Who We Are

Ellen Kaye Gehrke Ph.D., Director of Research and Education.  Dr. Ellen Kaye Gehrke is a Professor of Health Sciences, Leadership and Integrative Health in the School of Health and Human Services at National University in San Diego.  She has a Ph.D. from The George Washington University School of Business, an MBA from National University and a BSC from the University of California, Berkeley.  Currently, she serves as the Program Director for the Masters of Science in Complementary and Integrative Health. She has certifications in Energy Medicine, Level 4 Healing Touch, Level II Reiki, CCARE from Stanford Certified Compassion Cultivation facilitator, HeartMath Provider 1:1 and has several certifications in natural horsemanship and equine facilitated education.  She has been conducting research on HRV on horses and humans since 2005 and has published papers on the therapeutic impact of horsemanship on health and well-being in combat veterans, executive coaching and children with autism. She is the founder/Director of a program for combat veterans, the Heart of Horsemanship.

.Alecz Adams, President and Director of Equine Operations. Ms. Adams has been working professionally with horses for over 30 years. A successful competition and professional rider in a variety of disciplines: Hunters, Jumpers, Eventing, Reining, Trail, English Equitation, Western Pleasure, and many Gymkhana Events, she also works as a horse trainer, private riding instructor, and ranch manager. Ms. Adams spent several years designing, creating and training both horses and staff for several companies, including the number one equestrian tour in Peru, Mountain Lodges of Peru.  Ms. Adams also founded Destination Rescue, a program created to help small equine 501(c)3s grow and integrate into their communities, by helping each rescue find their niche and create their own programs in their area.  Ms. Adams has been providing Equine Assisted Therapy to Veterans, children and families for over a decade.  She has developed a new therapeutic method known as Equine Fusion Therapy that has been very successful in her practice. Ms. Adams is one of Eagle County’s original Health and Human Services Equine Assisted Therapy and Therapeutic Riding providers.

Russell H. Granger J.D. Secretary/Treasurer Russell Granger graduated from South Western School of law in 1991.  He developed a successful law practice in the small town of Georgetown, Colorado and became the City Attorney.  His law practice emphasized in representing victims of child abuse and spouse abuse.  He received numerous awards for his commitment to economically disadvantaged and  the  abused including Attorney of the Year and a Colorado Bar Association award for working the largest number of pro bono hours of any Colorado .