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Staff

IMG_0924Danielle Menteer, Interim Director               

Previously an instructor and coach at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, Danielle Menteer joined the staff of the Nancy G. Held Equestrian Center in July of 2007 as associate director. She holds a B.S. degree in Equine Studies from Lake Erie and represented the Lake Erie Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) hunt seat team at the National Finals during her time as a student there.

Prior to her arrival in Albion, Menteer worked in eastern Ohio as a professional trainer and stable manager, working with horses and riders in dressage, hunters, and jumpers. Her experience is extensive: she has successfully competed on the Florida winter circuit, shown hunters and jumpers in "A" rated shows, and earned her United States Dressage Federation (USDF) bronze and silver medals in recognized dressage competitions, competing through the FEI level. Currently, she competes Albion College Lenox at Prix St. George and Intermediate I.

Menteer's duties at the Nancy G. Held Equestrian Center include development of the programs and facilities, event coordination and planning, oversight of all equestrian staff, recruitment of future students, and instruction of current students.  She is also the coach of the Albion Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) team.  Under her leadership and tutelage, the team earned National Finals berths in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

Randi Branson-Gardner, Stable ManagerRandi_BG_SM

A Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) master-level instructor, Randi Branson-Gardner joined the Held Center staff in October of 2011.  Previously an instructor, stable manager, and team coach at YMCA Camp Letts Equestrian Center just outside of Washington, D.C., Branson-Gardner has a wealth of experience working with horses and riders in multiple disciplines, including hunt seat, western, eventing, dressage, and even polocrosse.  Prior to her work at Camp Letts, she was the barn manager and head riding instructor at Reverie Acres Riding Academy, the first United States Pony Club-approved riding center in Maryland.  Branson-Gardner was also the center administrator for the USPC program at Reverie Acres, as well as the leader for the stable’s 4-H club.

At the Held Center, Branson-Gardner’s daily tasks include all aspects of stable management, including oversight of the barn staff, arrangement of feeding and turnout schedules, scheduling for all vet, farrier, and specialist visits, horse show and event support, and instruction of students.  She is also the coach of the Albion College hunt seat team.

IMG_0934Carolyn Killewald, Office Manager/Show Secretary

Carolyn Killewald is a graduate of Albion College and holds a B.A. in English. She was previously employed as a magazine editor for a trade association in Jackson, MI before being hired at the Held Equestrian Center in August 2008. Killewald's role at the Held Center includes planning events and projects, marketing, accounts receivables, purchasing, and serving as a liaison between the Center, students, community members, and faculty/staff of Albion College. During horse shows at the Held Center, Killewald serves as the show secretary, coordinating competitors' entries and fees, issuing awards, and tracking results.

A lifetime equestrian, Killewald competed in the U.S. Pony Club and eventually placed her focus on dressage. Together with her Trakehner mare, Tierra del Fuego, she has competed through Second level at USDF recognized shows and regional championships. Killewald also has a retired Morgan mare that she competed in the past and later used as a lesson horse for a few students. She trains with Maryal Barnett on a monthly basis. Beyond riding, she also spends time scribing at dressage shows, drawing, spending time with her husband and dog, and working outside at their small farm in nearby Concord, MI.

IMG_0927Randi Heathman, Recruitment/Marketing Coordinator

After five years in the admission office at Albion, Randi Heathman joined the Held Center staff in 2010 as the recruitment and marketing coordinator.  A 2003 alumna of the College with a B.A. in English, she also holds an M.A. in communication studies from Spring Arbor University.  At the Center, her duties include representing the College and the Held Center at recruitment events, design and implementation of web and print advertisements, maintenance of the Center's social media network, spearheading fundraising efforts for the Center's programs, and connecting with prospective students and their families.  She is also the advisor of the Albion College Equestrian Club.

Heathman's connection to the Held Center is unique, as the roots of the program trace back to her senior honors thesis:  "Enhancing Education Through Equitation: A Promotional Plan for an Equestrian Facility at Albion College."  As such, the indoor arena at the Center bears her name.

Heathman grew up riding a "Midwestern mixture" of disciplines (including stints in 4H and the MIHA) before discovering her passion for dressage.  A USDF bronze medalist, she and her Dutch Warmblood gelding Ricochet were individual and team champions of the Prix de Villes of North America in 2007.  In 2009, the pair were Second Level Adult Amateur champions at the USDF Regional Championships in Wayne, IL.