a dedicated volunteer helping in program and he takes horseback riding lessons on a weekly basis. He joined the Advisory Board in 2021 and became a member of the board in 2022. He is also Indy’s biggest fan!
Affiliation: Connecticut State Police
Amanda Malkowski
Board Member
Amanda joined the board in 2022. She lives in Farmington and has two children. Her daughter has been riding at Shepard Meadows for several years. A graduate from Baker College with a bachelors degree in Business Administration, she is self-employed as both a business consultant and accountant. In her spare time she enjoys travel, cooking, fitness, and spending weekends in Vermont.
Affiliation: Self Employed
Bryan Cassidy
Board Member
Bryan became involved with Shepard Meadows in 2019 by volunteering his time to help redesign and co-manage the website. In his spare time he stays active with running, skiing, riding on his mountain or Peloton bike, and landscape photography. He and his family live in Burlington, CT.
Affiliation: Torrington Savings Bank
Michael Higgins
Board Member
Michael is a Bristol resident born and raised. He is also a 20+ year member of the Bristol Public School System serving as an English teacher, a High School Assistant Principal and currently as the Principal of Bristol Eastern High School. Michael began frequenting the farm with his daughter in the summer of 2020 and they continue to participate in programming that the farm offers year round. His wife Nicole is a real-estate agent in town and an active supporter of the farm, helping to sponsor Lola this past year.
Affiliation: Bristol Public Schools
Tyler Archer
Board Member
Tyler credits his wife, who was raised out West, for his love of horses. They currently live in Simsbury with their three children, who anxiously await their first trail ride. Tyler is an attorney at Shipman & Goodwin LLP and practices environmental, land use, and agriculture law. He became involved with Shepard Meadows in 2022 as part of the effort to secure a long-term lease of the farm.
Affiliation: Shipman & Goodwin LLP
Jon Rondeau
Advisory Member
Jon and his wife Shelby live in Burlington, CT, and in his spare time he swings the mallet and plays some polo. Jon always has apples for his favorite equine, Moses.
Affiliation: New Wave Industries
Matt Ragone
Advisory Member
Former Treasurer of the Board, Matt is recently retired from the family real estate business in Manhattan. He is a resident of Westchester County who provides strategic guidance to the organization.
Christopher Weber, D.V.M.
Advisory Member
Dr. Weber practices out of Salmon Brook Veterinary, he and the practice have cared for our therapy herd since our inception. A graduate of Tufts Veterinary School, Dr. Weber is the 2021 PATH, Intl. Veterinarian of the Year for Region One, and we couldn’t be more proud!
Affiliation: Salmon Brook Veterinary
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