Board of Directors
Ohio for 16 years and prior to that for 18 years, the supervisor of the
Court’s counseling department. My educational background includes a BA
with majors in English, Sociology and minor in Psychology. My masters is
in Sociology. I am certified by Hazelton Addiction Center as a drug/alcohol
assessment counselor and served as an assessment counselor and
developed recovery family sessions for the Lake County Juvenile Court.
Under the auspices of the Governor of Ohio, I also participated in the Lake
County Family and Children First Council serving as member of Council
and as chair of the Children’s Committee which was tasked with resolving
therapeutic and placement issues for multi-need children.
My husband, Doug, and I moved full time to Brevard 15 years ago.
Both my husband and I owned horses during high school
I decided to start riding again 12 years ago and bought my horse, Copper.
Now I own 3 horses.
I am familiar with therapeutic riding as a friend of mine owned her own
therapeutic riding center and I would send employees and referrals to that
center throughout my career. I have been impressed since moving to
Transylvania County with Free Rein’s dedication to helping clients be the
best they can be through working with horses. As a Board member, I am
committed to Free Rein’s motto of “Making the Impossible Possible”.
After the Navy, I attained an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I worked in the nuclear power industry for 36 years at Westinghouse Electric Company in Windsor, CT and Pittsburgh, PA. I had many roles and responsibilities over the years including; project management, marketing, field services management and quality assurance. As part of this work, I traveled all over the U.S., western Europe and parts of Asia.
Also, while in Connecticut: I owned a bicycle shop; served on the board of the local chapter of A Better Chance, in Glastonbury, CT; owned a reining horse (did lots of trail riding); and was a member of the Granby, CT Horse Council.
In 2017, my wife and I both retired from Westinghouse and moved to Brevard. For the first two years here, I did some part time consulting work as an industrial incident investigator and analyst.
I first volunteered for Free Rein as a Horse Leader in 2017 weeks after moving here and have been doing so ever since.
After graduating from Florida State University, he taught 9 th grade physical science for 4 years at McClay high school in Tallahassee, Florida. In 1988 he was recruited to be the program director at Camp Carolina for boys in Brevard. After that first summer, Andy, his wife, and newborn daughter chose to make Brevard their home. Their son was born the next year in Brevard. Four years later, Andy became the assistant director at Camp Illahee for girls.
After seven years in the summer camp business, Andy took the Resource Coordinator position with the statewide therapeutic foster care placement agency, Omni Visions, Inc., based out of Raleigh. Andy trained, licensed, and placed long term foster children in foster homes located in Western North Carolina.
In 2005, Andy took the science teacher position at Davidson River High School, the local alternative high school in Brevard. While working at DRS, Andy first learned about Free Rein. The middle school students there took lessons at Free Rein and since Andy had his bus driver’s license, he often drove them out to the barn for their lessons. After reading a newspaper article describing Free Rein and the upcoming volunteer orientation and training, Andy became involved. For many years while still teaching school, Andy volunteered as the horse leader for a single student every Wednesday afternoon during the spring and fall sessions. This experience helped Andy realize just how beneficial the Free Rein horses & lessons were to not only each student, but also for giving the family a quiet one-hour break during the lesson time. Andy retired from teaching after eleven years and found he had some free time. Being a morning person, Andy has volunteered to feed the horses Monday thru Friday mornings for several years now. During this time, Brittany, caught him fixing small things around the barn; hose holders, door hinges or latches, motion flood lights. Now Andy enjoys working with Brittany as a handy man for many of the special projects she comes up with. Andy continues to be a substitute horse leader when needed, continues to feed horses and do morning barn chores, and always love hearing Brittany’s chuckle when she says she has another project in mind.
In 2022, Leslie, her husband John, her dog Rosie, and her horse Lyric decided to make Brevard their permanent home where they enjoy hiking, mountain biking, and lots of visits with family and friends. She is excited to become part of Free Rein and share her love of horses and healing.”
I am a retired Air Force Colonel and I am very honored to have served my country for 23 years as a physician. I am grateful that the US Military provided me a scholarship to Tulane Medical School. I am a practicing pediatrician and fully board certified since 1989. I currently practice at Hendersonville Pediatrics since 2007. I serve my community through various organizations and look forward to joining the FreeRein Center as a Board member. My husband (also a retired military Colonel) and I retired to Transylvania County in 2006 to intentionally raise our children in an area with great natural beauty/resources.
I look forward to spending more time at Free Rein and serving on the Board of Directors.
passionately dedicated to nurturing growth and fostering positive change. Her
dedication transcends individual programs, focusing on creating synergistic
relationships across various sectors. As the Executive Director of the Brevard
Transylvania Chamber of Commerce, Tamika leads the strategic planning and
implementation of initiatives aimed at bolstering economic development and enhancing the quality of life in the community. Her leadership is enriched by over two decades of experience in both the non-profit and corporate sectors, granting her a profound understanding of the challenges and opportunities in community development and youth advocacy.
Tamika brings a unique perspective to her work, inspired by her role as the mother of two remarkable children. Her daughter, Gabrielle, a young African American equestrian, has been riding for the past three years, sparking Tamika's interest in the transformative
power of inclusive, inte
spent doing barn chores. I have also assisted by substituting as a side walker and
helping with various rehabilitation modalities or manual work for the horses.
I was raised in Central, SC and attended Clemson University where I received an
undergraduate degree in Psychology. I then completed my Doctor of Physical
Therapy degree at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC.
Following my graduation from MUSC, I primarily worked in an outpatient setting
in Charleston for 13 years. In 2014, I became a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in
Orthopedics. I have been married 13 years to my husband, Sam Wheeler, who is
an attorney here in town.
Since moving to Brevard three years ago, I have shifted to private orthopedic
physical therapy work within my home/office or patients’ homes. This transition
in my career has allowed a more flexible schedule which enables me to assist my
family and pursue additional volunteering opportunities and interests, such as
Free Rein.