NLCT Board of Directors and Advisors
In addition to our founders, Heather and Huxley, The New Life Center for Thoroughbreds Board of Directors includes three other incredible individuals from varying backgrounds. Each member gives our board a unique strength that could not exist without individual talents and passions. We are also fortunate to have the guidance of a talented group among our Advisors.
Board of Directors
Judy Johnson
Judy Johnson has had a life-long relationship with horses, both her own, and rescues benefiting from her foster care. Beginning in Ohio, by way of New Jersey, and now in Virginia, she has enjoyed varied careers. As owner-partner with her husband, Russ, Judy spent twenty-two years managing human resource, finance, graphic design, and contractor sourcing for Performance Edge, Inc., a custom training and management development company serving Fortune 500 companies and their highly varied transfer of knowledge needs. Judy has been a licensed real estate agent in three states, and created, opened, and managed a successful and consistent award-winning restaurant at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. Her time has since been filled with non-profit humanitarian efforts for Hope to Walk, and the Smith Mountain Lake Lions Club.
Dr. Kecia Parrish
Dr. Kecia Parrish is a small animal veterinarian who earned her undergraduate degree at Miami University before graduating from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, she resided in Oregon where she owned her own practice specializing in the care of llamas and alpacas. In 2011, she started her own practice, Hickory Ridge Animal Hospital located in Columbia, Maryland. In addition to running her practice, Dr. Parrish works with several local rescue groups to help animals in need.
Stephanie Woods
Stephanie Woods Dobrozsi is an attorney with over 25 years of legal practice in Washington, DC. A Louisiana native, she graduated from Louisiana State University and earned her J.D. degree from Tulane University School of Law. Stephanie’s ardent support of thoroughbred aftercare is inspired by her first horse, an off-track thoroughbred, JC: I’ll Be Seeing You. She owns two off-track thoroughbreds and enjoys riding and competing in hunter jumpers.
Board of Advisors
Charles F. Olsick, Jr.
Chuck is an accomplished business leader with expertise building businesses. He has helped grow several small businesses into large companies leading to extraordinary value for shareholders. He is an innovative, strategic, and tactical thinker, especially when competing where discriminating solutioning, positioning, and messaging are required. He has improved business performance of leadership, employees, operations, finance, strategic planning and execution, and business development. Chuck is currently President & CEO of Business and Life Transitions (B<) providing strategic planning, performance management, operations improvement, business development, and merger and acquisition (M&A) consulting services.
Jo Anne Miller
Jo Anne Miller began her love of horses at the racetrack. It was there while breezing horses that she saw the ugly side of the horse business. In 2001, in partnership with her Veterinarian they founded Brook Hill Retirement Center for Horses in Forest Virginia as a Horse Rescue and Sanctuary. Fully accredited by both the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance for their work in Equine Welfare, she has spoken at national conferences for the Human Society of the United States, the Homes for Horses Coalition, PATH International, the international HETI convention in Ireland, and the international conference for IAHIAO. She is a college professor of Equine Science for Randolph College, has served as the co-chair of the Equine Welfare Committee for PATH International, is the chair of the Equine Welfare Committee for the EQUUS Foundation, is on the board for both the Virginia Horse Industry Board and the Virginia Equine Educational Advisory Board for Virginia Tech, is a committee member of Horses and Humans Research Foundation, and is a founder of the Virginia Alliance of Equine Rescue Organizations (VAERO).
Joe Duncan
Joe Duncan is an Australian Based Business Leader and the CEO and Founder of The Before 5am Brand and The Joe Duncan Group. He has built Before 5am into one of the World’s largest Human Performance and Wellbeing brands with a reach of 1.5+ million people on all digital media platforms and outlets. Joe is globally recognized for his work in advising and working with Top Performing Individuals, CEOs, Executive Level Management, large Public & Private Companies and Institutions around the world. As a Global Thought Leader, Joe Duncan is a leading voice on many societal, humanitarian, environmental and technological issues which affect humanity and society on a large scale. The Social Enterprise and Impact Space as we know it today has been largely shaped by the work that Joe has done to promote the “Impact Before Profit Model” that many Companies and Governments look to emulate and embed into their Organization. Joe Duncan has committed his life to impacting the lives of over 1 Billion+ people around the world by 2035 through his extensive work in the education, technology and social enterprise sectors.