Adrian Ford is from Potomac, Montgomery County. Ford operates The Big Easy @ Canterbury Farm stable which offers lessons, training and boarding as well as opportunities for clients to compete in regional hunter, jumping and event shows. Originally from Louisiana, he has trained horses and riders since 1988 and has numerous local and state high score winners to his credit
For Animal Control and Humane Societies:
Erin Ochoa
Erin is the CEO of Days End Farm Horse Rescue and has been with the organization since 2005. As a Maryland native, she grew up active in the horse industry and was involved with Pony Club and Potomac Valley Dressage Association. She is a Certified Public Manager through The University of Baltimore. Additionally, she is certified as an equine investigator and animal control officer. Erin has been a court witness, for criminal cases in equine neglect and abuse, in Equine Husbandry and Rehabilitation for multiple counties in Maryland. Erin serves as a member of the Maryland Professional Animal Workers Association, Board Member representing Associations of The Maryland Horse Council and Advisory Council member of The Homes for Horses Coalition.
For Equine Veterinarians:
Dr. Kathleen Anderson, DVM
Dr. Anderson graduated from Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 1986 and has practiced in the Mid-Atlantic region since then, focusing on Thoroughbred racehorses and elite equine athletes. She is the Equine Medical Director for Fair Hill Training Center and served as the 2016 Past President of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). Dr. Anderson has held numerous volunteer leadership roles in the equine industry, including with the AAEP On Call program and was recently appointed to the HISA Veterinary Advisory Committee. She brings nearly 40 years of experience and a passion for horses to the Maryland Horse Industry Board, working as a racehorse practitioner from yearling sales through retirement and second careers; eventers and beloved riding horses. Kathleen has a menagerie at home of 5 horses, 2 wild corgis and 2 barn cats that keeps her grounded in reality and sensitive to the challenges facing horse owners and caretakers!
For Trails and Recreational Riding:
JENNIFER SULIN
Jennifer Sulin is from Catonsville, Baltimore County. Sulin is the owner and operator of Plot Twist Farm in Glenwood, MD. She provides both English and Western riding lessons as well as programs for Girl Scout troops and the Howard County Public School System. She is a board member of the Maryland High School Rodeo Association. She enjoys trail riding with her two daughters, Charlize and Ryenne, who also participate in local, state and national rodeos.
For the Maryland Standardbred Industry:
LISA WATTS
Lisa Watts is from Huntingtown, Calvert County. Watts started out as a pari-mutuel teller at Maryland racetracks 36 years ago and was drawn to harness racing as her responsibilities grew at Rosecroft Raceway in Oxon Hill. She has been the General Manager/Director of Operations at Rosecroft, one of the state’s two harness tracks, since 2009. Watts has two grown sons and serves on the Advisory Committee of the Maryland Standardbred Race Fund.
For The Equine Support Industries:
CONNIE SAWYER
Connie from Huntingtown, Calvert County. Sawyer is the President and CEO of Connie Sawyer LLC, a live sports production and promotions agency, with an expertise in international equestrian sports production, broadcasting and marketing. Currently Sawyer acts as the North American Events Manager for the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the international governing body of equestrian sports. In addition, she is the Director of Broadcasting for the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill.
For the Maryland Horse Council:
Carolyn Mackintosh
Carolyn Mackintosh is the owner of Loch Moy Farm and the organizer of the Maryland Horse Trials, Maryland International FEI CCI 1/2/3/4*, USEA Horse Trials, and USDF Dressage shows. She also hosts Bred to Event and unrecognized events, providing opportunities for horses and riders at the grassroots to the FEI level of equestrian sports. Traveling to international events to learn more about competitions and management, while fostering growth in Maryland’s competitive equestrian scene, is a true passion of hers. Carolyn Mackintosh is on the board of the Maryland Horse Council.
For the General Public:
Genevieve Macfarlane
Genevieve Macfarlane is a partner at the Law Offices of Stevens Palmer, LLC, located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Her legal practice encompasses real estate transactions, land use and zoning, and equine-related legal matters. A lifelong equestrian, Macfarlane grew up riding in Maryland, which fostered a strong and enduring connection to the state’s vibrant equine community. She earned her undergraduate degree from Washington College and her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law. Since law school, she has been focused on building a successful practice while combining her work with her passion for the equine industry. Macfarlane serves as the President of the Queen Anne's County Bar Association and sits on the Land Use Institute Committee for the Maryland State Bar Association. Macfarlane is an avid foxhunter and a member of the Wicomico Hunt Club.
For the Maryland Dept of Agriculture:
Cassie Shirk
As the Maryland Assistant Secretary of Marketing, Animal Industries and Consumer Services, Cassie Shirk oversees a wide range of programs, including Marketing and Agribusiness Development, Food Quality Assurance, Animal Health, Weights and Measures, Horse Industry Board, State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, and Maryland Agricultural Fair Board.
Secretary of Agriculture,
KEVIN M. ATTICKS, D.C.D.
Appointed by Governor Wes Moore n to serve as Secretary of Agriculture, Born in Prince George's County, Maryland, 1975. Attended St. Mary's High School, Annapolis, Maryland; Loyola University Maryland, B.A. (journalism), 1997; University of Colorado, M.A., 1998; University of Baltimore, D.C.D. (communications design), 2002. Founder, Grow & Fortify. Past executive director, Brewers Association of Maryland; Maryland Distillers Guild; Maryland Wineries Association. Past member, Board of Directors, Future Harvest; Maryland Tourism Coalition. Past president, Maryland Agricultural Resource Council. Past chair, Advisory Council, WineAmerica State and Regional Association. Adjunct faculty, Loyola University Maryland.
MHIB Staff
Executive Director:
Anne Litz
Anne was born into the Maryland horse world. A graduate of Garrison Forest School and the University of Mary Washington with a Political Science degree. Anne grew up riding, showing, and hunting in Baltimore County with her mother and working alongside her father with Litz Bloodstock. After college, she worked for Gannet papers the Worcester County Times, and the Beachcomber as a photojournalist on the Eastern Shore before returning to Baltimore. Returning to Maryland she worked at the Maryland Saddlery and as a freelance photographer. In 2013 Anne began working with the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred magazine as a photographer, membership coordinator and circulation manage. She started with the MHIB in 2019, and took the Executive Director position in 2025. She currently hunts with Green Spring Valley Hounds.
Stable Inspectors:
Peggy Morgan, has been an Animal Health Inspector with MDA for the past 30 years, and has owned horses for approximately 35 years and has a small family farm with her husband Chris and two children in Upper Marlboro. Many people may have met Peggy at the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Open House, where she has brought animals, including a miniature horse and a draft horse, for the past 20 years. She also inspects animal health papers at regional agricultural fairs and shows..
Ellen James is a lifelong horsewoman in both English and Western disciplines and is a graduate of Montana State University. She also worked for nine years as a veterinary technician. She inspects horse stables for MHIB and veterinary hospitals and clinics for the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. She lives in northern Harford County.
Tonya Kendrick
Tonya has worked at the Maryland Department of Agriculture for 18 years. Tonya handles the stable licensing for the MHIB; however, she spends most of her time working for the State Vet Board.
