Our Staff
Our horses are dedicated staff members who teach, console, and amuse TTR students and staff. They are at the heart of our organization.
Taking The Reins Staff & Instructors
Judith Hopkins – Executive Director
Along with board member Debra Avery, Judith is the cofounder of Taking the Reins. Judith has served as the Executive Director of Taking the Reins since the organization’s inception in 1998. She originally came west to attend California Institute of the Arts. After receiving her MFA in 1987, she taught art at community colleges and the California Youth Authority. Twelve years ago she went on a trail ride in Sequoia that changed her life—she took up riding horses and never looked back.
Karin Johansson – Program Coordinator
Karin grew up riding horses in her native Sweden. After receiving an MFA in photography from California Institute of the Arts, she rediscovered her love of horses and found a way to get back to the barn. She started volunteering for Taking the Reins in 2002 and soon assumed a full-time job as the organization’s program coordinator. In this capacity she oversees and schedules all program activities. In addition, Karin developed the curriculum for the equine science class and co-authored the workbook, A Cowgirl’s Guide to Grabbing Life. Karin also teaches the photography and equine science classes at Taking the Reins.
Colleen Hennessey – Riding Instructor & Gardening Instructor
A lifelong gardener and horse enthusiast, Colleen teaches riding and gardening at Taking the Reins. She has developed our gardening curriculum, which introduces girls to the joy of observing and caring for the natural world and transforming what they grow into delicious, healthy food. Colleen started riding horses when she was eleven years old and volunteered at a bird and wildlife rescue center for several of her teenage years. She studied sculpture at Kansas City Art Institute and has been a practicing artist who has supported herself as a professional cook in restaurants such as Lucques, Campanile, Canele, and Hayes Street Grill.
Nancy Bauer, Riding Instructor
Originally from Boston, Nancy has been riding since third grade. After high school she worked with Standardbred racehorses and spent twelve years training for the Leo Bauer Racing Stable, competing in harness races in New England, Florida, and New York. She then decided to return to her love of riding horses, earning certification as an instructor and teaching at the Thomas School of Horsemanship where she served as Riding Director for thirteen years. After moving to California, she performed stunt riding for film and on the television drama Boston Legal. She jumped at the chance to teach at Taking the Reins since the students remind her of herself as a young, city girl who would never have had such a wonderful life of working with horses if someone hadn't first opened the barn door to her.
Tracy Miller, Riding Instructor
Tracy started riding at the age of six and has been in love with horses ever since. She trained with the Arabian horse trainer Debbie Price and began showing competitively as a young teen. Since then, Tracy has competed in western, horsemanship, hunter, equitation, country, show-hack, sidesaddle, Arabian mounted native costume, jumping, and showmanship. A graduate of Cal-Poly Pomona, she competed for the school, assisted in breaking and training horses for the school+, and gave lessons to the members of the drill team. A private riding instructor, Tracy loves sharing her knowledge and passion for horses and is thrilled to be a part of the Taking The Reins team.
Andrea Richards – Creative Writing Instructor
Andrea is a writer and editor devoted to helping girls discover their voices and learn to value their creative expressions. She has spent much of her decade-long publishing career creating empowering books for teenage girls, first as an editor at Girl Press, then as the author of the book, Girl Director: A How-To Guide for the First-Time, Flat-Broke Film & Video Maker. She is a contributor to magazines such as The Believer, Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture, make/shift, and Los Angeles, and has written essays for several anthologies including the forthcoming Why We Ride: Women Writers on the Horses in their Lives.
Laura A. Vena – Creative Writing Instructor
Laura is a writer, translator, and photographer whose work has appeared in In Posse Review, Chronometry, and [out of nothing]. She is a cofounder of the interdisciplinary arts organization, STROPHE, teaches Latin American Literature at the California Institute of the Arts, and is the production editor of Black Clock. Laura began working at TTR three years ago with the CAP Program and continues to be inspired by her students. Her writing classes engage the girls in creative projects that combine the written word with visual imagery to document the world around them as seen through their ever-imaginative eyes.