Susan Van Meerten – Sr. Executive Vice President

Susan lived in Minnesota until purchasing and relocating to a small ranch in Texas, then moving on to the Arizona desert. Her formal education is
marketing and sales oriented, however, she also holds several certificates of completion in the area of computer programming and database design.
This rare and unique combination of business and technical skill sets has allowed Susan a variety of career opportunities.

From 1975 to 1996, Susan held positions in the following 3M divisions: Expediter - Purchasing, Marketing Coordinator - Copying Products, Applicant Coordinator - Research and Development, Report Development Manager – Engineering Systems, and Pricing Program Manager - Data Storage Products. In 1996 when Imation was born, as a result of being “spun-off” from 3M, Susan became the Imation Corporate Data Administrator because of her business knowledge in combination with a strong technical background.

1999 was a pivotal year in Susan’s career, when she made the decision to become an independent consultant in the area of reporting environment management. Partnering with agencies throughout the United States has allowed Susan to guide and influence some of the country’s top business executives not only in the area of reporting but in their business practices as well. Many of those client relationships have become professional friendships representing companies such as, AmeriPride, Best Buy, Guidant, Honeywell, Land O’Lakes, and Merrill Corporation.

Alongside her professional career Susan has contributed much of her free time to working with the Department of Natural Resources and various park commissions to preserve undeveloped land for public use, including bicycle, hiking, and horse trails; donating horses to children in 4H; and providing higher-level riding instruction to her students on horses that she’s raised from birth and trained.

Her primary passion has included working with horses in need, either physically abused or starved, and finding “good” people to provide the rehabilitated horses a better life. Susan has 2 grown children and 1 grandchild. She lives with her husband, a corporate executive; Miss Dixie, her beloved German Shepherd; and Foxy Lady, a sassy American Saddlebred horse in Rio Verde, Arizona. Susan’s broad-based professional experience, as well as her passion for horses, well qualifies her as a managing partner of Buckskin Bridge Ranch.

Kelly Delforge, SPHR - Director, Human Resources & Performance

As a native Arizonan, Kelly continues to reside in Phoenix, Arizona where she makes great use of the year-round sunny weather to ride her four year old paint mare Aspen whom she realizes has been her greatest teacher about life. Kelly understands the potential equines have in the world of human development - both personally and professionally.

Kelly began her career in San Francisco working for PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a Management Consultant helping her clients design and develop HRIS solutions.

Kelly’s background includes a variety of positions within the Human Resources field most recent of which was Director of Compensation and HR Operations for a division of a Fortune 20 company. Her career focus is on defining the strategic vision for human resource management including talent acquisition, compensation, employee and leadership development, motivation, retention, HR analytics and technology solutions.

Kelly’s particular area of interest is applying quantitative methodologies to drive workforce success and maximize the strategic contribution of human capital – an organization’s most valuable asset! Her unique background in technology and human resources has been paramount in this endeavor.

Kelly holds a dual bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems and Business Management (with a HR emphasis) from the University of Arizona. She also has her SPHR (Senior Professional Human Resources) certification and is Six Sigma Greenbelt trained. Kelly has a strong commitment to continuing education and ongoing personal development. Most of her free time is occupied with her horse and two dogs but she also enjoys traveling around the world to scuba dive.

Michael Glick - Manager, Equine Program

Mike is one of the pre-eminent horsemen in the country. He grew up in Oregon and was schooled early on in many different breeds, riding disciplines and a vast understanding of the care and nurturing and maintaining of horses of all ages and conditions. Mike is a trained farrier, knowledgeable in veterinary practices and is a rare combination of someone accomplished at a world-class competitive level in both classical English and Western horsemanship.

Mike has raced Arabians, rescued and trained Mustangs, and has traveled deep into the wilderness to locate lost and injured wild horses who otherwise would have met with certain death and/or suffering. He has a remarkable history of breaking these horses and introducing them into stable and safe environments where they can be cared for and enjoyed.

Mike has developed programs for adults and children both, at all levels of skill, many with special needs, and has provided training and instruction programs in Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Many having witnessed Mike's intuitive and trusted gentle communication with horses have likened it to “horse whispering,” although Mike insists they simply have been his most loyal and wisest friends since childhood.

Susan Tarr – Manager, Client Program Design

Susan Tarr is a former motion picture development and production executive at the Ladd Company, embassy Pictures, Isis Productions, and The Samuel Goldwyn Company. She is also a screenwriter. Two of her scripts have been produced, one by Fox Searchlight Pictures and another written for Hallmark Hall of Fame. She is currently a member of the Writers' Guild of America West.

Susan served as Assistant Dean of Students in the early days of California Institute of the Arts before receiving her MA degree in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology. She has worked in suicide prevention and drug rehabilitation as well as with inpatient psychiatric populations.

Susan has been riding for many years and is a member of the Acton-Agua Dulce Trails Council, Corral 22, and the Missouri Fox Trotter Association. She lives on a ranch north of Los Angeles, in the delightful company of her husband, two horses, two dogs, three cats, three hens, and Dusty the donkey.