Board of Directors

Amalie has been a board member of CTREE since 2018 and has served as the Board Secretary for two years and is honored to be serving as the Board President. Amalie has been an equestrian her whole life, having grown up riding and competing and truly believes in the power of horses helping to change lives. She lives in Sag Harbor with her husband, two young daughters, her horse and their golden retriever.

Chris has been a volunteer with CTREE for 6 years and a board member for 5 years. As one of the founding real estate agents of Compass, he is a member of the Hudson Advisory Team, the #1 Team in New York and #13 in the nation. Chris is a member of the Compass Equestrian Division. Compass EQ features hand selected agents, that have been vetted on not only their sales & marketing experience, but on their equestrian experience & knowledge. Originally from Maryland, Chris grew up on his family's horse farm, home to Preakness and Belmont winner Afleet Alex. Chris rides with Robin Stables at Mecox Bay Farm in Bridgehampton.

Nancy has been a resident of the East End for over 25 years and brings a strong background in effective marketing strategies honed from her career as an award-winning advertising/creative director. She is currently a realtor at Compass.

Rebecca is an interior design professional living in her longtime hometown of Southampton, New York with her husband, Christopher and their dogs. Rebecca works for the architecture and interior design firm Brady Design. She is the past president of CTREE and has been a devoted volunteer for the Hampton Classic Horse Show for thirty years.

Isabel Adolf was introduced to CTREE at thirteen years-old, when she was riding at Wölffer Estate Stables. She quickly jumped at the opportunity to volunteer once she heard of CTREE's mission. Isabel is currently a senior at the George Washington University, completing her bachelor's degree in both Art History and Psychology. She has taken on a managerial role at her barn in Wellington, where she began Atlas Equine LLC, a company dedicated to the development of horses. Isabel splits her time between Wellington, and her home base, Sagaponack, where she hopes to continue her passion for horses and beneficence.

Kristen is a Canadian citizen. She has ridden 47 years in both Canada and the US and she currently competes at an amateur level in the over 50 adults hunters. She donated one of her best horses to CARD, Canadian Association for riding for the Disabled.

Barbara grew up in Amagansett and has been an avid equestrian her whole life and currently has two horses as part of her family. Barbara is currently involved in local family businesses and is a volunteer or on the board of numerous local charities including her church, St Jude Hope in the Hamptons, A.V.I.S., CTREE & GEHEF.

Katy Carey is the parent of two former CTREE riders and has been involved with the organization since its early inception. One of her children was able to ride competitively for several seasons thanks to CTREE’s incredible support. She has seen first- hand the wonderful benefits of therapeutic riding for her children on the autism spectrum. Katy is a former finance professional and served as CTREE’s past treasurer and currently serves on its finance committee. She has also served on several other not-for-profit boards. She earned a BA from Colgate University and an MS from Columbia University.

CTREE has been a main focus of Helen's Charity support as a committee member starting in 2018, largely in the live and silent auction realm. This is her first year as a Board member, a role she is excited to share with a great team. A 20 year resident of the Hamptons after relocating from NYC in 2005, she resides in Sag Harbor Village with her partner, step-children and two dogs. This is where she runs her custom lighting design studio for her company HelenBilt, which she started in 2000 upon graduating Parsons School of design. Having a strong local connection to the community, HelenBilt recently celebrated Fresno Restaurant’s 20th anniversary by installing 20 hand-blown glass and Urchin series fixtures in the renowned East Hampton Village hot spot.

Ava Locks is a New York State-certified Special Education Teacher with extensive teaching experience at New York public and private schools and cultural organizations. She is experienced in developing programs and strategies to meet the needs of Neurodiverse populations. Her expertise includes sensory-friendly training, disability equity training, and advising businesses on accessible and inclusive strategies and best practices. Ava also has experience providing early intervention services for children with autism and individualized learning style instruction in private practice. In 2024, she launched ACCESSforALL, a disability consultation firm offering workshops and training services to businesses and professionals interested in creating more equitable and inclusive experiences for their communities.

A long time East End educator who has been a member of the CTREE Board of Directors for the past twelve years. Dick served the Southampton UFSD as Principal and Superintendent for twenty years. He also held the position of Adjunct at LIU, Southampton and C. W. Post. Over the years, Dick served as Administrator of Peconic Montessori, Morris Center (formerly Hampton Day), Child Development Center of the Hamptons and recently retired as the Superintendent of the Oysterponds UFSD. Dick and his wife, Joanne, reside in Water Mill.

David Michaels is the Founder and Managing member of Physicians Financial, LLC, insurance and financial services for Medical and Dental professionals. He currently resides in Sands Point , New York and Southampton, New York with his wife, Valerie and two sons Aaron and Jacob.

Growing up around the exciting world of East End Real Estate and learning the trade from her family, Dana worked her way up to become one of the top 50 brokers in the nation with Sotheby’s. She has competed in the Hampton Classic since she was eight years old. Dana lives in Sagaponack with her husband, three children, a coop full of chickens, two rescue dogs, a kitten and thousands of honey bees!

Diana Shiel was a Director of CTREE’s founding board in 2009. Since then, she has worn many helmets, including Board Secretary, Co-chair of the governance committee, Co-chair of CTREE at Sebonack’s annual fundraiser, and lesson volunteer. Diana had a 35 year career in international public relations, marketing communications and special events. Her last role was founder and chief executive of a communication consulting company specializing in luxury products. Prior to that, Diana was founder, Director and media spokesperson for the Silver Information Center and North American Director of the Gold Information Center. Born and raised in northern NJ, Diana and her husband Dennis built a home and relocated to Southampton seven years ago. They have two children and two grandchildren. Diana holds a B.S. from Marymount College, along with certificates from New York University and Fashion Institute of Technology. She is an enthusiastic dressage rider at Robin Stables at Mecox Bay Farm in Bridgehampton, voracious reader, gardener, and lifelong traveler to more than 50 countries.

Jesse grew up horseback riding in CT and volunteered in high school at a therapeutic riding program. After attending Boston University, she moved to the East End in 2009 to work for Ralph Lauren and has worked for them for 15 years. Jesse started volunteering at CTREE in 2013 and fell in love with the riders and the horses. After a brief stint in Malibu, she is happy to be back on the East End and part of CTREE once again!

Julie is genuinely and deeply humbled about the prospect of joining the board at CTREE. It’s a very special organization with a big heart for those with disabilities both physical and cognitive, as well as a deep love for the very special horses who take care of them. Julie is a 50+ year veteran of the East End. She grew up coming to her family homes in Bridgehampton or Watermill, and it was there where she fell in love with the equestrian world as a six-year-old. To this day her equestrian life is still with the same horse farm, Swan Creek Farms in Bridgehampton. When she’s not riding horses for their customers, her other occupation is a freelance content producer for brands, ad agencies and marketing departments. Prior to freelancing, Julie produced advertising commercials as Head of Broadcast Television/Creative for Victoria’s Secret from 2001 – 2012. As a freelancer, she has produced campaigns for Michael Kors, L’Oréal, Verizon, and National Geographic to name a few. Julie’s true love is helping brands tell a clear story, using as many beautiful digital mediums as possible and managing creative teams. She currently lives in the Southampton Village.